Tomato: from South America to the rest of the world

The story of the tomato (from tomatl, a Nahuatl term like so many other food words-avocado, chocolate, chili) originated in South America. The Aztecs used it in their cooking. The Indians explained to the first colonists that tomato made good sauces.

After Christopher Columbus and the Spanish colonization, it was spread around the world. By way of Naples, a Spanish possession at the time, the tomato entered Italian cuisine in the XVI century. We wonder now how the people managed to do without it for so long!

 British colonists also found the tomato in North America but it was treated as a decorative curiosity. People distrusted the tomato because it was regarded as poisonous. Curiously  Thomas Jefferson, who ate tomatoes in Paris, sent some seeds back to America.

From being an ingredient in a sauce the tomato became a dish in itself: as a salad, soup, juice or even jam ( I love crepes filled with tomato jam). They are delicious in stews, complement pasta when raw or cooked and are a classic topping for pizza.

Tomato is a fruit although it is used as a vegetable for most culinary recipes.

 In the summer I always have a great craving for tomato juice, sometimes seasoned with a little salt and pepper (but I do not enjoy Bloody Mary, an alcoholic drink made by mixing vodka with tomato juice)

In Turkey I have eaten the best tomatoes ever, so sweet and juicy.

My suggestion:

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes

Peel, seed and dice the tomatoes (1 medium tomato for each egg). Scramble the eggs as usual, adding seasoning and fresh chives. Before they are set, stir in the tomatoes to heat through, but not for them to cook. Serve immediately.

The Story of the Singer Sewing Machine.

Elias Howe (1819-1867) was born in Massachusetts, USA. He produced the first sewing machine in 1846. Despite securing his patent it was very difficult to find investors to finance his invention. He travelled to England where he hoped to have a better reception. After two years of seeking finance he returned penniless to Boston. He discovered that in his absence Isaac Singer had stolen his patent and set up a sewing machine factory that was making money out of it. Howe took Singer to court and after a fight that lasted from 1849 to 1854 Singer was eventually compelled to pay Howe considerable royalties on every machine sold. However it is Singer´s name, not Howe´s that is commonly associated with the sewing machine.



In 1851 Isaac Merritt Singer (1811-1875) and Edward Clark founded the Singer Corporation.

Best known for its sewing machines, Singer was also involved in Manhattan real estate in the 1800s through Edward Clark (Clark had built The Dakota apartments, at 72nd Street and Central Park West in New York , where John Lenon was shot in 1980).

The Dakota apartments

In 1955 one of the heirs of the Singer sewing machine fortune, Robert Sterling Clark (1877-1956) and his wife Francine Clark opened the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamsworth, MA. The Clark Collection includes XIX century paintings from French impressionism and works by American masters – Winslow Homer and John Singer Sergeant, among others.
http://www.clarkart.edu/

 http://www.rsclark.org/index.php?page=robert-sterling-clarc

The Sound of Music

 The Story of the Trapp Family Singers

The Sound of Music is not just a 1965 musical. It is a family film for all times, although it was released 47 years ago.

The film is based on the Broadway musical with the same name, which originated from the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers written by Maria Augusta Trapp. Much of the movie was filmed in Salzburg, Austria, where this family had lived.

Maria von Trapp (1905-1987) Maria surrounded by a few of her favourite flowers

The Trapp Family Singers

With the rise of the Nazis in Austria the Von Trapps fled to the United States, more specifically to Stowe in the state of Vermont, a place which can still be visited today.

This was the original Trapp Family Lodge, in Stowe, VT.

It was destroyed by a fire in 1980.

The Trapp Family Lodge and Guest Houses offer spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

On October 28, 2010, Julie Andrews

 and Christopher Plummer

 and the seven former child stars from the film appeared together for the first time since the film's release in honour of the film's 45th anniversary.

 

I visited the Trapp family Lodge in 2001. It is a beautiful area and well worth seeing!

