「肉まんポルファボール！」

He said, "I'm going to Liberdade. Do you want me to buy anything?"

Liberdade is known as Japantown, although it is not only Japanese. There are also large Chinese and Korean communities there.

I asked my husband to buy some pork buns at Suifong Bakery.

This Chinese bakery is very popular among locals in São Paulo.

A Japanese woman who had lived in China recommended it to me during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is one small problem: some of the Chinese staff members don't speak Portuguese.

The first time I visited, I was confused because I didn't speak either Chinese or Portuguese.

I tried to order in a mix of Japanese and Portuguese.

"Nikuman, por favor!"

Strangely enough, they understood me.

I ended up finding the best pork buns in São Paulo.

They were delicious!

On the other hand, my husband ordered the buns using a Chinese phrase generated by ChatGPT.

Everything went perfectly.

Hmm... he was smart.

We can't live without AI these days.

Thinking back, I remember going to a Chinese noodle restaurant in New York City.

The staff there didn't speak English either.

I was impressed that many Chinese people continue using their own language wherever they go.

And they still manage to succeed.

Chinese people are truly resilient!

夫が東洋人街に行くというので

肉まん買ってきてーとお願い。

前回のブラジルの時もよく通ってたこちらの行列ができる肉まん屋さん

Suifong bakery

R. da Glória, 140 - Liberdade, São Paulo - SP, 01510-001

こちらはコロナの時

日本人のある奥様に教えて頂いたお店なのですが

中国にも駐在されてたのかな？

お墨付きの美味しさです。

ただ一つ問題が

ポル語が（ほぼ）通じないw

いや

貴女だって話せないでしょ！？って思うんですが

そうですねトーコさんも絶望的にアレなのですが

初回に行った時

「Nikuman porfavor!」（肉まんプリーズ）

ってダメもとで言ったら

奇跡的に通じました。谢谢！

夫はそういう咄嗟の判断が苦手なので

ちゃんとAIに聞いて

有猪肉包子吗？
（Yǒu zhūròu bāozi ma?）「豚まんありますか？」

を見せたら　問題なく買えたそうです。

私の時はまだAI無かったしなあ〜

オリーブがねえ〜

Did you watch the World Cup match between Japan and Tunisia?

I wasn't able to watch it because the match started at 1:00 a.m. It was simply too late for me. I can't stay up that late.

Anyway, I somehow like Arabic cuisine. I'm especially obsessed with Arabic bread.

I went to an Arabic restaurant to buy some yesterday.

There is a friendly staff member named Pedro. To him, I'm a loyal customer, so he always throws in some extra bread for me.

Wow! Thank you!

Yesterday, I ordered three kinds of bread. One was cheese, the second was za'atar (a type of herb), and the last one was olive.

Pedro packed them for me, and later I opened the warm paper bag.

I smiled immediately.

There were five pieces of Arabic bread inside.

He had made a mistake. One of them was olive instead of beef.

It's okay! That's just how he is.

I always appreciate his kindness.

See you!

トーコさんはなぜかアラブ料理が好きで特にアラブパンが好きでして

時々買うんだけど

馴染みのお店のペドロっていう男の子がとても可愛いんです。

でいつも

３つお惣菜パンを買うんだけど

家に帰るとサーヴィスで５、６個入ってるの。

昨日はね

チーズとオリーブのとザタールとか言う謎のスパイスパン（これがうまい！）を買ったんだけど

家に帰ったら

牛挽肉が３つとチーズ１ザタール１という組み合わせになってたw

オリーブがねえ〜

でもいいの

気持ちが嬉しいよね。

レイヤーカット（聖子ちゃんカット）

I went to a hair salon today.

My favorite hairstyle has been a layered cut recently.

If I were younger, I'd try a butterfly cut.

My face looks like Seiko Matsuda's.

Or... please forget what I said! Not at all!

Actually, I look more like Naomi Fujiyama.

Hmm... but when I look at myself, I think I'm somewhere between Seiko and Naomi.

My features are a bit old-fashioned.

That's why layered cuts suit me.

Those styles were popular in the 1980s. They were called the "Seiko cut."

Interesting. Fashion always comes and goes.

