It's Called Culture

In this episode we cover Mark Manson's YouTube video titled "Understanding the Most Anxious Country in the World," which explores the complexities of anxiety that seem to permeate Portuguese society.

We discovered that the Portuguese equivalent to the "thirty, flirty, and thriving" mantra is "fifty, thrifty, and depriving..." This week's episode theme is thriftiness. And we also cover a recent incident where you won't believe what was used to heal an injured finger. Hint: It's even better than cobwebs.

Join us for an episode on the art of the Portuguese business transaction... from landlord agreements to paying contractors to booking flights.

We're back from hiatus! This episode includes the juiciest bits from a Portuguese auntie's Reddit AMA ("Ask Me Anything") forum.

We mix our own stories into the Stories of California Azorean Immigrants: An Anthology of Personal Life Sketches by Bob Santos.

We discuss the Kennedy family wealth as portrayed in The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy by Jean Kennedy Smith (specifically Rose Kennedy's historic daily summer routine in Hyannis with 9 kids) and contrast it with our own immigrant family experiences.

Also, the Portuguese did earn a footnote in this book, but we'll tell you why we wish they hadn't.

First we tell a family member's "rom-com" love story from the 1970's and then we get passionate about the bygone era of pay-to-attend wedding showers.

We discuss what we both have in common with Karen Read, how Kel's dad eats in "moderation", and what ancestral anxieties plagued Mel on a recent trip.

We discuss our experience at our local Day of Portugal celebration including the grande mentira (big lie) in its origin story.

We cover a lot in this episode, but one thing is clear no matter the topic: "We're pathetic compared to our ancestors!"

Reference: ⁠Azoreans to California: A History of Migration and Settlement⁠