Living in Portugal: 7 favourites and dislikes

September 17, 2018

I’m a fairly optimistic person, but like everyone else(well, I think), I have my favorites and my pet peeves. In this article, I’m going to tell you about mine, which you may not share, but I’m going to do it at the risk of making some people cringe. After all, differences of opinion are what make the world go round, aren’t they? So, today, in all transparency, you’ll discover things I love and things I don’t love about living in Portugal in this article: “Living in Portugal: 7 likes and dislikes.” Happy reading 🙂

1. Living in Portugal: Portuguese food

a. Favourite food

You’re getting to know me a little: I love Portuguese food. I’m a person who’s not afraid of “culinary discoveries”, my friends and family even call me “the vacuum cleaner” because I eat so many different things and never leave anything on my plate. A real little ogre! Yet I knew nothing about Portuguese cuisine before I moved here to Portugal. I didn’t even know what pasteis de nata were. What a shame! It has to be said that in France, there are many “world cuisine” restaurants(Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Oriental, Italian, Indian…) but Portuguese restaurants are actually quite “rare” compared to the other cuisines mentioned above(well, at least in my provincial town in France). In short, I fell in love with this cuisine when I came to live here. There’s very little I don’t like about Portuguese cuisine. In fact, I’m struggling to think of anything I don’t like right now! Ahhh yes, maybe the“percebes“(barnacles), you know those crustaceans that look like strange little toenails.

Percebes (barnacles)

If I had to share my 3 culinary favorites(a tyrannical choice, you might say!), here are the ones I’d choose(those who know me a little won’t be surprised) :

polvo a lagareiro”: this is a special dish because it’s octopus and I’m well aware that not everyone likes to eat it, but I love it and it’s my favorite. “A lagareiro” means that the dish is generously drizzled with olive oil. Find out why we say “a lagareiro” in my previous article on gastronomy.
broa de milho”: this is maīs bread, but even though it’s “just” bread, I love it! I discovered it when I went to a country village in northern Portugal. It’s a traditional bread from this region. There are several variations: more or less moist, more or less sweet, more or less yellow… You won’t find it in every bakery, but it’s beginning to appear in many places. It’s often eaten with sardines, but I like it plain.
tarte de amêndoas”, an almond tart, I’m a big fan of this pastry. There are several versions. The one I love is the crunchy one, not the soft one(by the way, if you know both versions, tell me your favorite in the comments). Below, I’ve put photos of both versions so you don’t make a mistake if you want to offer me some 🙂

Tart of amêndoas

b. Coup de gueule

On the other hand, although Portuguese cuisine is delicious, whether you’re just on vacation or living in Portugal, it won’t be your scale’s best friend. Portuguese cuisine is generous and rich, very rich in olive oil, eggs, sugar, salt, sauce, starches… and often served in gargantuan quantities. These are truly gourmet dishes! As a result, it’s not unusual to hear friends returning from a stay in Portugal, or new expatriates, say that superfluous kilos have settled in after a few weeks in this pretty country. But there’s no need to deprive yourself of good food – it’s all a question of balance after all.

Here, grilled chicken brushed with oil, rice and French fries for ONE person. Delicious, but very greedy, isn’t it?

2. Living in Portugal: multiple tags

a. Love at first sight

Even if I can’t think of a more beautiful city for street art than Penang in Malaysia(for those who don’t know, I invite you to “google” this city on the Internet to see what I’m talking about) portugal, and in particular its capital, also offers magnificent works of street art. Many artists make the streets their playground, and you can discover a wide range of works. I love walking around Lisbon in search of these artistic tags. One of the great street art artists is Bordalo II, and I highly recommend that you discover his art when you’re in Lisbon. In addition to this renowned artist, many other talented artists with different styles cohabit the streets of Lisbon, such as Marcio Bahia, whose talent I discovered on a street corner.