 

The Shard, Europe's tallest building, in London

The glass tower, designed by Renzo Piano, the Italian architect behind the colourful Pompidou Centre in Paris, sits south of the River Thames at the heart of a wider regeneration project in the London Bridge district. The 309.6m skyscraper was inaugurated yesterday with a laser show by the Duke of York, Prince Andrew and by the prime minister of Qatar. It has 72 floors all of which can be occupied, and will contain offices, exclusive residences, a luxury hotel, restaurants and a viewing gallery. There are a further 15 levels which make up the "spire" – six of which have the potential to be used. The View from the Shard will only open in February 2013 but tickets are already on sale: £24.95 for an adult, and £18.95 for a child.

Enjoy the views from The Shard:

http://www.the-shard.com/views/360.html

Would you like to stay at The Shangri-La at The Shard?
(due to open in Spring 2013)

Lost in Translation

False Friends (Portuguese-English)

False friends are pairs of words that look or sound similar, but differ in meaning.

Every language has false friends. They are not entirely false, because they can help us in memorizing some words of a new language. Given that they sound similar to words in our own tongue, but then mean something different, they’re a great mnemonic device. However, before they actually become useful, those false friend words may induce us to make mistakes. Imagine, for example, that you (a Portuguese or English person) are in Spain and listen to a local say “Embarazada..” You’d think the person was saying that she was “embarrassed”, but in fact she is saying that she is pregnant! For a Portuguese, the following words, for instance, can be some interesting “False Friends”:

 (English)- Exquisite- fine, delicate , not esquisito( weird).

(French)-Cou- means neck and not the slang for bottom.

(German)-Alt- means old, not alto (tall) as it sounds.

(Spanish)-Embarazada- means pregnant, not embaraçada (embarassed).

(Turkish) –Tereyağı –means butter, not tareia( beating).

Again, for a Portuguese learning to communicate in English, it is important to be aware of the following words, starting in the letter A that can become our “False Friends”:

  

Actual- existing as a real fact (real, verdadeiro)

There was a big difference between the opinion polls and the actual election results.

Compare with current- belonging to the present time (atual)

They are expecting profits of over £2 million in the current year.

Actually- in actual fact, really (na verdade)

“Happy Birthday, Tom.” “Well, actually, my birthday was yesterday”

Compare with nowadays- at the present time (atualmente)

We used to write postcards, but nowadays we write mostly emails.

Advise- to give advice (aconselhar)

She advised us where to eat

Compare with Warn- to tell how to prevent something bad (avisar)

I warned her not to go near the dog, but she ignored me, and it bit her.

Agenda- list of subjects to be talked to at a meeting (ordem de trabalhos)

What´s the agenda for this afternoon´s meeting?

Compare with Diary- daily record of personal events (agenda)

He made a note of the date in his diary.

Anthem – ceremonial or national song (hino).

He stood up and sang the national anthem.

Compare with aerial, antenna-wire, rod for receiving radio, TV signals (antena).

John´s portable aerial works all right.

Application- official request ( inscrição)

We filled in an application form for a new passport.

Compare with investment – the act of investing (aplicação financeira)

The government is trying to attract more foreign investment

Appoint-to choose for a position or job (nomear)

He was appointed ambassador to Japan.

Compare with point out- to show by pointing (apontar)

I pointed out to him where I used to live.

Appointment- arrangement for a meeting (compromisso)

I have an appointment at 3.30 with the doctor.

Compare with note – a remark to give more information (apontamento)

The speaker forgot his notes so he had to talk from memory.

Assess- to evaluate, to judge the value, importance (avaliar)

It´s too early to assess the effects of the new legislation.

Compare with access- way of entering (ter acesso)

I had to apply for access to the club.

Assist – help or support (ajudar)

A team of nurses assisted the doctor in performing the operation.

Compare with attend- to be present (assistir)

Please let us know if you are unable to attend the meeting.

Assume – suppose (presumir)

If he isn´t here in five minutes, we´ll assume he isn´t coming.

