No Back Door Entry: Deal Breaker

No Back Door Entry...but There's A Great City View

We thought Christmas was coming a little early this year, with the long-awaited sale of our flat in Sao Paulo looking like it was really going to go happen.  But e-tidings received from the almost-buyers yesterday quashed our festive joy:

"We were at the apartment again over the weekend and identified a problem that we hadn't noticed upon our previous visits: the property does not have a service entrance.  This seriously depreciates its value, since the circulation of maids, supermarket delivery men etc will pass through the living room.   Besides this, just imagine when it comes to taking out the rubbish.  Sorry for the inconvenience but we will not be proceeding with the purchase"

Just imagine, indeed.  Oh well, I guess for Brazilians the whole back door entry thing really is a big deal, and not just figuratively.

It's true that our place is rare in this respect.  The layout of most Brazilian city dwellings reflects a culture in which domestic chores like cooking, cleaning and shopping are performed by hired domestic staff.  Usually, an out-dated kitchen, laundry facilities and a maid's bedroom and bathroom comprise a dedicated service area tucked at the recesses of the property, with it's own access.  These are areas in which the owner barely ventures, let alone lingers.  (FYI potential buyers, ours has all that except the apparently crucial door)

Aside from the fact that unused maid's rooms are great places to stack suitcases and junk, the architectural norms of Brazil are completely at odds with my lifestyle.  I love cooking and hosting.  In my dreams I have an open-plan kitchen (they call this a "cosinha Americana" here in Brazil, oh the irony) where friends drink cocktails and eat heart-shaped canapes while I effortlessly throw together prawn ceviche and home made profiteroles.  In these dreams I suppose my guests would be witness to the demeaning task of - shock, horror - kitchen waste disposal.  But isn't that the whole point of having made Mr Becoming lug a a 50 litre, chrome, Brabantia 'touch bin' back from a recent business trip?