What the...?!? Portuguese food and my kids

Fresh clams: devoured. Cod fish: total crowd pleaser. Bean & meat stew: a resounding YESSSSSSSS! Octopus, blood sausage, slimy sea creatures...sure, we'll try.

My kids enjoy the food here. Why?

They order vegetable soup for a snack.
Mom and dad opt for coffee and pastry.

It's not me: I am not a great cook. Being daughter #4, I always let those who "could", "do", and I cleaned up. I am very good at cleaning :)

I attribute two main reasons for my kids' ever expanding palates and willingness to try new foods:

1. Freshness: Accessible and affordable, fresh ingredients are the norm. I have yet to see a deep freeze in anyone's home! People generally shop daily: meat, fish, produce, bread. I buy fish and seafood at the market, often caught that day or the day before, and we're eating it by 1pm. Fruit is bursting with flavour--the climate is conducive. Fruit trees are everywhere, and make up part of the public landscape. On our walks, our kids have picked and eaten fruit right off trees: oranges, figs, lemons, loquats, avocados, pomegranates, apples...and we're only coming into summer now. Who knows what else we'll find?
FRESH tastes GOOD.

One of the 8 stalls in the fish market.
The fisherman sell their fish to the mongers long before we're even awake.

One of the 6 produce stalls at the market.
All grown pretty locally.

Picking loquats just behind our building

2. School lunches: Baptism by fire--my kids dove into the cultural gastronomy via school lunches. They were exposed to lots of new foods surrounded by friends: anything they were not familiar with, well, positive peer pressure nudged them to try it.  Boiled potatoes? They love them, drizzled with olive oil. Baked fish? I'm told they ask for seconds. Vegetable soups daily? Thrice now, when I've ordered coffee and pastry for afternoon snack, they request the cafe's vegetable bean soup. Who are these children?!

So, OK: Jonty has always been an adventurous eater. For his 8th birthday (back in Canada), he requested roast lamb, roast potatoes & onions, and brussel sprouts(!).  But our girls came with pretty typical Canadian food preferences.  We are pleased and proud: not all food is a hit, but they are willing to try try new, foreign foods.  I'm good with that!

Interesting note: you won't find baby carrots, mini cucumbers, goldfish crackers: do you think it has to do with universal school lunches? And seedless grapes are harder to find. Seeded grapes and my kids, NOT a match!

Portuguese Gastronomy:

Portugal has been a nation for over 900 years. Centuries of battles and rule by monarchy and dictatorship kept the majority of people poor. Because of this, the food is very simple, made from inexpensive, basic ingredients, readily available. Not like, for example, the rich French cuisine, made with elaborate ingredients.  Most main dishes have, as a base: onion, garlic, lemon and cilantro, and either fish, beans or meat. Desserts are made from: eggs, flour, sugar.

As a "foreigner" trying to cook new Portuguese dishes, I find it very helpful that Portugal is a mono-culture: ie, everyone knows how make it all.  When I want to make "feijoada" (the bean and meat stew my family SO loves), I tell the butcher what I'm making, and he knows what meats I need, and how I need them cut.  Blood sausage, chourico sausage, pork ribs, back bacon, pig's snout & feet (I have yet to add those to my pot!)...

And despite being such a small country, each town/region has a nationally recognized dish and/or dessert. So wherever we go, we try to eat what that town is known for. The variety is remarkable, and we have not been disappointed yet.

When we eat out, we generally order a few different desserts to expand our horizons.
Yes, it's a hard life.

Meal times:

This took a little getting used to, but we're as close as we're gonna get!  Oi, just in time to transition back to our Canadian schedule...

My favourite breakfast: fresh cheese, warm bun, and a latte.
We plan to make the cheese ourselves when we get back

• Breakfast is when we're up: milk, fresh bread with fresh cheese, fruit. Our kids still love porridge.
• Lunch is the main meal here, and typically eaten around 1pm. Soup, main (fish, meat or beans), dessert, fruit, wine. 
• Lanche is afternoon snack, usually around 5pm. Yogurt, fruit, sandwiches, pastries...anything goes, but it's light.
• Supper is around 7/8pm. Soup is a staple.  A light meal, which we love--makes the evening more relaxed for sure.

Now, this photo collage does not do justice to the many wonders of the Portuguese gastronomy, but it's a start. You'll have to come here to taste it for yourself!

So simple, yet, so good! The makings of seafood stew.

