The always-funny Connie Marques shares her recent trip to Portugal, including stops in Lisbon, Coimbra, Curia, Porto, and São Miguel. We hit her with a curious list of interview questions generated by AI which get her to talk about trying the popular dish francesinha, night-seagulls (cagarros), train chaos, funny language encounters, and a surprise transatlantic visit from her dad. We speak with fondness of our shared village roots and desire to be part of that community lifestyle. A truly touching and hilarious episode!

For our culture segment, we discuss Portugal's former colony in China, its history, culture, travel logistics, and other unique aspects. Our nostalgia segment covers Mahjong and its connection to retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. We share our memories of playing Mahjong on the computer and the confusion felt when encountering the traditional version. We also touch on the marketing tactics of Abercrombie & Fitch and their controversial hiring practices, which excluded minorities. We discuss the documentary that exposed Abercrombie's discriminatory actions and their subsequent settlement of a class action lawsuit. 

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Mel & Kel discuss immigrant parents' zero-waste policy and some real-life quirky examples. Our culture segment delves into the quirks of the underground kitchen life including foil-papering the stovetop. For our nostalgia segment, we take a trip down memory lane to a time when smoking indoors was commonplace (even at Venus de Milo wedding receptions). And our mental health segment explores the psychology behind "saving things for later".

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References: Living Underground | Feel Portugal Magazine

In this episode, we discuss recent travel experiences, including memorable interactions with hotel staff. We explore the concept of "fraqueza" and its connection to blood glucose levels. We also talk about a device called Bow-lingual for translating dog barks into human phrases and other Time Magazine "Best Inventions" of 2002. For our mental health segment, we emphasize the importance of identity protection online. Watch the full video episode on YouTube. Subscribe here: ⁠@folkandfad⁠

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In this episode, we explore the uncanny connections between the tragic submersible incident and the iconic story of the Titanic. We discuss familial links, delve into controversies surrounding the Oceangate CEO's motivations, and recount unusual premonitions related to the Titanic. You'll also find out which tycoon associated with the Titanic once spent a year in the Azores. Watch the full video episode on YouTube. Subscribe here: ⁠@folkandfad⁠

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We discuss planning a trip to Portugal, a scandalous story from the 1300s, nostalgia's impact on mental health, and cultural heritage preservation through nostalgia. Watch the full video episode on YouTube. Subscribe here: @folkandfad

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Our culture topic is the Portuguese boogeyman (bicho papão, coco) including etymology, poems, and festas. We read a new message that a reddit user left for us about São Miguel burials, including some people who were not-so-dead when buried. And finally, we discuss the readiness of the anxious mind to respond to disaster in our mental health segment.

We take a butterfly effect-like journey through former Pope JPII's survival of three unique but seemingly interconnected assassination attempts in Italy, Portugal and The Philippines.

[SPOILERS BEGIN AT MINUTE 36:00]

We react to the Netflix series Turn of the Tide loosely based on the real life event of cocaine washing ashore in the village of Rabo de Peixe, São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Our parents are from this island, so we feel inherently connected to the show and its cultural details. The first half of the commentary is relating to vibes not plot lines, so there are no spoilers until minute 36:00. Watch the show, enjoy our commentary, and leave us your own notes!

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As always, we kick things off with a fun social media roundup. Our culture topic is a recap of the true life events of cocaine washing ashore in the village of Rabo De Peixe on the island of Sao Miguel (Azores, Portugal) to complement the newly released Netflix series loosely based on these events. Nostalgia topic is the unhinged plot lines of the cult-classic show 7th Heaven. And Kel gets real with us in a raw mental health segment about recent the loss of her beloved dog.

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References:

Pink Street Lisbon: The Place That's Keeping Us Up All Night

Snow blind: how half a ton of cocaine destroyed a tiny Portuguese island