I hope my face type comes back into fashion someday.

美容院に行ってきました。

最近はレイヤーカットが好きです。

若かったらバタフライカットしてみたかったなー

トーコさんは

自分で言うのもなんだけど

ちょっと松田聖子さんに似てるんです。いや似てないです。

本当に似てるのは藤山直美なんですが

でもなんとなく聖子お姉様と直美お姉様を足して２で割った顔をしてます。

なのでちょっと古い顔なのか

８０年代のレイヤーカット（いわゆる聖子ちゃんカット）が

めちゃくちゃ似合います。

流行って廃れて　また戻ってくるじゃないですか。

なので私のような顔がレイヤーカットの波に乗ってトレンドになればいいなって思ってます笑

「アンオーソドックス」

My American friend recommended a Netflix limited series called "Unorthodox."

I really enjoyed it.

The story is simple.

The main character is a young woman who got married in Brooklyn.

She was struggling in her new married life and felt trapped by her circumstances.

Eventually, she found her own path and decided to pursue her dream in Germany.

If I had watched this drama when I was younger, I would probably have been upset with her husband and the Jewish community.

But now, I feel differently.

I don't think there are any villains in the story. Nobody is truly wrong.

Despite that, the story is very serious and emotionally powerful.

I didn't know that such a different world could exist within a big city like New York.

The drama is based on a true story.

It was one of the best dramas I have seen in recent years.

Overseas life has taught me that there are always worlds I have never seen before.

However, I have also learned something important.

No matter how different our values, religions, or backgrounds may be, we are all human, and we are fundamentally the same.

アメリカ人のお友達からおすすめされたNetflix「アンオーソドックス」

とても良かったです。

ざっくりなストーリーは

厳格なユダヤ教のコミュニティで閉鎖的な結婚生活を送る若い女性が

その場所を飛び出し新たな道へ進もうとするシンプルな話。

若い時に見たら

コミュニティが酷い！夫がマザコンで酷い！で終わっていまいそうですが・・

今思うのは悪い人は出てきません。

それでも息をのむ重いドラマです。（４話で終わります）

もし見てなかったら是非。

大都会のニューヨークで

こういう生活をしてる人々がいることに驚きました。実話がベースです。

個人的にはここ数年で一番良いドラマでした。

新しい挑戦！！

I started personal training.

My husband said,

"Don't miss the chance to take personal training sessions in your apartment gym.

You know what? It would be difficult to live in an apartment with a private gym in Tokyo.

You should take advantage of expat life here."

Yes, he is right.

In many cases, Japanese expat families in São Paulo live in apartments with private gyms. Some buildings even have fancy swimming pools.

Sometimes I see young expat couples.

Honestly, I'm a little jealous of them because they live in such fancy apartments.

Thinking back, my early married life was a struggle.

We lived in a small apartment that was built in 1970. Looking back, it was quite old.

That apartment was located in Kichijoji.

Kichijoji is known as one of the most desirable places to live in Tokyo, which is why rents are very expensive there.

We were a poor couple, but I was really happy.

I will always be grateful to my husband.

Even though he didn't have much money, he let me live in a wonderful neighborhood for more than ten years.

Thank you so much.

パーソナルトレーニング

始めました！

「アパート内にあるジムに個別指導の先生が来てくれるなんて

日本帰ったらそんな贅沢できんぞ！」と夫が言うので

確かに

そもそも自宅にジムがあるマンションに東京で住める気が１ミリたりともしないのでして・・

サンパウロの駐在者さんだったら多くはジム付きのアパートに住んでるのが

普通な気がします。

中にはゴージャスなプールがついてるおうちもあるそうよ。

駐在者さんも２０代のご夫婦とか見かけるけど

若い時の駐在って素直に羨ましいな〜って思います。

トーコさんの新婚時のアパートなんてボロボロというか

吉祥寺家賃めちゃめちゃ高くって

この家大丈夫なんかな？って言う築年数が５０年近い家に住んでたからね笑

ただお金がなくてもすっごい幸せだった。

子供の頃から大大大好きな吉祥寺に１０年住まわせてくれたこと

夫にはずっと感謝してる。