Twelve things I learned about Portuguese of Porto

Hello everyone! In this post I want to list 12 things I learned about Portuguese people and my stay here.

1. First of all… Portuguese people (especially older people) spit. They spit on the ground and on the subway! It looks like it’s something normal for older people to do so don’t be shocked when it happens, wherever you are, because it happened a lot to me! The few first times I was shocked, then I realized it’s something they do automatically, without thinking.
2. They sniffle. When i say they sniffle I mean they make a lot (like, a lot) of noises sniffling up and everybody does it, from young people to older ones, women included. It’s pretty weird but you’ll get used to it.
3. In return, they are very open and friendly, always smiling. You’ll be walking down the street and people will be saying good morning to you from the windows. If you’ll ever need any advice for where to go or what subway line to take, they’ll be very helpful! The first day I got here I was very disoriented and I was trying to get to the Carolina Michaelis subway station, and a man, who could see I was lost and didn’t know what to do (I didn’t have internet access on my phone), stopped me and asked if I needed any help. He proceeded to show me the way to the station and I managed to get there very easily. When I got to the station, people helped me once again as I didn't know what line to take, and most importantly I didn’t know how to buy the ticket, since the vending machines weren’t working. A lady saw that I was struggling with it and gave me one of hers. She was extremely kind.



4. They often stop you in the street just to talk to you. This is very true, old people especially stop you and ask you where are you from and try to speak your language, it’s funny. For example, one day I stopped a man who was walking by to ask him for a cigarette and he told me about his whole life, and about her daughter’s too! Or the other day, I was taking a picture of a deserted street and a man stopped and asked me what was I taking a picture of, because he didn't think there was anything interesting there. I made him notice that there’s was a red house with a clown inside that was very creepy. When he left, I was still taking the picture and another old man stopped by and told me “life and times” of his life. We talked for twenty minutes, he spoke Portuguese and I replied in italian. I must admit they are very welcoming people, kind and helpful. It’s something that in Milan we lack of, and it’s a shame!
5. At the same time, Portuguese people are very calm and very peaceful. They live life taking it super easy, and it shows especially when you’re in line at the grocery store. Even if there are two people with just a couple of items with them, you will still have to wait at least ten minutes before it’s your turn. After a while though, you learn to adapt to this lifestyle, which is way less stressful than Milan’s lifestyle. Before long, this lifestyle becomes kind of pleasant.

   

6. Young people, but older people too, speak an excellent English. It’s shocking how anyone here can speak English way better that Italians do. I happened to go to a bar where even the elderly were speaking an excellent English, they were almost able to hold a conversation better than me. Obviously, it’s not like this in every bar. Usually, the older the bar, or the closer to the suburb of the city, the less they speak English, because they don’t interact with tourists that often.
7. One of their favorite words is “a serio”. They use it super often and almost everywhere. It means “you sure?!” or “I’m sure!”, but it can mean “oh gosh!” too.
8. Portuguese people are very fond of Porto’s soccer team. When there’s a match, bars are filled with people watching it with friends eating a sandwich or enjoying a beer.



9. Portuguese people are also fond of coffee. It’s a myth that that coffee is only good in Italy, because coffee here is very good too! This was confirmed also by my parents, and they know more about coffee than me. There’s a huge coffee culture here. There are a lot of different types of coffee based on the percentage of coffee and milk in the beverages. My favorite is the one called “meia de leite”: half coffee, half milk. Personally, I think the best way to drink a “meia de leite” is with a stick of cinnamon that makes it even more yummy!
10. I feel like I need to debunk the myth that says that Portuguese people are, as a matter of fact, “Portuguese”: they don’t play for what they use. In fact, on the subway there aren’t any turnstiles, so it’s not obligatory to obliterate the ticket. This could make someone think that they could risk it and not buy a ticket, if it’s “so Portuguese”. However, I gladly see that everybody buys and obliterate their ticket, even when they have an annual pass.
11. Furthermore, Portuguese people love to party! Especially over the weekend when Galerias de Paris fills up with people who hang out, dance and sing until 4am! It’s a very chilled and pleasant atmosphere. I also noticed that as soon as the good weather arrives, beaches fill up with people and some of them go swimming too. They are very relaxed people who like to have fun without too many worries!



12. Lastly, do you know how Portoguese people of Porto are called by other cities? ”Trippeiros”, because they’re famous for eating a lot of tripe! I never saw it when I was in Porto though, and you?

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