Dear Europe,

This is the first time i ask for the complaints book. Once in Worten I bought a dehumidifier that did not dehumidified but I felt ashamed. This time is worse. I’m afraid I have a defaulted European country.

I was promised Portugal, a meditarrean country with nice weather but since Gil Eanes crossed the Cabo Bojador that we haven’t been in the mouths of the world, except for that one time a guy on a skateboard yelled “Out of the way, Guedes!” and was trending on 9GAG.

There must have been a mistake. The rest of Europe is mostly normally functioning: The French entertaining themselves with Le Pen, the Brits with Brexit and the Spanish still a bit sore for not being a part of the famous English anecdote pattern that includes a Portuguese, a Brit and a Frenchman.

Here in Portugal,  we are unstoppable. As regards to soccer we are champions of Europe. We have the best soccer player in the world, the bets in indoor soccer and beach soccer and I suspect that if there was orchard soccer, if we had two Nespereiras as balise, the best of the world would be ours too.

Something is wrong. I suspect I was given a country in second-hand, because now this kind of titles are not only being given by games you play with your feet.

We won the Eurovision. We organized the biggest event on enterprising  in Europe. The NOS ALIVE was named the one of the best music festivals in Europe. A Forbes gave a shout out to a Vhils. We have some of our Portuguese colleges leading in the Financial Times ranking. Even our traditional cakes (“pastel de nata”, which is only ours is spreading across Europe so we can finally claim that ours is the best of Europe.

We suspect that our country has expired. That it’s state would change 3 days after Eder scored the winning goal but 10 months later and it still there’s no mold.

Everyday, Guardian publishes a new article saying how Lisbon is the coolest, how Porto is an epicenter of culture, how Algarve has the best sunsets and sunrises.

I don’t know how your devolution policy works, but I would like to trade our county for something like Bulgaria or Croatia.

I only asked for Portugal, but I was given the best European country instead.

Original Link: https://goo.gl/FRIHL0
Chosen & Translated by: Luisa.
Revised by: Daniela. (Luísa did an excellent job. I didn’t change anything.)

I chose to translate this article, because as a Portuguese citizen i do appreciate to see my country having the recognition it deserves even if only on cultural and sport events like the ones we have been winning. Portugal is a small country but only in size. And we all feel that these constant recognition given by Europeans are welcome and important for making our culture known and appreciated because here culture is valued, for example regarding the results of Eurovision 2017, we’ve always stayed faithful to our language and most of times, to our style of music too. It is an honour to see articles like these, that remind us to appreciate the country we live in, awards or not, winning or losing.

Terry Gilliam film to benefit from new Portuguese tax incentive

Original Link: https://goo.gl/6D9tc6
Chosen & Translated by: Badriah.
Revised by: Luisa.

I was struggling to find new topics for this blog when I came across this article. This topic might be controversial for some people and that is why I decided to translate it. There is a big discussion on whether this initiative is helping or harming Portugal. In my honest opinion, tax breaks on the rich always had the same excuse "boosting economy, creating jobs, bringing investments" which I do not necessary agree with. Maybe this case is different since its promoting Portugal and its culture. Only time will tell if this is a good initiative or not. I just wish there were bigger promotion for Portuguese films and film makers.

It happened! Salvador Sobral won the Eurovision Song Contest

For the first time, Portugal is the great winner of the Eurovision Song Contest: Salvador Sobral took over Europe with "Amar por dois", theme composed by his sister, Luísa Sobral.

Salvador Sobral won the Eurovision Song Contest that took place tonight in Kiev, Ukraine. The interpreter of "Amar a dois", song composed by her sister, also singer Luísa Sobral, got 758 points. It is the first time that Portugal, participant in the contest since 1964, wins the contest.

Italy, the other favorite to win, was in fourth place with 334 points.

In the voting of the jury, our country received 12 points, the highest score, from Sweden, San Marino, Latvia, Israel, Spain, France, Lithuania, Armenia, Iceland, Serbia, Switzerland, Holland, Georgia, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, United Kingdom and Czech Republic. "Salvador has a sweet and magical voice," said the Lithuanian spokeswoman.

Portugal also received the highest vote of the public, thus winning. People shouted "Portugal" in Kiev.

The Bulgaria was the only country that did not give points to Portugal. Our country gave the maximum score to Azerbaijan.

The victory among the 26 countries in the contest gives to the young singer the best classification to date in the event of the European Union of Radiofusión, surpassing the result achieved by Lúcia Moniz - the sixth place - in 1996.

Salvador Sobral was one of the three interpreters, among all 26 contestants, to sing in their mother tongue.



