Hi Everyone
If you are a long time Rubbish reader you will know that I am a connaisseur of the two scoop tub, expertise gained from our many holidays in Italy. On our first trip to Madeira a few years ago we discovered something that even rivals the two scoop tub, and which demands serious attention, the Pasteis De Nata or in simple terms the Portuguese custard tart. Like ice cream in Italy, the Pasteis De Nata is a national institution. In Madeira, which if you know your geography is part of Portugal, we discovered the ultimate custard tart by chance in a small cafe by the sea. Now as you can imagine there are custard tarts and custard tarts, just like there are oatcakes and oatcakes here in North Staffordshire so it needs your full attention and patience to find the ultimate treat to add to your morning coffee. Imagine our joy and excitement when we found a life changing Pasteis De Nata on the very first morning of our holiday in Portugal this week. You can, of course, find what describes itself as a Portuguese custard tart here in England just as you can Italian ice cream but rarely do either compare with the original. All you have to do is keep reading this Rubbish to discover what is really important in life.
Traveling abroad inevitably draws a comparison with life here in England. When traveling abroad became affordable and exciting in the 1960s we were warned that we must not drink the water, that the toilets will be nonexistent or at best primitive and to expect standards much lower than we would accept here at home. How times have changed. When we first went to Portugal in 1970 we found wonderful people earning very low wages with hundreds of donkeys and carts for transport, and with non of them enjoying the lovely coastline and beaches that we enjoyed. Now it seems that the roles have almost been reversed. Of course, we are not riding along in donkeys and carts but in many ways, they seem to have overtaken us in public transport systems, and with no potholes and, in particular, no litter in sight. We could not believe how clean everywhere was except for graffiti which seems to be the norm in many countries including our own.
While obviously the supermarket is everywhere it was encouraging to see that the fruit, vegetable, and fish markets still thrive with wonderful fresh food free of plastic packaging. That, sadly is something that we have almost completely lost, at least in this part of our country. If we listen to our political masters you would think that we still rule the world but we know differently don't we?
Now you know that I would never admit that I have reached middle age but when it comes to the Eurovision song contest, count me out.
Just a Thought:
All good things must crumb to an end.
Litter is a massive problem where we live. If only it had been picked up earlier.
Finally, thank you to those Rubbish readers who contacted me last week to say that they missed their weekly fix. It is good to know that at least someone out there reads this Rubbish. The good news was it was not me who was ill but my computer.
Brian
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