So to fully explain this, i think some quick background is necessary. I am visiting a group of friends in Lisbon, a group I was introduced to by one friend in particular who is my colleague back in new york. It was in he process of visiting him here last summer and touring part of Portugal that I met his group of friends, into which i was graciously received. So, while my friend was in work-related meetings for the morning and lunch, another friend from this circle picked me up to go over to his parents house for lunch. Now, there are two stories here, the lunch and the friends. and both are interesting.
i start with lunch, which is more of a trope than a narrative. I arrive with my friend and his girlfriend (who is also a core member of this larger circle). No one is home, so we sit down to chat. They are both fully fluent in english, naturally, so everything is fine. Then, the mother and brother get home from the store. Neither really speeks any english, so there are bits of translation but im mostly left on my own. Soon, the friend realizes he needs to run some errands at the bank, so he and i head into town. while he is in the bank, he suggests i take a look at the local parish church - which makes sense, as i am an architectural historian. However, it is noon - church is closed. so i sit out in the little square for half an hour while he banks, watching the local wildlife (by which i mean native portuguese peoples) walk past. all very nice. we then get back to the house, and the girlfriend and mother have prepared lunch - pan friend steaks with pineapple, with fried potatoes, rice and salad - a typical portuguese meal. delicious, by the way. conversation basically happens around me, with bits of pieces thrown my way, or the occaissional phrase i can guess from my italian. i'm more of a spectator for this family meal than a participant, not really even a guest but a presence. which is fine by me. So after dinner, we're sitting in the living room chatting, watching some tv, etc. when the brother comes in and asks if i know how to tie a necktie. It turns out neither he nor his brother, my friend, know how. I'm not much better, since i haven't worn a tie since my cousin's wedding in january, and it seems i can't remember what to do to save my life. Luckily, just as i am realizing what a disaster i'm about to become, my friend from NYC calls and says he is minutes away - we were all saved by the gay boy, yet again. He ties the tie, and my surreal morning is over. I always feel like dead weight in these situations, but i guess it is normal social practice here.
so the second part of this deals with the circle of friends themselves. They are basically the cafe-culture leftist intellectuals, very left-bank paris radicals kind of thing. they can quote everything, discuss everything literary, cinematic, or artistic, and they all speak at least 3 languages - portuguese, english and french. and they can freely jump between these 3. Slightly daunting, although they are all fantastic people. So the interesting nub comes with their political agendas - all socialists and communists, which is well and good. What's funny is that they are all the children of wealthy businessmen, doctors, etc. They are the bourgeousie they all bitch about - their parents give them money, they are all highly educated (PhD's all around), they all live lives of intellectual leisure. And they criticize other people for doing the same, wihout noticing at all their own situation. very interesting.
i say all this not by way of criticism, but because i like all the people quite a lot and think they are pretty fascinating. it's a kind of tribute to their intellectual capabilities and to their generosity in hosting me. And tomorrow we all take off for a week long car trip to northern portugal, for which i now need to go pack.
i start with lunch, which is more of a trope than a narrative. I arrive with my friend and his girlfriend (who is also a core member of this larger circle). No one is home, so we sit down to chat. They are both fully fluent in english, naturally, so everything is fine. Then, the mother and brother get home from the store. Neither really speeks any english, so there are bits of translation but im mostly left on my own. Soon, the friend realizes he needs to run some errands at the bank, so he and i head into town. while he is in the bank, he suggests i take a look at the local parish church - which makes sense, as i am an architectural historian. However, it is noon - church is closed. so i sit out in the little square for half an hour while he banks, watching the local wildlife (by which i mean native portuguese peoples) walk past. all very nice. we then get back to the house, and the girlfriend and mother have prepared lunch - pan friend steaks with pineapple, with fried potatoes, rice and salad - a typical portuguese meal. delicious, by the way. conversation basically happens around me, with bits of pieces thrown my way, or the occaissional phrase i can guess from my italian. i'm more of a spectator for this family meal than a participant, not really even a guest but a presence. which is fine by me. So after dinner, we're sitting in the living room chatting, watching some tv, etc. when the brother comes in and asks if i know how to tie a necktie. It turns out neither he nor his brother, my friend, know how. I'm not much better, since i haven't worn a tie since my cousin's wedding in january, and it seems i can't remember what to do to save my life. Luckily, just as i am realizing what a disaster i'm about to become, my friend from NYC calls and says he is minutes away - we were all saved by the gay boy, yet again. He ties the tie, and my surreal morning is over. I always feel like dead weight in these situations, but i guess it is normal social practice here.
so the second part of this deals with the circle of friends themselves. They are basically the cafe-culture leftist intellectuals, very left-bank paris radicals kind of thing. they can quote everything, discuss everything literary, cinematic, or artistic, and they all speak at least 3 languages - portuguese, english and french. and they can freely jump between these 3. Slightly daunting, although they are all fantastic people. So the interesting nub comes with their political agendas - all socialists and communists, which is well and good. What's funny is that they are all the children of wealthy businessmen, doctors, etc. They are the bourgeousie they all bitch about - their parents give them money, they are all highly educated (PhD's all around), they all live lives of intellectual leisure. And they criticize other people for doing the same, wihout noticing at all their own situation. very interesting.
i say all this not by way of criticism, but because i like all the people quite a lot and think they are pretty fascinating. it's a kind of tribute to their intellectual capabilities and to their generosity in hosting me. And tomorrow we all take off for a week long car trip to northern portugal, for which i now need to go pack.