João Batista da Silva, 62 years old, has eaten roasted lizard to satisfy his hunger, almost died in a flood, started working in the fields at the age of ten, sold trays of eggs from his window, taught himself photography, set up a studio, and ended up in Haiti. Yes, Seu Batista’s life could be a book – and it has a happy ending. In the middle of the story, he became wealthy in Rio de Janeiro, where he arrived at the age of 30 straight from Jaboatão dos Guararapes (PE), with no money, no connections, and lost everything. The turning point came 12 years ago when he started his life anew by selling green corn at his doorstep in Olaria, a neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio. Today, at Largo das Cinco Bocas, his stall sells dozens of large pots of various types of food. The business is non-stop, and the sun-dried meat with cassava is the perfect ending to any night out. He landed at the bus station 32 years ago. “At the time, coming to Rio was like going to Europe,” he says. Seu Batista didn’t know anyone in the city. Besides his provisions, “a northeasterner’s bag with flour, rapadura, etc.,” he brought a camera with which he took portraits in the streets; later, he sold the stereoscopes at the houses of those photographed. He is proud to have photographed half of the neighborhood, where he has never left since. The stereoscopes are left behind, but thankfully he remains there and found his true calling: serving good and abundant food to the hungry.