Anyone who likes food would love Borough Market. It is my favourite market. It sells all kind of food, national and international: fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, plants, flowers, cakes, bread, jam, muesli, coffee, juices, cheese, spices and nuts. Everything.
Arriving at lunch time one can have lamb chops, sausages or burgers and then do the weekly shopping.
I couldn’t resist the pyramid of brownies with a nice cup of coffee, hum, nham nham!
Things I don’t like:
- the noise of vacuum cleaners, exhaust fans, traffic and lawn mowers
- people shouting, yelling or screaming
- raw onions in the salad and fennel
- cloudy grey days
- feeling tired
- paying taxes and insurances
- second hand books
- dancing
- a messy house
- an empty fridge
Things I like:
- ”miminhos”
- chocolate, ice-cream and pudding
- nice music
- eating out
- foot massage
- my parents’ sofa
- travelling
- being alone
- the sea
- not caring how I look
Most my books are in boxes in a storage room far from home. My oldest books are still at my parents, waiting for a lift home. Yes, my books have a home, my home. And I miss them. I am not planning to read them again but I like having them around. Books are heavy, take up a lot of space and they are a pain to dust, but I am not able to get rid of them. Every time I move I have to pack them, carry the boxes, unpack and find a place to put them. And the older I get, the more books I have. Maybe I should sell them and start going to a library, but I like being the first one opening a book and I hate finding someone else’s bread crumbs between the pages.
Working closely with the salespeople I learned something: in order to sell you need not an MBA but an MBG: Master in Ball Games. Their telephone conversations always start with: “Did you watch the game yesterday”. And they have to sound enthusiastic and knowledgeable on the subject otherwise no sale, no commission. Which is quite curious, imagine you aren’t a football fan, will you then be a bad salesman? Do salespeople keep records of which team their contacts support?
Since I came to London I’ve been to several nice concerts (and one so bad I am still apologising to my ears!). But last week I was surprised by a really great performance, a blend of Jazz and African music, with two amazing voices: Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kabine Kouyate. Dee Dee, what a woman, so full of energy and charisma. And the extraordinary group of musicians that accompanied her also deserve a word, they worked brilliantly together.
The other day I read an article about Portugal and it is not about old glories.
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/sponsored_sections/country_focus/portugal/portugal.pdf
Most people don’t know much about Portugal. When I mention I come from Portugal all they can think of is Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Vasco da Gama. Older people think of Amália.
I’ve heard a couple of funny things like: “Oh, you’re Portuguese? Last year I went to Barcelona.” Dah! Once I was asked if we had ATM’s. I couldn’t resist answering my parents keep their money in the cookie jar! My favourite is when people start speaking in Spanish to me. I feel like crying. But I am not surprised, Portugal is never on the news and it is almost impossible to find Portuguese writers in the bookshops. We only hear about Portugal in the summer because of the fires or the missing children.
Anyone who likes food would love Borough Market. It is my favourite market. It sells all kind of food, national and international: fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, plants, flowers, cakes, bread, jam, muesli, coffee, juices, cheese, spices and nuts. Everything.
