January 29, 2024
Saturday provided me with the antidote for dour, as in the people and weather. There was a break in the weather so to take advantage of that while Cindy was running I got our little backpack and two plastic shopping bags and headed to the Farmer’s Market. There was only a light drizzle and it was a bit cool so the walk was most refreshing. The market is underground, meaning DRY, and it is quite large although in the winter most of the space is unused. I wandered around looking at all of the stalls and all of their wares trying to decide what I wanted to cook. We knew the weather was going to be lousy for a few days so I wanted to create some comfort food that would last a while, without our having to leave the house. I finally decided on making two dishes, one a roasted chicken with roasted veggies and the other a ratatouille. I selected the best stall and filled a basket with fresh vegetables and presented it to the owner. It was a big buy that filled my backpack and the bill came to only nine euros!! I was very pleased with my purchase and with the fact that the entire transaction was conducted only in Portuguese. Overflowing with confidence, I then went to the pineapple section which is huge since they grow them on the island. I looked for the ripest and largest I could find and with the help of the owner we selected two and they only cost five euros. Again, all in Portuguese. Now, secure in the knowledge that I was fluent, I approached two dour looking ladies of a certain age manning a small flower stall. The minute I approached them and gave them my best Bom Día and big smile they melted, not so much because of my smile but because they knew they had a sale! One helped me decide on a lovely bouquet of multicolored Astors, a decision which gave her almost as much pleasure as the two Euros I spent.
I was on cloud nine walking home and decided to see if the little bakery I had passed a few days before was open. It had been closed that day but this day the unmistakable aroma of fresh bread was spilling out onto the street. To my great surprise it was open and I went in and waited my turn. I was looking at what could have been a German bakery, dense looking loaves filling the racks and the aroma had me weak in the knees. My turn came and using my newfound knowledge of Portuguese I started to ask questions. The young owner asked me where I was from and in a minute of stupidity I answered in Spanish and there went my cover! We continued in Spanish and I found out that he and his wife had started this small bakery only two years ago in an effort to establish a place that only used natural ingredients from this island (San Miguel). All of the breads are sourdough made from an old starter and that is the name of the bakery, Massa Mãe. As I spoke, I kept throwing in English and we soon found that it was better to continue the conversation in English. Since I was the only person in the store he took his time explaining how they proof the breads on Wednesdays - rye, corn, and wheat - and are only open for business on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I ordered a dense whole grain loaf and a cinnamon roll. Both were still warm and he told me not to try to slice the bread for at least an hour so as to allow it to cool and settle. I paid the bill and was about to leave when he invited me to have coffee with him. He had a little espresso maker in the shop and made us each a short espresso which was delightful and we continued talking about the island, the exports, the problems, and the delights. Too soon others came in to purchase bread and we said our goodbyes. I walked out of there and into a rain squall that didn’t bother me at all since I was sky high with my morning experiences.
Cindy was home when I arrived and I regaled her with all of my adventures while showing her the fruits of my labors. I made coffee and we tried the cinnamon roll, which was fantastic. I don’t think I have ever had a sourdough cinnamon roll before but I shall certainly have one again before we leave this island (from Cindy: make that 3 more, one on each day they're open while we're still here!). After breakfast we decided to take advantage of the brief window of no rain and walked over to the bakery since I had told him that I would bring Cindy back to see his shop. He was ever so pleased to see us and brought his wife out from the back to talk with us. We gave them some See’s lollipops and asked questions about their breads. To my amazement she told us that even the corn bread was sourdough since she put just enough wheat flour in the mix to make it rise. They are a delightful couple and we were so impressed with the work they are doing to introduce products with local ingredients. Judging from the depleted shelves since I had been there, I would hazard to guess they are doing well.
We continued our walk and timed everything just right since it started to pour just as Cindy put the key into our entry door. We were so thankful to be indoors for the duration since it was a constant rain and quite windy, which is always nice if you are inside looking out. As additional preparation for being stuck indoors for a day or two, we had purchased two liter cartons of white wine for one euro each, as well as a bottle of Grant’s Scotch, the only Scotch that was available when we lived in Bahrain and one that I came, out of necessity, to enjoy.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment