In observance of the Lenten season, this is the first of three stories on Biblical and ecclesiastic themes, all of an unmistakably "Machadian" bent.

On this rare excursion to Bahia, far from the city limits of his own beloved Rio, Machado takes us to a dinner table conversation in the verdant 18th century northeast when Cana (sugar) was the "fruit" of note in the Brazilian paradise.

"Adam and Eve" is sponsored by Brazil Ahead and American Ways and Language located in midtown Manhattan, offering curriculums at all levels for language learning and cultural mastery for both the U.S. and Brazil. Visit americanwaysny.com & brazilahead.com