On Twitter, the #Eurovision, # esc2017 hashtags have reached the top two among the most talked about subjects on the social network. In third place, since 21h40, #Portugal. To home, Salvador Sobral also brought the Marcel Bezençon Award for the interpretation of "Amar pelos dois", a distinction attributed by the commentators of the event at the International Exhibition Center of Kiev. Luísa Sobral was distinguished by the authorship of the best composition for the competition, a homage attributed by the composers of the other countries.

Original Source: https://goo.gl/qlJnTS
Chosen and Translated by: Daniela.
Revised by: Badriah.

The song festival and Eurovision of the song have been part of Portuguese culture for more than 50 years. We had already participated in the contest since 1964, being the first song "Prayer". We could not get any point in this song and in 1996, more than 30 years later, we were in sixth place, with a song performed by Lúcia Moniz. Until then this was our best rating. This year, with the fantastic music of Salvador Sobral, we won the contest and filled the country with pride. We were one of the only countries that had never won, even though we were in the contest for more than a half century.

In this sense, Manoel de Oliveira could be considered the only one among several directors who is distant from the Portuguese public.

Orignial Source: https://goo.gl/K4kfY9
Chosen by: Daniela & Luisa.
Translated by: Badriah.
Revised by: Luisa.

I decided to translate an article about Manoel de Oliveira (a topic Daniela & Luisa have suggested before) because of his importance in Portuguese Cinema. I remember attending a tribute done by the University of Toronto to Manoel de Oliveira's work and that is when I discovered the genius director. I think it is important to talk about him in our blog so movie lovers can get to know his work. The first work from him that I have seen was Viagem ao Princípio do Mundo, but he directed more than 63 movies, so out readers can pick and choose.

Which memories do names such as “Ana dos Cabelos Ruivos (Anne of Green Gables), o Marco (3000 Leagues in Search of Mother) and “A Família Robinson” (Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island) are triggered? For those who grew up in Portugal during the 70’s 80’s or 90’s were marked by the animated series that were broadcasted in the short number of tv channels. First RTP1 and RTP2 and then later around the 90’s also SIC and TVI. Saturdays’ mornings spent laying on the couch still dressed in our pyjamas drinking hot chocolate milk. How many of us never did that? Today, we remember those moments doing a retrospect of 20 cult animated series.  


1. Heidi made its way into national tv in 1976. “The story of a little orphan girl who lived alongside her grandfather in the Swiss Alps, until  her aunt takes her, against her will, to Frankfurt, to make company to a disabled girl whose father was always absent because of work.
While her grandfather desperately misses his granddaughter, Heidi will go through many misadventures…”(RTP)



2. As Aventuras de Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
The series based on the Mark Twain’s Book, first had its début in Portugal in 1981. Tom Sawyer is a troublesome boy who has lived alongside his brother in St. Petersburg with his aunt ever since their parents died. Tom Sawyerd does not like school and goes on many adventures with his friend Huckleberry Finn, who was abandoned by his father.



3. Ana dos Cabelos Ruivos (Anne of Green Gables) first showed up in Portuguese screens in 1987. Ana (Anne) is a 10 year old girl who lives with her adoptive parents, Matias and Matílda (Matthew and Marilla) in Green Gables, a small town near Avonlea. “She is terribly romantic and has a very active imagination. Despite being temperamental  , she is a loyal generous and sincere child whose emotions sometimes get her into trouble” (RTP)



4. Família Robinson (Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island) premiered in Portugal in 1988. It’s the story of Flora (Flone/Becca) and her family who went through a shipwreck and travelled in a raft to a deserted island.



5. Marco (3000 Leagues in Search of Mother) started being broadcasted in Portugal in 1977. The tale of a underprivileged boy in search for his mother.



6. Dartacão (Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds).
“The cartoon started to be broadcasted in Spain in October of 1982 but only came to Portugal a year later. The animated series is based on the book “The three musketeers”.



7. Candy Candy made its way to Portuguese TV in 1983. Candy, abandoned as a baby in an orphanage, was inseparable from Ana (Annie) but her friend gets adopted by a rich family, breaking up the two. Candy starts to live a life of adventure, love and even tragedy. For being considered a polemic series and accused of psychological violence was later banned from Portugal.



8. Abelha Maia (Maya the Honey Bee) came to Portugal in 1978. Adapted from the book “As Aventuras da Abelha Maia (Maya the Bee)”. Tells the tale of a fun and curious bee who prefers going on adventures in the forest instead of going to school. Maia (Maya) has friends such as Willy and grasshopper Flip.



9. “Vickie, o Vicking” (Vicky the Viking) was broadcasted for the first time in Portugal in 1974, with constant reruns trough the 80’s and the 90’s. Vickie ( Vicky) was a little viking  who accompanied his father on his expeditions solving all the troubles that cam their way.