Compare with reveal- to make known, take over (assumir, revelar)

I´m feeling too tired to drive. Will you take over?

Attend- to be present (assistir, participar)

John was too sick to attend the classes

Compare with answer – to act in reply ( atender, responder)

The phone is ringing. Shall I answer it?

Examples taken from:

http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/

Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture

 
If you know more false friends (letter A), please add them to the list through your commentary.

Thanks!

What´s a yankee?

The Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture describes a yankee as :

1.BrE a citizen of the United States of America.

2.AmE a person born or living in the northern or northeastern states of the US. This word is connected with the American Civil War when northerners (Yankees) fought southerners (Rebels).

The origin of the word is unknown. It can be a corruption of the Dutch Jan Kees (John Cheese). It seems Jan Kees was a nonce name for a Dutchman in America (like John Bull for an Englishman).

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language explains the name yankee probably came from the Dutch “Janke”, a nickname of Jan (John).

Nowadays the term carries little emotion except for baseball fans.

Yankee Doodle

Yankee Doodle is a patriotic American song which became popular during the American Revolutionary War. British soldiers made fun of the Americans:

“Yankee Doodle went to town, a-riding on a pony;
Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni.”

Yankee Doodle- the lyrics

Yankee Doodle went to town, a-riding on a pony;
Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni.

Chorus:

Yankee Doodle keep it up, Yankee Doodle dandy,
Mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy.

Father and I went down to camp along with Captain Gooding
And there we saw the men and boys, as thick as hasty pudding.

There was Colonel Washington, upon a strapping stallion,
A-giving orders to his men, I guess there was a million.

And there I saw a cannon barrel as big as mother's basin,
And every time they touched it off they scampered like the nation.

AMERICA

America was named in honour of AMERIGO VESPUCCI (1454-1512) who was also known as Americus Vespucius, a Latinized form of his name. He was born in Florence, Italy and became a businessman involved in trading goods (perhaps that is why he became familiar with ships).

After his explorations, he was one of the first navigators to come up with the idea that the land he had visited (South America) was not part of Asia (as Columbus thought) but rather part of a "New World”. Vespucci made four voyages to the New World without ever seeing North America. (He also participated as an observer, in many voyages invited by King Manuel I of Portugal).

A contemporary mapmaker, Martin Waldesmueller, put Americus´s name on the map and it stuck. Vespucci himself preferred the name Mundus Novus, “New World”. If the latter was used our American friends would now be called MUNDUS NOVIANS. Imagine how that would have been like?

Summer is here!

Puerto Azul

I love summer. It means warm lazy days filled with sun and trips to the beach. Holidays!...

I lived near the quiet Padanaram village in South Dartmouth, Massachussets.

I enjoyed exploring the beautiful Cape Cod beaches, and the Islands of Nantucket and Martha´s Vineyard in the same American state (MA).



Summertime is an aria composed by George Gershwin (1898-1937) for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess.

OK

Okay (or OK, O.K.) is the most versatile colloquial English word.

As a noun (I need your OK) it means approval.

As an adjective (Lunch was OK) it means acceptable.

As an adverb (We did OK) it means adequately.

As a verb (Can you OK this for me?) it means consent.

As an interjection (Ok. I´ll do that) it means compliance, agreement (Shall we go? OK.) or great enthusiasm (OK!.) by using the appropriate voice tone.

The most widespread of all English words can also be used as a filler of space (Ok, can I have your attention, please?) or to seek confirmation (Is that OK?)

The Origin of OK

According to Bill Bryson (Mother Tongue The English Language, Penguin 1990) it became fashion in Boston and New York as a comic misspelling of Oll Korrect (OK) apparently used by President Andrew Jackson´s bad spelling.  Coincidentally in 1840 supporters of President Martin Van Buren (Andrew Jackson´s protégé) founded an organization to help his campaign The Democratic O.K. Club. O.K. stood for Old kinderhook, a nickname for the democratic candidate who was a native of Old Kinderhook, New York.

