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This and That Anglicized Portuguese Names Like other ethnic groups in the United States, the Portuguese have modified their names to make them easier for English speakers to pronounce or recognize, as well as to avoid the discrimination often felt by immigrants and their progeny. Some have even Anglicized their names upon naturalization to show their pride in their new citizenship. First names are generally Anglicized in predictable ways: António becomes Tony; Maria becomes Mary; José becomes Joseph; Ana becomes Ann. Manuel is often rendered Manny. Last names, however, are a more complicated matter. Some new names were taken because they sounded like the original Portuguese ones -- for example, Leitão/Leighton; Coelho/Quail; Rosa/Rose. Many of these new names, but certainly not all, not only sounded like the original Portuguese name but were also literal translations. Other Portuguese surnames were translated with the results sounding nothing like the original. Thus, White was taken in place of Alves, Oakes for Carvalho, King instead of Reis. Yet other Portuguese immigrants have adopted variations of family nicknames for surnames. The following is only a partial list of the many fascinating Anglicized forms of Portuguese surnames found in the United States.
Source: Almeida, Carlos. Portuguese Immigrants: The Centennial Story of the Portuguese Union of the State of California. 2d ed. San Leandro, Calif.: Supreme Council of U.P.E.C., 1992. ---o0o---
The City That Knows How By Horácio Ozório Macau offers tourists a tremendous array of sightseeing attractions, from Sixteenth Century hovels to modern day skyscrapers, from drab temples to dazzlingly lit casinos. But it has something one would not expect to find listed as a tourist attraction which fascinated and intrigued me when I recently attended Encontro 2004 in Macau – the ubiquitous motor scooter, or rather the tens of thousands of them. Macau, I believe, lays claim to being one of the cities with the densest traffic in the world, if laying claim is the terminology to use to boast about what for others would really be a nightmare. And prospects are that traffic will get even worse with ongoing construction of more casinos, bridges and highways connecting Macau to nearby Hong Kong and to the Chinese Mainland just across the border from Macau. One has to see this tiny transportation phenomenon in operation in the space age to appreciate its amazing utility and versatility. It is the solution to an otherwise insurmountable problem – traffic gridlock. Macau is crisscrossed with a maze of narrow streets and cobblestoned lanes always crowded with wandering pedestrians and often obstructed by merchandise displayed outside shops. No question of solving this problem with mass transit or buses. The ideal solution was what the Macau population ingeniously came up with: the motor scooter. Nothing else could thread its way so skillfully through that obstacle course while keeping city life on track. Everywhere on the road, there they were – flotillas of scooters focused on getting from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible, which they did at self-regulated speeds, speeds the riders felt they could navigate the maze with safety. Sidewalks, if they existed, were often wide enough for one person. One gets the impression that scooter traffic seemed to have an unwritten code with pedestrians: Don’t dodge us, we’ll dodge you. Two-lane traffic sometimes temporarily became five-lane for short distances as scooters created lanes for themselves on either side of tolerant cars. All drove with unsmiling determination to complete the voyage as expeditiously as possible. Everywhere one looked, there they were – scooters parked in the streets in rows so close to each other one wondered how the owner ever managed to extricate himself. They sat in clusters on curbs, on sidewalks, in driveways, and alongside buildings if there was even the tiniest amount of space in which to park. Incredibly, in the week I was in Macau, I never saw an accident involving a scooter, or a car for that matter. There were no cops directing traffic or handing out traffic tickets. I heard no screeching of brakes. I witnessed no altercations between riders. I heard neither horns nor curse words. There were no displays of road rage or frustration. There was no apparent discourtesy or inconsiderateness. Patience seemed the overriding watchword for all. Almost without exception riders wore protective helmets, some