One of Bordalo’s many works tagged on a burnt-out house on Lisbon’s N6 road

b. Anger

Sadly, it’s not just artistic tagging that’s going on in Portugal’s cities. In fact, there’s also an invasion of tags for “degrading” purposes, tags that ugly up and damage buildings, streets, stores…

Here, tags cover a beautiful typical façade and its azulejos.

3. Living in Portugal: fitting in

a. Love at first sight

I’ve traveled a lot, lived in several countries and met a lot of people, but without hesitation, my best encounters have been in Portugal. Friendship is very important in Portugal. The Portuguese are generous, and when a friendly relationship is created, it’s a real relationship: simple, sincere and without fuss (Dear Portuguese friends who may be passing through here: “Thank you for everything you bring me, I embrace you”). On the other hand, it’s not always easy to make first contact with the Portuguese. Sometimes, and depending on the region, the welcome may seem cold at first, but once the ice is broken, the Portuguese offer you the warmest of relationships. Sometimes, too, groups of friends can be rather closed, but if one of them includes you, the whole group will integrate you with open arms. Of course, you don’t have to stay in your own corner!

Friday evening aperitif with Portuguese and expat friends.

b. A little bit of a rant

Why settle in Portugal and stay among foreigners? I’ll be honest with you: I’m the first to have lots of “non-Portuguese” friends in Portugal. I’ve made friends from Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy, Colombia… It’s normal, when you arrive in a new country, you naturally start to get close to people who are in the same situation as you, who have the same questions, who are going through the same problems… However, I really think it’s a shame to stay between “expats”. This is just my point of view, but I don’t understand those who stay between expats, go to the beach between expats, go to “special expat” parties… STOP! Integrating in a new country means integrating with the people of that country, and in our case: integrating with the Portuguese and living “à la portugaise” ;).

4. Living in Portugal: the question of safety

a. Love at first sight

Portugal is clearly a quiet, peaceful country. A country where you feel safe. Wandering alone in the streets at night doesn’t normally pose any problems. In any case, I’ve never encountered any problems, nor have I heard of any bad experiences from my friends or family.

b. A word of warning

On the other hand, I do have a gripe, mainly with the city of Lisbon, where you can regularly come across street vendors asking you: “Wanna weed, coke…?” Vendors of these illicit substances mix with tourists and therefore offer these products. Although they’re not mean or aggressive, it’s quite annoying to be constantly stopped and offered this type of product. In fact, recently, the famous French Olympic sprinter Christophe Lemaitre, on vacation in Lisbon, was a little shocked by this and wrote the tweet below.

Tweet from Christophe Lemaitre during his stay in Lisbon.

5. Living in Portugal: a country whose development is exploding

a. Love at first sight

In recent years, Portugal has become a “trendy” destination. Tourism ( 17% in 2018 over the first 8 months compared to 2017), expatriation, the establishment of numerous start-ups and the installation of major international companies have all exploded. In just a few years, the country has entered a new dynamic. Multiculturism is present and this can bring a lot to the country.

b. A word to the wise

However, this must not be to the detriment of the “real” Portugal. I’d therefore like to address my comments to those who move to Portugal and start complaining about certain Portuguese customs and habits.

Yes, sardines have a strong smell, but from there to complaining about them and asking that they no longer be grilled because of the smell, as I recently heard near Lisbon, I say NO!
Yes, the calçadas, those beautiful Portuguese cobblestones, are extremely slippery, but from there to asking for them to be replaced to avoid falls, I say NO! Buy yourself some rubber soles!
Yes, Bairro Alto is noisy, but that’s the neighborhood’s DNA, so don’t choose to live there if you’re going to complain about the noise later.
Yes, in the Tasca, those typical Portuguese restaurants, you’re sitting on top of each other, it’s noisy, the tablecloths are made of paper, and you sometimes come out with your clothes impregnated with the smell of food, but a real Tasca is just that!
Yes, the sidewalks are often uneven, sometimes a little potholed, and ladies, it’s almost impossible to walk in high heels, but after all, it’s these imperfections that also give the country its charm and remind us of its history. If everything were “up to standard” and “sanitized”, would we love Portugal so much?

Sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines) in the streets of Lisbon.

6. Living in Portugal: languages spoken

a. Love at first sight

While the older generation of Portuguese speaks French well, thanks to past emigration, the younger generation speaks perfect English. When I say“perfect“, I mean that they don’t have a horrible accent when they speak English, as we French do. They speak Shakespeare’s languagefluently, with a perfect accent – it’s impressive! It has to be said that Portugal is way ahead of France in terms of language learning, and there are regularly many courses taught in English in schools. What’s more, in Portugal, films in the cinema, series on TV… are all in English, with Portuguese subtitles. I think this is really good, and it’s one of the main reasons why the Portuguese speak perfect English.

b. A bit of a rant

However, I have two gripes about languages in Portugal. The first concerns foreigners who settle in Portugal and make no effort to speak Portuguese. Of course, if you’re just on vacation, I don’t expect you to speak Portuguese, although I do think it’s important to master hello, goodbye and thank you: the ABCs of any trip to a country. But, if you’re moving to Portugal, please make the effort to speak Portuguese, or at least try! Even if you make mistakes and your accent isn’t right, it doesn’t matter, just make the effort. When I hear French people express outrage that some restaurants don’t translate their menus into French, I feel like replying: “We’re in Portugal, so the menu’s in Portuguese! Can you find menus translated into Portuguese in France? My other “little” gripe is with the locals, who are now so used to tourists that, when you try to speak in Portuguese, they hear your accent and go on speaking in English. How frustrating! I feel like saying to them: “Please, let me practice my Portuguese, even if my accent is bad and I make mistakes”.

7. Living in Portugal: the charm of azulejos

a. Love at first sight

I’m crazy about these colorful little tiles found all over Portugal, mostly on the facades of typical Portuguese houses. If you ever go for a walk with me, you’ll probably stop at every street corner, because I love photographing them. On my phone, I have lots of photos of these tiles in a thousand different colors and graphics. I think they’re beautiful, whether on building facades, in kitchens, bathrooms, for decoration… I love azulejos!(A note to my friends who drop by the blog: “you know what to get me!”) In fact, I was completely amazed when I visited the Azulejos d’Azeitão workshop. You can see the painstaking work that goes into creating these tiles. I highly recommend a visit if, like me, you love this art. It was in this workshop that the designer of red-soled shoes, Christian Louboutin, commissioned the azulejos that adorn the swimming pool in hisAlentejo home.

A family visit to the Azeitão azulejo workshop

b. A little bit of a rant

I don’t like “copies” of azulejos! Well, I know, real tiles can be expensive and you can’t find them everywhere. However, I’d rather not use them at all than the fake azulejos that are now everywhere in DIY stores. That’s right! It’s all the rage! Vinyl, lino, stickers… many “fake” azulejos are invading the shelves. For me, these versions of azulejos tell no story and have no charm. Maybe I’m a bit of a purist in that respect, but for me, nothing can replace the “real thing”. You can clearly see the difference below, there’s no photo!(small note: yesterday, while this article was already finished, I was in an apartment where the kitchen floor was made of azulejo-inspired lino and it was sublime. As they say, “only the stupid never change their minds”, so I’ll tone down this rant a little by saying that some “fake” azulejos look pretty good too)

“Real” azulejos vs azulejos with stickers.

In conclusion

No great suspense! My answer to the question “do you love Portugal or do you hate it?” won’t surprise you. Of course, I have a HUGE crush on Portugal. I wouldn’t have been there for 6 years if I didn’t. I love this country, and this article is just a sample of all the things I love about Portugal. Sometimes, yes, things annoy and inflate us, but after all, that’s normal.

And you, what are your favorite things about living in Portugal?

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