Vote for OK sounded better than his Dutch name…

June 17- Father´s Day

Father´s Day celebrates the importance of fathers. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in the UK, Ireland, Canada, USA and some other countries. In Portugal it is celebrated on March  19, Saint Joseph´s Day.

 My grandfather              

               



 The first photograph I know of my father (1909)

Mario Lanza (1921 -1959) was an American tenor and Hollywood star of the late 1940s and 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to become a professional singer at the age of 16. Mario Lanza  inspired successive generations of opera singers. In 1994, tenor José Carreras said "If I'm an opera singer, it's thanks to Mario Lanza".  Placido Domingo added: "Lanza's passion and the way his voice sounds are what made me sing opera”.

Granada is one of the hightlights of the film Because you are mine(1952), which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. It was chosen for the inaugural Royal Command Film Performance of Queen Elizabeth II´s reign, and was a box office success.

Father’s Day is not just another holiday to buy a gift or to peruse endlessly through a shopping centre for that amusing postcard. No. It is much more. Unlike other holidays celebrating soldiers, saints or historical events, Father’s Day celebrates someone close to us. Our closest family members are our stepping stones to the future: they teach us how to be in the world and provide us with our first impressions of society, music and art. Yet, more importantly, fathers, like mothers, give us that life-element essential to all of us: LOVE!

Saint Anthony

Saint Anthony (1195-1231) is Portuguese by nationality and a native of Lisbon, although he is better known as Saint Anthony of Padua, where he made his last home.

St Anthony was born in Lisbon, on the site of this church 

He was born Ferdinand and his parents, members of the Portuguese nobility, confided his early education to the clergy of the cathedral of Lisbon. At the age of 15 he joined the canons of the St Augustine Order, who were settled near the city.

The Cathedral of Lisbon

Two years later he was transferred to the priory of Coimbra. There he devoted himself to prayer and study, acquiring an extraordinary knowledge of the Bible. 

He was still living in Coimbra eight years later when he heard of the death of the five Franciscan martyrs: St. Bernard, St. Peter, St. Otho, St. Accursius, and St. Adjutus, who shed their blood for the Catholic Faith in the year 1220, in Morocco, North Africa.

St Anthony joined the Franciscan Order when he was 26 years old. He was permitted to embark for Morocco with the intention of preaching the Gospel there, but an incident happened: he became very sick and needed to return to Europe. The vessel in which he sailed drove off its course and he found himself in Italy. In Forli he was told to deliver an address. People who heard it were amazed by its eloquence, spirit, persuasiveness, and the learning it displayed. As a consequence he was appointed lector in theology to his Order- the first member to fill such a post. He settled in Padua, Italy after 1226.

 

He attracted huge crowds everywhere he preached. St. Anthony died at the age of 36. He was canonized (declared a saint) less than one year after his death. In 1946, Pope Pius XII made him a doctor of the Church.

He is typically depicted with Baby Jesus, a book, a lily and bread

Saint Anthony is the patron saint of Lisbon.

His feast day is June 13.

Celebrations

Saint Anthony is revered as a matchmaker and the patron saint of marriage. Therefore the municipality organizes free wedding services to groups of young couples.

 

The city of Lisbon celebrates him with a parade held on Liberdade Avenue. Groups of marchers, each one representing an old Lisbon district come down the avenue, dancing to the sound of popular tunes especially written for the occasion, and competing for the Best Marcher’s Group of the Year.

The celebrations won´t be complete without “a manjerico” (a basil pot decorated with a carnation and popular verses).

Manjericos evoke the legend associated to Saint Anthony of growing a carnation flower in a basil pot.

References:

Barros, Jorge e Soledade Costa. Festas e Tradições Portuguesas. Círculo de Leitores, 2002

Saint Benedict Center. The Communion of Saints. MA, 1967

Butler´s Lives of the Saints. Harper Collins, 1991

http://www.all-about-portugal.com/events/saint-anthony-of-lisbon-celebrations/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbtIax9gSKQ