10. “He-Man e os Donos do Universo (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe)” made its way to Portugal in 1986. He-man, the prince Adam and heir to the throne of Eternia, protects the universe with his mighty sword from the evil Skeletor.



11. Era Uma Vez... a Vida(Once Upon a Time... Life)  broadcasted for the first time in nacional tv in 1987. This french animated tv series teachs the story of the human body to young children.



12. Calimero is the story of a black anthropomorphized chicken, almost always unhappy wearing an egg's shell for a hat. Nothing ever seems to go right for poor Calimero. Came to Portugal TV in 1987.



13. Estrunfes (Smurfs) are the small blue creatures imagined by Belgian cartoonist “Peyo”. It first came to national TV in the 80’s.



14. Topo Gigio debuted in Portugal in 1981, the loving rat who had conversations with pianist Rui Guedes, always with accompanied by some music.



15. Transformers. Debuted in Portugal in 1989. Hasbro was the main responsible for ordering it so a new line of toys could be launched. It is about robots that could turn themselves into machines, cars or even animals.

16. As Aventuras do Bocas (Ox Tales) was exhibited in Portuguese for the first time in the beginning of the 90’s airing on RTP2 channel and lated featured in a show called “Agora escolha” ( meaning “Now choose”), presented by Vera Roquette ( a Portuguese presenter). These cartoons followed the everyday life of a boll called Bocas (Ollie), who manages his farm while hanging out with his best friend, a turtle named Ted (Tad/jack).



17. Scooby-Doo is an animated series which had for a hero a great and might dog known as Scooby-Doo, product of the imagination of the celebrated duo Hanna-Barbera. Scooby continued passing the test of time  enduring all changes and maintaining his long list of admirers all over the world, who maintain their faith even in the most recent series. It is filled with adventure, mystery, monsters, ghosts and lots of mess-ups. It debuted in Portugal around the final stages of the 80’s.



18. Dragon Ball debuted in Portugal in 1995 on the Portuguese channel SIC, features in a show called “Buéréré”. The main character was Son Goku, a boy with a monkey tail looking for the Dragon’s seven spheres also known as dragon balls aiming to make Shelong, a dragon who can grant any wish, appear. But during his search to accomplish that goal, he will get involved in many battles against numerous surprising villains. (SIC)



19. “Tom and Jerry is an American animated series of shorts created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Mainly, it focuses on a rivalry featuring adventures and pranks. It is a rivalry between a cat named Tom and a rat named Jerry and the many side characters.” (RTP)



20. Looney Tunes. “Who on earth does not know Sylvester, the poor cat who always follows his instincts chasing the most delusional of his meals – Tweety -, or Bugs Bunny, the nice and clever bunny, the most popular of these cartoons, who always manages to escape his hunter Elmer Fudd, disarming him with his most remarkable quote “What’s up duck?”, or even Daffy Duck, the competitive, paranoid, neurotic little black duck victim of numerous injustices spending all his time protesting”” (RTP)



21. Flintstones. This a story about a modern during the Stone Age which lived in a little city called Bedrock. A family that shares adventures with their neighbors. Barney we Betty Rubble. This cartoon was first shown on Portuguese TV in 1970.



22.The Simpsons. The Springfield yellow family, a cartoon show has been on air for more than 26 years. The animation was created by Matt Groening and it is considered to be a satire of North American society.



Note: RTP/RTP2/SIC/TVI and so on are Portuguese TV channels.

Original Text: https://goo.gl/D1LTI2
Chosen and Translated by: Luisa.
Revised by: Badriah.

I chose this article, because I was ( like many of my generation) one of those kids who woke up early on Saturday morning to watch some of these shows while drinking some chocolate milk. Many of these were also seen by my mother like Heidi for example. My generation was marked by these cartoons and tales, many are missing from this list, and I bet that every Portuguese person my age has at least watched one of these. These shows were also very celebrated by the Portuguese dubbing back then, which was hilarious and gave a personal touch to shows that were not made in Portugal. It became a part of our pop culture, some of these are still being rerun although not as often as before. Others were remade in a more recent animation style, like Heidi or Scooby-doo. And Portuguese tv still shows those remakes, introducing these stories to the new generations. Cartoons are a part of every culture, of every child Portuguese or not, it has some influence on you growing up. It is important to remind ourselves of times when these were our reason to get up in the morning, maybe we were even more motivated to do so than as grown-ups and with real responsibilities to put us out of bed early. These shows have been watched by many and I believe it is important to show how in Portugal they were too. Translating the article was a relatively easy, the challenge was finding the characters names in English language, or the English titles, because most of them had been translated to Portuguese. Like the “Ollie” that in Portugal was translated into “Bocas”, for example. Or the show “Smurfs”, that in Portugal was called “Estrufes”.

text
Daniel Vidal

"Fuck art, let's eat," is the quote emphasized by the red neon light of the counter at the entrance of the Office. The first word is scratched, because in this space no one truly wants art to "screw itself". Otherwise, Oficina (name of the restaurant that in a literal translation means workshop) wouldn’t be situated at the artistic center of the city, the Manuel Bombarda street The lighting is the first of many hidden doings in the city's new restaurant. Among them, of course, there are also the creations of chef Marco Gomes.

