Advertisement
Published: March 31st 2011
Edit Blog Post
Adventures with the Verdades continued: Coming home from Aveiro, I decided to say thank you to this wonderful family the best way I know how, by cooking up a grand feast.
The meal was simple, Coq au Vin being something of a standby in my repetoire. But taking over the kitchen was a bit of a trick.
Since my arrival at the Casa Verdade, I went about as I do, washing the dishes here and sweeping the floor there. In Latin cultures it is uncommon for a man to do such things, but after some explanation by Maria, the family settled into the uneasy presence of this foreign man who enjoys puttering around the ol' hearth and table. After a time, folks even seemed to appreciate my efforts.
All, that is, except Marianna, the Dame de la Casa. Marianna is Arlindo's mum, a lovely woman of some seventy years or so. She is the kind of woman who gets up and puts an apron on first thing.Even my tenuous grasp of Portugese allowed me to hear her protests, as she said with a look of deep concern and folded arms that a real man does not get dishpan
hands.
But my French dinner kinda won her over for good.
She peeked around as I minced and mixed. She raised her eyebrows approvingly. She sat at the table (this, in itself, out of the ordinary) and had some wine. She took a healthy helping of food and kept staring at me across the table and nodding her head. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when she told Maria that this was the best food she ever ate!
Wow.
We became fast friends. As I helped her in the kitchen, she would chatter to me and laugh at my silly gestures. On the morning of our departure, I brought her a cup of coffee and she turned to Maria and said with real feeling "This is what I will miss."
Definitely one of my favourite moments in my life as a cook.
Kevin
Maria-
While Kevin was cooking dinner, Carolina and I went to get water at the local fountain; yes it is still done today in fact this area had 5 fountins. The water is from fresh springs and better than any thing you can buy.
We walked around the area. These
rural areas are very interesting. You have a district which in this case is Anadia them a municipality and then the little villages. These villages can comprise of two to three small streets, but all share one laundromat and I don't mean coin operated machines no..... this is your manual type good for any colour because the water is freezing cold summer and winter since it also comes from the local spring. Now a days only the older women use it.
I found the streets very clean and tidy. In the pictures you will see a big house. Most likely it belonged to a landowner, but now it lays empty like a sleeping giant.
Maria
Maria
Advertisement
Tot: 0.073s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 9; qc: 51; dbt: 0.0427s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb