Let me start by saying that my Mom (a minha Mae) is wiser than I can ever hope to compete with. I went to schools and have degrees, but she can overturn any argument I have, anytime.
"That's too American,"
Mostly, it's things like ketchup, pickles, hamburgers, television, lawyers, politics, or buying anything that is supposed to "make your life easier". Also, according to my Mother, everyone in Portugal eats fruit before meals.
These things exist in Portugal, too. Somehow, presented in English, with an American accent, they appear overwhelmingly foreign to her. She has lived in America longer than on Portuguese soil, and even my family in Portugal will agree with me, somethings are just my Mom's preferences.
But there are a few things I have discovered that are WRONG.
Nobody in my family, or anyone else in Portugal in my experience eats fruit (fruta) before meals. Even at family gatherings, my Mom is the only one at the table, peeling her oranges, eating the "Portuguese Way". Her argument includes inherited wisdom from her mother (my Vovo), who practiced this throughout her life. Vovo was known for her herbalist/superstitous wisdom; she knew exactly what kind of plant to boil for tea to cure whatever ails you. As the modern health narrative goes, the earth is a bounty of recognized vitamins. That is to say, many modern studies actually support eating fruit before a meal: it slows digestions & helps absorption of vitamins.
So who am I to believe? A Minha Mae (my Mother)? In short, yes. I believe in the larger truth of what she tells me, even if she is mistaken about the actual source.
(Now if I can only stop using the made-up words my Mom used for bodily functions. It turns out, those words are not actually Portuguese. My cousins still make fun of me for it.)
"That's too American,"
Mostly, it's things like ketchup, pickles, hamburgers, television, lawyers, politics, or buying anything that is supposed to "make your life easier". Also, according to my Mother, everyone in Portugal eats fruit before meals.
These things exist in Portugal, too. Somehow, presented in English, with an American accent, they appear overwhelmingly foreign to her. She has lived in America longer than on Portuguese soil, and even my family in Portugal will agree with me, somethings are just my Mom's preferences.
But there are a few things I have discovered that are WRONG.
Nobody in my family, or anyone else in Portugal in my experience eats fruit (fruta) before meals. Even at family gatherings, my Mom is the only one at the table, peeling her oranges, eating the "Portuguese Way". Her argument includes inherited wisdom from her mother (my Vovo), who practiced this throughout her life. Vovo was known for her herbalist/superstitous wisdom; she knew exactly what kind of plant to boil for tea to cure whatever ails you. As the modern health narrative goes, the earth is a bounty of recognized vitamins. That is to say, many modern studies actually support eating fruit before a meal: it slows digestions & helps absorption of vitamins.
So who am I to believe? A Minha Mae (my Mother)? In short, yes. I believe in the larger truth of what she tells me, even if she is mistaken about the actual source.
(Now if I can only stop using the made-up words my Mom used for bodily functions. It turns out, those words are not actually Portuguese. My cousins still make fun of me for it.)
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