Final thoughts about Portugal…
It's 6:26am in Portugal (10:26pm in California) and I'm sitting in the airport waiting to board my plane to Paris. I’ve had a great
time in this little country and wanted to leave with a few closing
thoughts.
Simplicity.
Portugal is all about simplicity, which is something I
strive for in my life. I don’t always succeed, because it’s so easy to think I
need one more piece of clothing, one more electronic device, one more thing.
But I don’t. And the Portuguese have figured this out. They cherish three
F’s…Fado, Fatima and Futbol. I think
they should add two more F’s to that list…food and family, because I can
definitely see how those two things, along with the official “three F’s of Portugal”
are by far the most important things to these people. Everything else comes
secondary.
Fado: Fate. Just accept life and move on. No need to dwell
in the past or get angry when life doesn't go your way. I don’t necessarily believe
in fate, but I do believe in letting go and moving on. This has been a great
lesson for me while I’ve been here.
At the Fado performance we attended.
Fatima: the place where the Virgin Mary performed three
miracles. Faith. It’s part of their history and culture. Roots are strong here.
I love listening to our hosts about their great, great, great, great someone
who did something. Everyone here knows who they are and where they came from.
They take great pride in their faith and culture. I love it.
Futbol: well, soccer. It’s everything to the Portuguese. And
not like the Charges are to San Diego. The Portuguese eat, breathe, and live
for Futbol. Like I said before., life if
simple here. They don’t spend time watching hours of reality TV. The Portuguese
work, cook, and watch futbol. It's part of history and culture. It's more than just a game.
Food: Oh the food! It’s quite delicious, but again….life if
simple here. There’s no “have it your way” here. What’s on the menu is on the
menu. No, “can I have a side of that” or, “can I get this without that”, or “I
just want this and not that other stuff that comes with it”. You typically have
3 choices…pork, beef, or fish. It always comes with a side of French fries,
boiled potatoes, and rice. Their salads are simple: greens, tomato, onion, and
a vinegar/olive oil dressing. Oh, and fresh bread is always served on the
table. It took a while to get used to this, but now I’m learning to appreciate
the simplicity of the menus. When you think about it, meat here isn’t mass
produced like in the states. It’s raised on a local farm. The farmer took great
care to butcher and sell the best cuts of meat. The restaurant spent time that
morning picking out the best of the best. When you go to their restaurant, you
don’t ask for the cut of meant you want. You ask for a steak. And that steak is
the best darn thing the restaurant has to offer you that day. And you accept.
Ok, so I haven’t actually had any of the meat here (well, a little secret for you...I ate chicken for the first time in a year last night. I needed protein. It was delicious, and I ate it in good conscious because it went from farm to table)…but the fish is delicious and it’s the same concept.
Cod fish is the only thing served. It’s made the same way. It’s simple. And
it’s good.
Before and After my authentic fish dinner!
Family: Your family name is your connection to Portugal.
Everyone here has 6-8 names. They are family names, they are meaningful names.
They weren’t found out of a name book. There is so much pride in what part of
Portugal you’re from and your family name. It makes me wish I knew more my
family roots to Portugal. I know I’m part Portuguese on my dad’s side, but
other than the name “Fontes”, I know
nothing more about my Portuguese roots.
the last picture is phenomenal!!
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