Portuguese sausage, presunto, lots of types of cheese (goat and cow) and fresh bread.
Perfect for supper on a hot day!

Razor Clams - a first for us all.
Google how they're caught, it's cool!

I'm married to a foodie.
He makes a delicious Arroz de Tamboril - Monkfish Rice.

Grilled Octopus - chewy, yet satisfying.

Baked Corvina - fresh from Sesimbra.
Grilled fish is our favourite weekend lunch! 

Seafood rice in Alcacer do Sal
The rice is grown about 20m from the restaurant, and the seafood caught a short drive away.

Name that fruit
Quince, sugar-apple and persimmon.
Trying new foods.

Hmmm, maybe our view contributes to the enjoyment of our food?
Yeah, maybe.

COVID19 Update - April 22, 2020

• Portugal is dubbed Europe's "little miracle" for it's quick flattening of the curve and containment of the virus
• Portugal's number of recovered patients (912) surpasses the number of deaths (785)
• Portugal's peak is considered to have passed (having happened on March 23-25)
• Portugal leads the world in testing - 31,000 tests/million population; Canada is at 17,000
• Canada (population 3X that of Portugal) sits at 40,190 cases and 1,974 deaths; Portugal sits at 21,982 and 785 respectively
• United States hits 48,000 deaths--doubling the deaths in the former epi-centres of the pandemic of Italy (25,085) and Spain (21,717)

the COVID Conundrum: do we stay or do we go?

No school. No restaurants. No sightseeing. No family gatherings. And as of 9 days ago, no beach.

Really? Um, those are most of the reasons we're here.

This pandemic has impacted everyone's life, and altered so, so many plans. Humanity does what it has to, there is no alternative. But Mark and I do have a choice--where we live out this quarantine.

Our favourite chicken take out place is selling homemade masks.

Food and PPE? Bonus!

Back in March, when Prime Minister Trudeau urged Canadians abroad to return home, we had 4.5 months left in Portugal, with return flights booked end of July. We opted to stay, figuring:

• we are safe in our quiet village
• there's lots of food,
• this climate is amazing, 
• we are not ready to call this off, 
• this should pass by then (and worse case scenario, we can stay indefinitely--Mark with his 5 year residency permit and us as Portuguese citizens), 
• school might re-open, 
• plus, our home back in Canada is occupied. 

Now, a month later, all direct flights Lisbon-Toronto are cancelled (our carrier has grounded its entire fleet, so although there are multi-city flight options, we'd need new tickets and we'd risk cancelations), quarantine is likely extended to at least the summer, and we know that the kids will not go back to school this year.
What do we do now?

The reality is, regardless where we are, our  day-to-day would be pretty similar: us at home with the kids, and online schooling. In talking to friends, following Canadian social media and CBC, here are some differences I see between quarantine in the two countries:

Quarantine Restrictions:
It seems Canada is more relaxed on this, with "quarantine" defined on an individual level.

• Yes, like here, schools, parks and green spaces are closed, as are non-essential businesses. Social distancing is followed when out in public. But unlike Canada (where you can enjoy pleasure walks and bike rides, drive anywhere, shop whenever), Portugal has significant restrictions for everyone on being out of home.  There is obvious police presence, tickets for "crimes of disobedience" and fines to match.  They are out patrolling regularly, and sound their loud speakers with "Return Home" when passing pedestrians.  We've been stopped twice by police and sent home (very politely, mind you).  Once we were out for a family walk on the beach before its' official closure and once playing/hanging out on the sidewalk in front of our building. You are allowed out to exercise, but raised eyebrows and head shakes when we pass with our little people is unsettling, and likely explains why the streets are void of children. I mostly see adults out with a grocery bag--picking up essentials. As a mom of young kids: Canada and our Peterborough backyard are looking pretty good...
• In true Canuck fashion, Canadians were politely encouraged to stay home this Easter weekend. In Portugal there was a full-on enforced ban, with police out on the highways stopping all drivers. The message was clear: people cannot leave home/be out of their constituency without proof of a valid reason (i.e. essential service worker or taking care of elderly family).  For the 5 days of Easter weekend, the airports were closed, and all vehicles on highways were monitored.  Meanwhile, back home, it seems like cottage visits and small gatherings were common. Perhaps justifiable because there is so much more space in Canada?  Canada's case numbers are lower per million? Canada is that much farther from ravaged Spain? Would have been nice to have a change of scenery!

