8 Things That Make Us Say “Huh?!”

If you’re a regular reader of this blog (and thank you if you are!) you know that we try to tell good stories every week.  We try to be factual and somewhat serious, while bringing a sense of humor to the topics we choose to cover.  

This week, however, we’re abandoning all pretense.  We’re going to be Seinfeldian and talk about some things that are not particularly consequential or important.  Some of them are just silly.  But all of them are things that we’ve noticed are different from where we come from. 

These are things that we almost didn’t notice.  But then, when we finally saw them, they made us stop in our tracks and do a double-take.  

These are the things that make us say “Huh?!”.

If you live in a city, you may have seen some of them.  But we’re country mice and have been surprised, enlightened, and downright tickled.   Here are a few of our observations.  

#1 – “Hi, Casper!”

Toilet paper is one of those things, like electricity or good government, that we usually only pay attention to when it’s not there.  

But we laughed out loud when we saw this roll.

#2 The Coffee Machine

You can hardly walk half a block here without passing a café or a paderia (bakery) with outdoor tables where you can stop and sip a cup of fresh-brewed coffee in a real ceramic cup.  Lingering over a coffee with a friend is an important part of the culture.

This machine is in one of our local grocery stores, just inside the entrance.  It grinds fresh beans and dispenses a quick espresso for € 0,60 or a Galão (espresso with milk – similar to a cappuccino) for € 0,90.  That’s just slightly less than most of the corner cafes.

We haven’t seen many people using the machine.  Getting coffee to go in a paper cup is just not a thing here.  

#3 – Wait, what flavor is that?

Whenever we travel to a new city, one of our first stops is always a grocery store.  We like to see what kinds of things people buy and what they cost.  And the first thing we buy is a bag of potato chips, often a flavor unique to the city.  

#4 Hey, dude, look! It’s Pringles!  

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What’s not to love about this?   We wonder why some young American entrepreneur hasn’t started a new business placing these machines in marijuana dispensaries. 

We paid a Euro for a tiny can – the stoners would probably pay three.

#5 Bacalhau

Bacalhau, salt-dried cod, is the official fish of Portugal. It comes in big, thick slabs that are hard as a rock. Most of it sold today is imported from Norway because the local waters were overfished years ago.  

Before it can be cooked, it has to be rehydrated – soaked in water that is changed multiple times over several days.  We have read that it is beloved here and can be cooked in over 360 different ways.  Mike has eaten it three times. He enjoyed it twice.

Some of the stores have a band saw that they use to cut the fish. We’re not sure if this is to reduce the cost (it’s sold by the kg) or to make it more manageable for soaking.

#6 Another Seafood Favorite

When we walked into one of our local grocery stores earlier this week, we were greeted by a large placard advertising three specials. 

We were familiar with two of them in the US: Bifanas de porco (pork tenderloin –very popular in Indiana) and Peito de peru (turkey breast).

The third is pretty typical here.  Tentáculos de pota (Spanish for squid tentacles).  But they have never been on our shopping list.  

#7 – What’s That Noise?

Our apartment is above a busy street where parking spaces are sometimes difficult to find. Since we keep our windows open most of the time, we hear all sorts of street noise.

Sometimes we hear a car horn being beeped repeatedly. Sometimes it goes on for 10 to 20 minutes. The people who live around here know the meaning: “Hey! Somebody double-parked in front of my car and I can’t get out!”

What’s amazing to us is that nobody seems to get upset about this.  The double-parked cars are often left running, with their flashers blinking. Eventually the blocker comes sauntering outside and without so much of a how-do-you-do moves their car so the honker can get out.

We enjoy watching this game so much that we run to the window to witness it in action almost on a daily basis. We wanted you to enjoy it as much as we do. Here’s the short version.

#8 The Elevator Scale

We’ve been living in Porto for a little over two months.  Our building has two elevators. One of them works.

Even though it’s small, the elevator can comfortably hold two people and a dog (if said dog could be bothered to move over so the people can get in).

There is a sign in the lift that says it can hold up to four pessoas (people) weighing 320 kilograms. (Blue Bird to the rescue: 320 kg = 705 pounds.)

But after eight weeks we finally noticed the little man and his lever.

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This elevator is only two feet wide by two feet deep. There’s not much room left for anybody else to join us. But if they did, would an alarm sound? Would the little man’s head explode?

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What have you seen lately that made you say “Huh?” Tell us your story in the comments below or send one via the Contact Form.

All our best / Todos os nossos melhores,

Mary & Mike

The Cook And The Writer

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