It's Called Culture

We discuss Portugalia, a beloved Portuguese goods marketplace in Fall River, Massachusetts. From its humble beginnings to its bustling Christmas atmosphere and our favorite finds.

Then we reflect on our family's holiday traditions from gift exchange strategies to culinary adventures -- including the "cooking math" that is common to Azorean Americans.

We discuss the film "The Feast of the Seven Fishes" that we recently discovered on Netflix. This Italian immigrant movie hits all the right marks for a Christmas Eve celebration: 1980s, cake-eaters, evil eye, bacalhau, midnight mass, uncle with the bad jokes.

First we share a saying from my vavó that I discovered was from a popular song (O Arroz Está Cru) and then we host our first "translation bee" of the new year.

We share 2024 life goals loosely inspired by Açores circa 1960.

We explore the idea of Christmases Present and the excessive holiday-time commitments that have come to be. Elf on the Shelf! Advent Calendars! Yankee Swap! Secret Santa! Spirit Week! Stocking Stuffers! While we appreciate the joy, we emphasize the need for simplicity and balance during this time. We will be taking a break from the podcast during Christmas week. Boas Festas! See you in the New Year!

We explore the idea of Christmases Past starting with our parents' sparse and simple Christmas traditions and our own childhood holiday memories.

We describe a visit to the Pastéis de Belém pastry shop, its history, and participation in a Lisbon cooking class where we made replicas of the famous pastries. And in typical Portuguese-fashion, you'll find a nata recipe throughout this episode (with no measurements). Good luck!

From the challenge of finding the right word for "candy" to trying to describe something as "under-salted", we uncover the nuances of the Portuguese language.

Our 100th episode! We discuss all things ginjinha (the unofficial sour cherry liqueur of Lisbon).

In this episode, we discuss our love for movies involving time loops and body-switching. We recommend the Brazilian Portuguese film "Just Another Christmas" on Netflix, with similarities to "Groundhog Day." Then we share amusing anecdotes and nostalgic experiences while clearing out Mel's grandmother's apartment over the Thanksgiving Holiday.