Our beachfront walk--fully blocked off :(

The yellow sign kindly encourages us to return home--put up late March.
The white sign prohibits entry and cites civic law to enforce it (put up a week later).
Portugal is clear about quarantine.

The town garden...not as inviting as it once was.

Luckily for us, Sesimbra is full of hiking paths in the woods and up the mountains.
We see a handful of people on the trails, but its easy to steer clear of each other.
Sometimes we pass police on the way home--as long as we are moving, we get a friendly nod.

Sesimbra's police cavalry monitoring pedestrian activity.
We love hearing the clip clop outside our window.

Grocery shopping:
Panic buying is not a thing here. Maybe because houses and fridges here can't handle bulk purchasing? Maybe people are more socialist by nature, taking only what they need? The gastronomy calls for fresh food, which you can't hoard? Maybe Portuguese are more confident in the supply chain?  Can't explain it, but going grocery shopping continues to be such a pleasant, mostly daily, experience.  Aside from having to wait my turn outside the grocery store/the butcher/the market/the bakery/the fish monger, and staff now wearing masks, nothing has changed.
And I love it.  Portugal for the win.

Our local grocery shop. Shelves fully stocked. Three people allowed in at a time.
What used to take 5 minutes now takes 20, but standing in the sunshine chatting with friendly folks, 2m apart, makes it fun.

The Portuguese love their fresh bread and pastries--the daily ritual remains, even in quarantine.
The ladies in the shop know me as the "Portuguese foreigner" and make me smile every day.

Mass Safety Precautions:
I haven't heard or seen footage that Canada has started spraying/disinfecting sidewalks/public spaces.  Here, they do it regularly.  My verdict is double-edged: the spraying must help with containment, however, it heightens the sense of alarm and seriousness.

Long story short: We'll stay here for a while yet.

A balcony of hope.

Post "kids bedtime" therapy!

We wanted more family time on this trip, and we're getting it!
Perhaps not in the anticipated doses, but we're good :)

COVID19 Comparison
Canada is about a week behind Portugal.  As of April 13, 2020:

• Portugal is at 1,661 total cases/million population and 52 deaths/million population
• Canada is at 646 total cases/million and 19 deaths/million population 
• Sesimbra "county" has 17 cases, population 50,000; Peterborough County has 53 cases, population 121,000
• Tests/million population: Portugal: 20,000; Canada: 12,000

Both countries seem to be containing its' spread well and "flattening the curve" (a now common term for us all). We are watching each's numbers closely and rooting for both, hoping things improve in the next couple of months and make it possible for us to salvage some summer holidays, wherever we are!

Easter in Quarantine--the best one yet?

Gabi thinks so.

In the words of my 6-year old: "It was a wonderful day! Easter in Portugal is better than in Canada. Here, the "Coelho de Pascoa" gives you presents and WAY more candy!"
Yeah, because she has no where else to spend her cash!

A glimpse of our day:

We awoke to a gorgeous, sunny day to discover
Portugal's Easter Bunny made it to our apartment.
We were relieved to hear she was deemed an essential service.   

The Easter Bunny left us a scavenger hunt in Portuguese.
And we nailed it!

The hunt took us through our building
(even emptier now with the ban on all travel out of constituency this Easter weekend).

Jonty teaching Catarina how to eat a candy necklace.
Important life skill.

Breakfast was bacon, eggs, and "folar", a traditional Portuguese Easter Bread.
Only mom liked it...

After skipping and playing racquetball in the courtyard, we had a ZOOM call with Portuguese family.
We'd never done that before!

We ate lunch on our balcony. The sun was shining, the beach deserted, there was no wind.
The ocean was many shades of majestic blue.

Everyone had a say in the lunch menu.
Jonty - lamb & tomatoes; Gabi - chicken & juice; Catarina: carrots & french fries;
Mom: Sangria; Dad...he got to BBQ in the hot sun!

Honestly, it felt like we were at a private resort in the Caribbean. 26C on our balcony!
Despite the Quarantine, somehow it still feels like we're on holiday.

We couldn't go to the beach today, so the girls improvised.
At least the sound of the waves was real!

We finished the day with a 2 hour hike in the woods behind our apartment.
We found a waterfall and followed it down to the ocean.
This was taken the day before on the other side of the mountain (today we had no phones). 

 Feliz Pascoa!

Grrr...COVID19 burst our bubble.

A worldwide pandemic? While expecting curveballs on this adventure, we did not see this one coming.

Gabi enjoying our deserted "front yard";
the Portuguese are being very obedient and staying home.

