In the spirit of celebrating our rich cultural history during Heritage Month, we have put together 24 reasons you know you are a proudly South African Portuguese.
1. You love your Cozido à Portuguesa in winter. After all, it’s the king of Portuguese meals.
2. You add garlic, olive oil and onion to every dish you make.
3. You buy your seafood from the local Fish Centres.
4. There is always some bacalhau in your home (salted cod).
5. Chouriço and Linguiça sausages are in everything.
6. Your family started off in the south of Johannesburg. In fact, you still have relatives living there.
7. The Lusito Land Festival is a favourite annual event for you to connect with friends and family.
8. Avó calls you neto.
9. Avó constantly says you are too thin and need to eat more.
10. There are crocheted doilies on every available space in your grandmother and tia’s houses.
11. Children are celebrated, rather than told they should be ‘seen and not heard’.
12. Roger De Sá, the former footballer and coach is a household name.
13. You have at least 6 Uncle Manny’s on both sides of the family.
14. Nothing is better than a buttered papo-seco.
15. Your Sundays consist of church, and big family lunches at your Tia’s.
16. Braais have sardinhas, frango and chouriço.
17. Your parents anticipate that you marry your first long-term boyfriend or girlfriend.
18. You can’t help but get on the dance floor when you hear Portuguese music.
19. You tell people you are Portuguese and they think you can play soccer like CR7.
20. You got sick of mowing the grass every week, so you just paved the entire lawn.
21. You understand Portuguese but can’t speak it.
22. You have relatives who aren’t really your relatives.
23. You were pinched under the arm by your mom in church.
24. Your family dog understands Portuguese.
