This is the first week late post!!!! YAYY! I sure there will be more. This blog business is rather complicated. Everyday is special and every moment worthy of recognition, but some details are more important than others. This is a lesson that I am still learning.
Last Thursday was a wonderful day. I woke up late. I had a wonderful meal prepared and waiting...the spoils of grandma. And I had company for lunch.
I am typically against all kinds of social media since they aggravate me. However, one of the most wondrous technological advances is video calling over the internet. It is free with the proper devices. Above, mom and I are enjoying a wonderful sit together over facetime. It is as if the thousands of miles that separate us didn't even exist.
Later we turned the living room into a dining room for my grandparents had a dinner for members of their church group.
Grandpa's job was to make everything nice and neat since my grandma and I would just run back and forth doing as much as we could, as efficiently as possible, leaving a trail of disorganization behind.
Below, is a picture of the delicious seasonal cherries that I never, hmm maybe once, had in the US. My grandparents eat them like candy. Behind the multiple story high hill of fruit is a drink made from those same cherries that grandpa prepared. It is strong and sweet.
There were seven couples present, plus the priest assigned to the group. Each person brings something. It's a delicious potluck.
Two of my favorite specialities: Pudim and Panadinhos de Perú.
Oh, and fresh cheese, named "Queijo Fresco"
Before I left for dinner with my sister I snapped a picture of those dining here at home.
Os "Casais de Nossa Senhora" are a group of people that I know very well from living with my grandparents during the three years that my mom had moved to the United States. These dinners were something that I always looked forward to and loved to attend. Once every one saw me this year they were rather impressed with my size as most. They kept repeating "Are you going to fall asleep tonight too?" Since the dinners happen in a different home of each of the couples, there was a vast number of different couches and bedrooms that were allocated for my sleeping. I have always been a sleepy head.
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After all that time having to deny the most wonderful food that had been appearing in my dreams for years, my sister Rita, her husband Ivo, and I went to dinner in the restaurant "Eurotasca".
On this first eating out there was some stuff to notice:
No refills =( with tiny drinks that you have to nurse for an hour or more.
Bread and olives with a deliciousness that isn't cheap and unavoidable. It's included in the bill.
No tipping.
The white paper cloth on the table. Even that detail I had missed.
The special container for the olive oil, vinegar, salt, etc.
And the food of course.
For appetizers we had chouriço, farinheira, and morcela, which are different kinds of meats that go extremely well with the bread we already paid for.
Then we paid homage to the great seamen of the area by eating Carapaus Assados.
Another thing to notice: The fish come prepared with "espinhas" or bones inside. You have to know its anatomy to eat the fish without getting poked at. My skills had somewhat disappeared and it took me a while to finish.
Eventually I had a mess.
Then we went to my sister's apartment. It was very nicely organized and decorated. It is on the 8th floor with a view to the Tagus River.
Some of the decorations were paintings my grandfather had done.
Bugio Lighthouse
Santa Marta Lighthouse in Cascais
It was my first time meeting Ivo and they have been dating since I can remember.
For many of you reading this, you may be surprised. "He has a sister?!" Yes, and an older brother too. We never lived together but have always been strong friends. When Rita invited me to dinner I was really moved. I had been hoping to contact her soon but it was a wonderful surprise to know that she was just as excited to see me. There was never a moment of awkwardness or silence. It has been very long since we last saw each other. Sitting at dinner with them, or going through their wedding album made me feel extremely welcome in their lives. I am very grateful to have learned that the bonds of family are never broken and that time, as eternal as it is, cannot undo such a powerful connection as that of love for one another. Saying to myself "I have a sister" was a blissful thought. Ivo is incredibly kind and peaceful. I hope to be able to continue developing these old, and the new, relationships that I am reestablishing in Portugal.