There are two ways for me to look at this, and I'll admit, my heart and head are in conflict:

Negative Nelly:
This is fate telling you that you dreamed too big.
Take two steps back, you lose.

Positive Polly:
Rally: what a year to be somewhere warm, with amazing food, beautiful beaches, Mark working only part-time, and you not working.
Deal with the disappointment that so many plans are cancelled (good-bye Barcelona & London in May, au-revoir Paris & Netherlands in July; adeus summer road trip through Portugal; and ciao to most of our visitors). 

Unlike the apocalyptic shit show happening next door in Italy and Spain, with ice rinks converted to morgues, drones and military patrolling streets to make sure people are not out unnecessarily, cases and deaths escalating...things are still relatively calm here.  Portugal seems to have acted quickly with their lockdown, closing schools and non-essential businesses earlier than others. We are still allowed to go out for groceries, meds, and daily physical activity. 

April 9th we'll be told if school is canceled past Easter (we know it will be, question is for how long). We would love for the kids to get to say good-bye and have closure, but have to be realistic that its not likely they will be back this year.  We will stay put for a couple of months yet--we are safe, content, well fed and there is no toilet paper shortage.  Best to steer clear of germ infested airports!

Like most of the world right now, we are trying to make the best of this mandatory pause on life, social distancing and being house-bound. The kids have been great! Of course, these photos do not capture the yelling that *occasionally* happens in between...

Sun's out, Guns out!
Mark's military look:
what happens when you and your barber don't speak the same language...

We get out for a walk along the beach at least once a day;
we are not allowed to "set up" at the beach, gotta keep moving.

The Municipality sanitizes the sidewalks with disinfectant a few times a week.

The market is still open daily, but there is a huge reduction in number of stalls operating. See our fresh grilled fish?
The butcher shop only takes online pre-orders; you get a call when its ready to pick up.
The little grocery stores in town allow only 3 people inside at a time. Hours are reduced.
People are pretty good natured about the extra waiting and the changes.

We are exploring places we hadn't got to yet!
Biking along the pier we see from our window.

The bakery is still open--fresh pastries keep us smiling.

A little yoga to keep us sane and grounded during this time of so much togetherness...

The older two got lots of homework sent home.
More comes weekly from their teachers.

Glad the weather is so conducive to getting out...makes apartment living bearable!

Movie nights abound. Suggestions on movies that span ages 3-9 are most welcome!

When Mamma needs some space, I walk the beach.
Mark swims the bay. Not simultaneously, of course.

Outdoor gym closed, park taped off...
luckily the beach offers many natural play spaces!

How many monkeys fit on a hammock?

The prettiest beach I've ever seen--a 5 min drive, then 20 min hike down a cliff.
Picnic, swimming and climbing, and only two strangers for company.

Catarina kept up with the others. #thirdchildtough

Spot the kids!

Catarina says to me, while swinging on our hammock, watching the waves and the boats:
I love our casa so, so, so much.

Seeing how dad's work applies to the real world.
And yes, Mark's desk looks out onto the ocean.
He closes the window during calls to block out the sound of waves. LOL

On day 12 of no school, Gabi says:
Time flies when you're having so much fun!

Currently, 9 units of 42 occupied in our building (up 3 from last month).
People moving to their summer home for "quarantine".
Only one other kid here--he shoots hoops in the other courtyard.
This one is all for us! Like the telephone cable doubling as a skipping rope?

Update: Covid19 situation in Portugal is on day 12. Portugal's population = 10 million.

• Thursday March 12, we are told school will close as of tomorrow afternoon.
• Friday March 13, last day of school for at least a month (school cancelled for 2 weeks, then 2 weeks of Easter holidays). Kids come home with a whack-load of school work. To support families, government announces one working parent with children under 12 years can stay home with kids and earn 66% of their income (of course, does not apply to us!). 
• Saturday March 14, all public places close (libraries, pools, parks, museums etc). We are asked to stay home and practice social distancing. 169 confirmed cases, no deaths.
• Wednesday March 18, President of the Republic of Portugal announces a state of emergency for 2 weeks, after which it may be extended. The Prime Minister and his cabinet now run the show. (Just that morning, Jonty and I had learned in his Social Studies homework about how the Portuguese government was set up. Talk about timely information!).
• Thursday March 19, Prime Minister closes all non-essential services.
• Thursday March 26, 3500 confirmed cases, 60 deaths.
• Peak anticipated for April 14.