The building is property of gallery owner Fernando Santos, who bought it in 2001, when an automobile repair shop was still operating there. He arrived at Bombarda for the first time 22 years ago, at a time when art wasn’t a part of the daily life of the neighborhood. It was on that street that he founded his own gallery, which is still running.

The workshop was first an extension to the exhibitions organized by Fernando. Then, the desire to make another dream come true came: open a restaurant to satisfy the passion for food. But the dream was bigger than just a kitchen.

"I want more than a restaurant, I want something completely different, a cultural and gastronomic project. I want the Oficina to be a new icon of the city. "

It was through the contact list that he recruited friends and acquaintances to fulfill the project. Decorating was in charge of Paulo Lobo, interior designer known for his work in numerous restaurants in the city. The food was up to Marco Gomes - former chef of Foz Velha, and whose cooking Fernando Santos claims to be an unconditional fan of and would eventually become a partner in the project. And, finally, artists like Pedro Cabrita Reis, Filipe Marques or Jorge Perianes, were invited to leave a mark in the restaurant too.

In the menu, the meat occupies the majority. The explanation is simple and it is given by the chef himself: "I am from trás-dos-montes (Portuguese region)  and that’s why I always lean more towards the meat than for the fish."

A self-proclaimed supporter of traditional cuisine, Marco Gomes chose to follow a "comfort kitchen", always careful to lend a "personal touch" to traditional dishes. The menu invites you to start the meal with numerous entrees. There is salmon cured in spices, lime mousse and potato crispy (€ 9.5), fish and seafood stock in crusty puff pastry (€ 12), fresh scallops grilled with cauliflower cream, emulsion of parsley and Portuguese cabbage (12 €) or stowed broad beans with chorizo, poached egg, roasted tomatoes and Terrincha cheese (8 €).

In addition to the main dishes, such as the red partridge açorda (21 €) or the grilled octopus with creamy rice (22 €), the chef highlights one of the sections of the menu where the base of the dishes is sirloin matured at 30 days. Each piece is presented in five different versions and both appear to accompany a escalope of foie gras, covered with cheese from the Serra.

"It's one of the novelties of the letter, where we put these five plates of medallions, always with different garnishes and sauces," explains the chef of the Oficina.

In the desserts, tradition meets contemporary cuisine, with the traditional French toast served with caramel ice cream and Port wine, or sweet rice in three textures: ice cream, foam and the usual recipe.

The combination of art and gastronomy really begins to unfold in January, the month from which theme dinners will be organized, where personalities linked to culture will be invited to talk about their passion for food. And if you thought the art was just on the walls, think again. The artists will also give redesign the kitchen and help the chef create special dishes that will integrate the menu.

Click on the image above to know the space and some of the dishes you can taste.

The combination of art and gastronomy really begins to unfold in January, the month from which theme dinners will be organized, where personalities linked to culture will be invited to talk about their passion for food. And if you thought the art was just on the walls, think again. The artists will also give redesign the kitchen and help the chef create special dishes that will integrate the menu.


Original Source: https://goo.gl/OkLoHB
Chosen by: Badriah.
Translated by: Daniela.
Revised by: Luisa.

In this blog, we have talked about different genres of art such as, cinema, music and literature. We also talked about how such arts are related to Portuguese culture. However, gastronomy is a big part of Portuguese culture and eating-out wither it is in cafes or restaurants is a popular social activity. That is why I chose this article about Marco Gomes restaurant in Porto, called O Oficina. The place joins food with art, which I find to be a really intelligent move from the creator and it is a place that I want to visit and I am hoping that our readers would get a chance to know this incredible restaurant.

Original Link: https://goo.gl/ViQKeh
Chosen & Translated by: Luisa.
Revised by: Badriah.

We have decided to look for some Portuguese comic book to shed some light on national talents. Some people might believe that comic books are not regard as literature, but I think they have earned their own place in the literature world. North American comic books have been making a lot of profits and big Hollywood movies are made based on them. That is why we wanted to show a"glimpse" of what Portugal has to offer to the comic book international fans.