Jersey, an island on the English Channel, is a British crown dependency. It was bandied between England and France for centuries, which has influenced the local Jerriais language, culture, and architecture. Jersey was also occupied by the Germans in World War II.
The latest waves of newcomers are from Poland and Portugal. Walking along the street I heard English, some French, Polish, and Portuguese spoken. Hardly any Spanish, sadly for me as it would have been nice to hear my maternal language. A Venezuelan girl I met once had a husband who had heard of one Argentinean working for a ferry company. We Spanish speakers were thin on the ground.
Along with their language, the Portuguese immigrants brought their cuisine. A whole new vista opened up for me. Many of them came from Madeira and opened traditional Madeiran restaurants.
Delicious food
Someone from work recommended we try a restaurant called Madeira Club. We did and that was the beginning of my love affair with picadinhos and espetadas. A picadinho is a beef stew with garlic, black olives, and white wine. It is served with potato chips, which absorb all the different flavours.
An espetada is a giant metal skewer with chunks of grilled beef served on a hook. A generous pat of butter melts and dribbles down with the meat juices onto fried polenta cubes and chips. A glass of vinho verde rounds off that meal very nicely.
Fala português?
I thought I had enough Portuguese to get by. I’d learned it from a Brazilian teacher when I lived in Buenos Aires and felt pretty confident in my skills. I was at the de Gruchy department store one day and I couldn’t find the toilets.
” Excuse me, where can I find the toilets?’ I asked a young woman.
“I… no speak…. Sorry’, she stammered.
“Oh, I see. Do you speak Portuguese?”
“Yes! Eu sou portuguesa,” she beamed.
“Onde está o banheiro?” I asked.
She spoke so fast that this is what I thought I heard: “Ajsnshfn ajnshbfherbf n,tykjkyjmtynscjndsfher bhrtg trjht ynbtnytjtkynmykumyum”
I nodded a few times. I barely picked up a few key words like up and left. Another ego-bruising moment and learning experience: European Portuguese is very different from its Brazilian cousin. One sounds harsh and guttural, the other is musical and pleasing to the ears. Don’t think you know everything about a culture because chances are you will be proved wrong.
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