Yes-walking is just a way of life here. Our 78 yr old Portuguese neighbor invited us for the day to her holiday home on Farol Island. We followed along for 1/2 mile to the ferry as she pulled her two trollies filled with stuff to replenish her cottage. She finally reluctantly accepted our offer to pull one of the carts. Then another walk from the ferry to the house (there aren’t any cars on the barrier islands). And of course another walk along the beach. At lunch in an open-air beach restaurant we observed an extended family of 10 boisterously laughing and sharing food & drink and even rotating spots around the table. They were still there when we left. This is Portuguese family at the best!
Fun and insightful post. I would have assumed fish is the most eaten meat rather than pork, so that was surprising. Nonetheless, I hear they eat a lot of sardines, which are very high in Omega 3 and 6, and could be another factor that contributes to longevity by reducing heart disease.
Diet and exercise are definitely factors. I have only been living in Portugal for about 6 weeks. In the States, every evening at a certain time, my hand would spasm and cramp up for a few minutes. Since I've been here incorporating daily olive oil, nuts, and olives into my diet, I have noticed that when my hand does spasm, there is no more cramping at all. I truly believe its due to the addition of olive oil on a daily basis, since salad dressing is not a thing here. There are not as many additives in the food here and many tend to avoid artificial products. So, even though custard, pastry, eggs and salt are popular here. perhaps they are offset by the overall Mediterranean diet which is a big plus.
Appreciate your perspective on this- in fact, whenever I see your email in my inbox, first thing I do is read it to see what's happening in Portugal! I think just about everywhere in Europe offers a better quality of life than the US. We define ourselves by our careers and accumulated possessions. Think about a typical introduction in the US: 9 times out of 10 it includes your job title or career, what you do for a living not what you do for your spirit. Since entering my 50s I've given this a lot of thought - I didn't want to be defined by work. I literally had NO hobbies outside of the once or twice a year travel and entertaining friends or family on the weekends (a nice talent to have, but need a better term for it!). I suspect I'm not alone in wanting to retire but fearing what to do with the extra time (this supports it https://lifehacker.com/your-50s-will-probably-be-the-most-unhappy-time-of-your-1821196778)...Thank you for continuing to show the fulfilment you've found in changing country & culture. Looking forward to my journey with hope and anticipation!
The number of fatalities from murder and gun skews the health importance of life expectancy metric in US I’m my opinion. If the Portuguese did better at medical routine checkups, dental care and less smoking , they’d be in much better position.
Another horrible thing that is done to Americans is the hormones and all the things that companies are allowed to put in everything from oil and grains to fruit and vegetables we eat.
I haven’t had a stomach pain since I left. Go de-regulations !! 🤦♂️🤷♂️
Thank you, Nancy. I found the habits of the Portuguese you listed to be refreshing, except for one: family comes first. I lived in a family comes first culture for almost 30 years, and I saw many people making lifestyle decisions that they didn’t like but which pleased their families. Choice of major in college, spouse, whether to have children. Many of my 🏳️🌈 friends left the country simply to be able to live their lives as they chose.
George, I appreciate your comment...though I had a different perspective on "family comes first". Certainly respecting one's parents is hoping to please them is one side of the coin. The other is a warm and supportive environment for one's children that continues to love them even when their decisions and choices do not conform to their preconceived notions.
I scratch my head about the amount of wine consumed in PT. When we were Algarve house hunting in April (successfully btw) our Brit relator said in passing, "Water is more expensive than wine here." And truly, bottled water is more expensive (personally, I'm planning on installing a water filter asap in our new place to avoid the plastic).
Then the realtor (who was married to a Portuguese man) went on to say that there's not "over indulgence" ... they may have a beer with breakfast, a glass of wine or two with lunch and again with dinner; that it's just a way of life for the Portuguese.
We're trying to wrap our head around that – so if you have observations on this cultural more would love to hear them! Be interested in knowing what the PT rate of alcoholism is compared to other countries (i.e. U.S.)
What rings in my head is that old saying that's big in the U.S., "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" ... an excuse to have a drink(s) anytime of the day. Apparently the Portuguese don't need excuses!
Thanks for your cogent cultural observations; they are so helpful as we prepare for our wholesale move to Lagos from Florida, USA!
I don’t know what the rate of alcoholism is hut the observation about beer with breakfast, etc is right on. At the same time the pace of consumption is very relaxed and I have not ever observed drunkiness.