goggled, some masked like they stepped out of a Star Wars movie set. Almost all were young people intent on getting “there.” There was no dawdling. The most incongruous sight was a well-dressed young lady in three-inch high-heels looking for all the world like she was motoring in a BMW sedan on her way to a wedding when instead she was roughing it out on a scooter. I often paused on the streets and watched with amusement as scooters swept around curves resembling racehorses rounding the final bend, or scrambled out of an intersection like a flock of birds startled into sudden flight, or processed like motorized escorts in some plenipotentiary’s motorcade. This was unplanned laissez-faire, with the government seemingly leaving it to the people to work things out as best they can and the driving population responding pragmatically by tacitly recognizing it could be worse and making the most of a grim situation. But a marvellous solution it seemed indeed. The scooteristas can only be thought of as quite an enlightened bunch. ---o0o---
Portuguese Diner in San Francisco Reputed to be the only restaurant in San Francisco serving continental Portuguese dishes every day, GRUBSTAKE at 1525 Pine Street, San Francisco, California, might be worth investigating for travelers returning from a holiday in Portugal and Macau who had the pleasure of savoring Portuguese cuisine while there and who would dearly like to have another few mouthfuls of it. Here is “The Portuguese Corner” of their daily menu as advertised in their melodious website http://www.sfgrubstake.com to the tune of Uma Casa Portuguesa:
Grubstake also serves conventional American breakfast, lunch and dinner. (The above is not an advertisement by or for Grubstake. It is posted here simply as a delightful bit of Portugal found an ocean and a continent away in the streets of San Francisco, for the nostalgic enjoyment of visitors to our website. – Ed) ---o0o---
Curiosidades de um outro mundo Vanessa
Sene
É impressionante a
diferença na parte gastronômica entre os chineses e os brasileiros. A
qualidade de alimentação explica a vida saudável e boa aparência da
população. Alguns pratos tipicamente chineses trazem acelga, arroz branco,
cogumelos, leitão, feijão doce, sopa de tubarão com barbatanas, este
especificamente caro. De certo, o que existe de mais pesado e gorduroso na
alimentação macaense vem da influência portuguesa que existe por todo lado,
desde bacalhoadas, assados com batata, pães, até os doces portugueses,
muito famosos nas chamadas “pastelarias” de Macau.
Um outro meio de
transporte muito comum no arquipélago é a motocicleta. Enquanto a China é
conhecida pela grande quantidade de pessoas, na grande maioria se
locomovendo de bicicleta, em Macau o comum é a motocicleta. É de espantar
o “mar” de motos que se pode observar em estacionamentos e calçadas
durante o horário comercial. Jovens, adultos, executivos que apostam na
praticidade da motocicleta evitando o trânsito organizado de Macau.
(Reprinted courtesy of Boletim Informativo do Jornal Mundo Lusiada, Brasil. Ed)
Mother Teresa Defines Love People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. ---o0o---
Ann Landers Defines Class Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident. It can handle whatever comes along. Class has a sense of humor. It knows that a good laugh is the best lubricant for oiling the machinery of human relations. Class never makes excuses. It takes it lumps and learns from past mistakes. Class knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of small, inconsequential sacrifices. Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors or money. Some wealthy “blue bloods” have no class, while some individuals who are struggling to make ends meet are loaded with it. Class is real. It can’t be faked. Class is comfortable in its own skin. It never puts on airs. Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down [Emphasis added]. Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse. Class can “walk with kings and keep its virtue and talk with crowds and keep the common touch” (Thank you Rudyard Kipling) Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because that person is comfortable with himself. If you have class, you’ve got it made. If you don’t have class, no matter what else you have, it doesn’t make any difference. ---o0o---
