Celebration

So this past weekend had a cause for celebration and a very big one. What might that be, you ask…well if you want to scroll and look through the pictures brought forth, you can make some easy conclusions that there was food, food, and more food. Nicole’s sweet sixteen brought together tables upon tables of the most delicious traditional Portuguese dishes known to man, but also the culture that comes with it. Now you may be asking what does this western european culture consist of?

It’s actually not that complicated: Loud obnoxious immigrant stories, beer and lots of it, and an abundance of roasted pig. (Warning veggie readers, the next couple sentences may be offensive, but I really don’t care.) That’s right ladies and gents, that beautiful animal you see ready to be served in the first picture is the mantel to which us “chops” raise our praises when it comes to dinner celebrations. Served alongside juicy oranges and just simply a piece of bread, this bad boy gets taste buds all over the portuguese community going every time. Wether it be the crackling of the skin when being munched upon, or the tender meat soaked in zesty brown sauce that nestles between two pieces of a portuguese roll or…both, it really doesn’t matter. As long as you enjoy the unique taste accompanied by a cold one, you’ll quickly feel like a honorary portuguese soul for the remainder of dinner time. 

Anyhoo, back to business, as the birthday girl started to circle her cake table, we couldn’t help but to entertain ourselves in another classic european fashion: foosball. You think it’s not competitive? Watch a game of 3 different generations of a family go at it in a 4 x 7 ft table made form wood and steel and you’ll quickly find out 9 of the 10 most common portuguese curse words. Not joking, count. Everyone and their mother is insulted as you attempt to score as many balls as you can before someone needs to insert another quarter. Good thing for me and everyone involved at this fiesta, Gabriella was not trigger shy with the camera. Much thanks goes to her and her coverage of this event, because without her, you wouldn’t be able to put the appropriate pictures to these words. 

The pretty much wraps the evening up, now throw in a table packed with every dessert known to man and complimentary expressos around the room and you’ve successfully completed yet another immigrant family event. Sure you might end up driving home in a food coma, but I guarantee you that you’ll have a smile on your face amidst the pain. And you know what? I wouldn’t trade that for anything else in the world.