Yes-walking is just a way of life here. Our 78 yr old Portuguese neighbor invited us for the day to her holiday home on Farol Island. We followed along for 1/2 mile to the ferry as she pulled her two trollies filled with stuff to replenish her cottage. She finally reluctantly accepted our offer to pull one of the carts. Then another walk from the ferry to the house (there aren’t any cars on the barrier islands). And of course another walk along the beach. At lunch in an open-air beach restaurant we observed an extended family of 10 boisterously laughing and sharing food & drink and even rotating spots around the table. They were still there when we left. This is Portuguese family at the best!
Fun and insightful post. I would have assumed fish is the most eaten meat rather than pork, so that was surprising. Nonetheless, I hear they eat a lot of sardines, which are very high in Omega 3 and 6, and could be another factor that contributes to longevity by reducing heart disease.
Yes fish is consumed the most!
We can definitely second the comment of our quality of life has improved here in Portugal.
Diet and exercise are definitely factors. I have only been living in Portugal for about 6 weeks. In the States, every evening at a certain time, my hand would spasm and cramp up for a few minutes. Since I've been here incorporating daily olive oil, nuts, and olives into my diet, I have noticed that when my hand does spasm, there is no more cramping at all. I truly believe its due to the addition of olive oil on a daily basis, since salad dressing is not a thing here. There are not as many additives in the food here and many tend to avoid artificial products. So, even though custard, pastry, eggs and salt are popular here. perhaps they are offset by the overall Mediterranean diet which is a big plus.
Appreciate your perspective on this- in fact, whenever I see your email in my inbox, first thing I do is read it to see what's happening in Portugal! I think just about everywhere in Europe offers a better quality of life than the US. We define ourselves by our careers and accumulated possessions. Think about a typical introduction in the US: 9 times out of 10 it includes your job title or career, what you do for a living not what you do for your spirit. Since entering my 50s I've given this a lot of thought - I didn't want to be defined by work. I literally had NO hobbies outside of the once or twice a year travel and entertaining friends or family on the weekends (a nice talent to have, but need a better term for it!). I suspect I'm not alone in wanting to retire but fearing what to do with the extra time (this supports it https://lifehacker.com/your-50s-will-probably-be-the-most-unhappy-time-of-your-1821196778)...Thank you for continuing to show the fulfilment you've found in changing country & culture. Looking forward to my journey with hope and anticipation!
The number of fatalities from murder and gun skews the health importance of life expectancy metric in US I’m my opinion. If the Portuguese did better at medical routine checkups, dental care and less smoking , they’d be in much better position.
Another horrible thing that is done to Americans is the hormones and all the things that companies are allowed to put in everything from oil and grains to fruit and vegetables we eat.
I haven’t had a stomach pain since I left. Go de-regulations !! 🤦♂️🤷♂️
Thank you, Nancy. I found the habits of the Portuguese you listed to be refreshing, except for one: family comes first. I lived in a family comes first culture for almost 30 years, and I saw many people making lifestyle decisions that they didn’t like but which pleased their families. Choice of major in college, spouse, whether to have children. Many of my 🏳️🌈 friends left the country simply to be able to live their lives as they chose.
George, I appreciate your comment...though I had a different perspective on "family comes first". Certainly respecting one's parents is hoping to please them is one side of the coin. The other is a warm and supportive environment for one's children that continues to love them even when their decisions and choices do not conform to their preconceived notions.
Thanks so much for this post!!
I scratch my head about the amount of wine consumed in PT. When we were Algarve house hunting in April (successfully btw) our Brit relator said in passing, "Water is more expensive than wine here." And truly, bottled water is more expensive (personally, I'm planning on installing a water filter asap in our new place to avoid the plastic).
Then the realtor (who was married to a Portuguese man) went on to say that there's not "over indulgence" ... they may have a beer with breakfast, a glass of wine or two with lunch and again with dinner; that it's just a way of life for the Portuguese.
We're trying to wrap our head around that – so if you have observations on this cultural more would love to hear them! Be interested in knowing what the PT rate of alcoholism is compared to other countries (i.e. U.S.)
What rings in my head is that old saying that's big in the U.S., "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" ... an excuse to have a drink(s) anytime of the day. Apparently the Portuguese don't need excuses!
Thanks for your cogent cultural observations; they are so helpful as we prepare for our wholesale move to Lagos from Florida, USA!
I don’t know what the rate of alcoholism is hut the observation about beer with breakfast, etc is right on. At the same time the pace of consumption is very relaxed and I have not ever observed drunkiness.
I am confounded by the Portuguese longevity. While all the points you mention are important, the amount of smoking I see should negate all of those!😬
Yes there is more smoking but pending legislation will eliminate smoking in restaurants and bars…a good first step.