Filho Macau Words and Phrases Excerpted from “Things I Remember” by Frederic A. (Jim) Silva The following are words and phrases compiled by Jim Silva towards an eventual modern “Filho Macau Words and Phrases” dictionary. A fat Not chic Alho com cobra Bitter enemies Amorchai Cute, charming Atai de rua Loafer, rude person Bate peito Praying in a fervent manner. Usually attributed to a religious hypocrite. Bicho de Festa Great party goer or giver Bicho balichão A restless person Boca grande Boaster, braggart. Bom cara Handsome Busca sarna Look for unnecessary trouble Cabeça de atong One who could be counted on to do the wrong thing Cabeça de vento Forgetful, plain giddy Cabeça grande Instigator of schemes and ideas which are not favored Cabeçudo Stubborn Cai peh, cai mung Give up easily, demoralized Cara de Cu Not a candidate for a beauty contest Chapa na imbigo Passing on information that secret goodies (food?) are available Chisti qui não tem chisti Misplaced sense of humor, as in Queen Victoria’s “We are not amused” Chistoso Good looking. (In Portugal, meaning a witty, entertaining person) Chuchu bico Propped up eyelids , extremely sleepy Chuchumeca Busybody Chura lágrima curto cumprido Weep inconsolably. Crocodile tears? Corre vai, corre vem Running around Cortavento Wind cutter, a sharp proboscis Costa quente One who has a friend or patron in high places Cuça cabeça In a quandary Dah cara Show respect or concern for someone. Translation from Cantonese “pei min.” Dali dos mão Playing a couple of hands. Also used to denote philandering Dali dos mão com ingles Doubtful paternity Embigo pegado Close friends Festa de quebra testa Great party Fica chupa dedo Left with nothing Fingi tolo Play dumb Fingido Insincere, double-faced Fruto de autono Autumn fruit, a late last of the litter Fula pedo The foul-smelling Lantana flower Galo doido or namorador Playboy, womanizer Gantaria Fussy, too self-important Gato manso Sneaky, sly, surreptitious Gavata até osso de bur-bur Intensive investigation Gohng-gohng Beetle with humming wings, a name used to tease someone, dopey Juga soco Fist fight Língua de prata Charmer, flatterer Língua torto Speech impediment Ma língua Gossip, backbiting Macaco velho Old monkey, worldly-wise Mete fogo Instigate trouble Moorong Depressed Muito quere Loves very much Nung pode mas de quere Love to distraction Nung quero reva Hope you don’t mind Olho de gavão Sharp eyes, eagle-eyed Olho dekka Anus Olho kakai Cross-eyed Olhos infiado Cockeyed Pata choca Stick-in-the-mud Peekanino (pequeno) Small Piti Pótó Sickly, weak Quebra cabeça Puzzling over a plan Qui ramede Calamity Ranca olho Stare intensely Rei do bolo Cherished one (brat?) Rusa-rusa Faltering Sakana S.O.B Sarão muroon Unkempt, sloppy Sinti galanti Feel odd, feel unwell Soo soo To dispense with charges, Free Soompeter Pea-shooter Takada Technique, strategy, adept know-how Tung tung mung tung Dazed, confused Unchinho Same as “oui de pouco” Unha com carne Thick as thieves. Vivo como rato Cunning ---o0o---
Nosso Gente, Filo Macau, Fala Compiled by Dr. Carol Braga, Zecas Braga (of Australia) and Albertina Xavier
---o0o---
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O
que existe de mais rico em uma viagem ao exterior, e mais especificamente
a uma região como o arquipélago de Macau, é a grande diferença na cultura,
comportamento e hábitos do povo. Algumas características são tão diversas
em comparação a nossa que nos espantamos ao imaginar certos comportamentos
em nosso país. Podemos observar várias questões interessantes pelas ruas
como placas com inscrições em chinês e em português.
Um
outro grande exemplo é o meio de transporte público em Macau, que aqui no
Brasil é totalmente improvável. Ao entrar em um ônibus de linha em
qualquer parte do arquipélago, as pessoas devem depositar a quantidade
certa da tarifa da passagem em uma pequena caixa de acrílico, sem que
ninguém venha conferir. A população macaense é assim, acostumada a entrar
e depositar a tarifa exata e a única pessoa que repara na colocação do
dinheiro é o próprio motorista do ônibus, de seu espelho retrovisor.
Porém,
os carros também são uma febre na região, na parte da decoração. Muitos
são os importados, mas muitos mais são os carros populares com bichos de
pelúcia no painel do veículo, ou forro de desenhos animados nos bancos,
como do urso Puff, Hello Kitty, Mickey e Minnie entre outras decorações.
Carros assim são decorados por homens e mulheres, adolescentes e pais de
família, pessoas de todas as faixas etárias, todos entraram na moda dos
desenhos. Engraçado, diferente e divertido. As características de um povo
que vive tão longe de nós podem ser classificadas de várias maneiras, mas
todas elas chegam a uma só, a do conhecimento.