What Does Carioca Mean?

Someone asked me if this project was called Karaoke Kitchen and while that sounds super fun, and is also quite accurate as to how I cook when I’m alone, a Carioca has nothing to do with karaoke.

No different than a Parisian to Paris or a New Yorker to New York, a Carioca is a native of Rio.

For a native, putting these pillars of our urban identity into words is almost impossible, it’s just a feeling. And, when you are an expat, your cultural identity and sense of belonging is wobbly at best. This feeling I describe, is what floored me once I finally made it home after 15 years away. I had not felt such a deep understanding of who I was in a very long time.

Much like visiting Paris or New York, understanding this unique culture of Rio lies way beyond its world-renowned monuments. The skyline was there just as I remembered it, but so was the “je ne sais quoi” of the Carioca.

If I had to pick three words to define the Carioca it would be warm, fun and welcoming.