Monday 27 June 2011
We've got all the time, and money, in the world
In the serviced apartment where we now reside, it costs over 50 reais (£20) to have our clothes washed. And they will be ready by Wednesday, today being Monday. A perfect metaphor for Brazil's infuriating imbalances. I would rather wash my own clothes, having no interest in being Lord of the Manor. (Fond memories of using communal washers and dryers in the basements of New York apartment blocks.) I would also rather it cost me less than a king's ransom and that it was done in real-time rather than slow-motion. Sure, our current accommodation may be a cut above the average. But, still, this place has no running hot water in the kitchen, or toilets which flush paper, or central heating. Give me technologically (cost-)efficient, self-service appliances any day over expensive, sluggish remnants from the bad old days of upstairs-downstairs.
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I find Brazilians have a certain pride in being able to afford cheap domestic labour, and perversely would rather use them than technological solutions such as dishwashers (which are rather rare in Brazil even today). The costs of your block reflect the fact that most of the tenants couldn't care if the washing is 5 or 20 pounds. You have now entered the realm of the uber-rich in Brazil and sensible pricing no longer applies.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've got a cold, noticing how cold the floor is, which is also a problem for Sam's manic crawling. The priorities are all wrong: I would much rather have some kind of central heating or better floor insulation than have the unnecessary luxury of cleaners every day who also wash the dishes !
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