Neighborhood BBQ and New Friends

Our new Brazilian neighbors are, they're going to be a problem.

I don't know if they know they're going to be a problem.

I don't know if they're doing these things on purpose.

Younger family, husband, wife, two kids.

Kids might be between the ages of 9 and 11 if I'm guessing.

Always outside, always running around, always kicking the soccer ball around.

Inevitably 2, 3, 4 soccer balls end up in our backyard.

Makes my dog extremely happy.

He runs around collecting all the soccer balls,

boofing them with his snout.

We play with it back and forth.

And inevitably we throw the soccer balls back over the fence

into the Brazilian neighbor's backyard.

Kids are always very respectful, very polite.

Thank you, sir. Sorry about that, sir.

We won't let it happen again, sir.

I tell them every time, don't call me sir.

And it's okay.

These things happen.

And then last night, Brazil plays in the World Cup.

This small family of four has 22 or 23 people over to their house last night.

They're all outside on their back deck.

On a deck that's probably built to hold 10 people.

They start filtering in around 4.30.

I don't know how late they were there.

All I know is when I let the dog outside at midnight,

there were still 22, 23 people on that deck.

The grill was going all afternoon, all evening,

into the wee hours of the night.

I walked outside.

I could smell it.

It smelled like heaven.

It smelled like heaven.

Picanha.

Teresmo. Cordero.

Grilled pineapple.

Grilled pineapple is the only one of those foods that they were grilling

that I know I pronounced right.

Did I mention that it smelled like heaven?

Neighbors looked over at me when I was standing on the deck at 12, 12.15,

after I let our dog out.

Friendly wave.

Are we being too loud?

No, no, you're not being too loud.

You couldn't be any nicer.

And you made the entire neighborhood smell like heaven.

They asked me if I was hungry.

Do I look like I'm hungry?

I'm always hungry.

It doesn't matter what time of day.

Especially if you're grilling Brazilian meats.

I don't even know if they're Brazilian meats.

Or if it's because they were grilling them that they were Brazilian meats.

But yes, I'm hungry.

I will gladly take whatever picanha, teresmo, cordero,

grilled pineapple you might have.

I don't even get the words out of my mouth.

And the husband has a plate of food in his hand,

sticking over the top of the fence that we share in the back of our yards.

These people are going to be a problem.

Because the bar has now been set so high for everybody else in our neighborhood.

And I may have inadvertently found new best friends.

Because if that's how you're going to grill picanha, teresmo,

cordero, and grilled pineapple,

you could kick a hundred soccer balls into my backyard.

I don't care.

These might be the greatest neighbors I have never said more than ten words to,

but are willing to feed me.

Have a good day, everybody.