Portugal: Ella Sabo (Food in Lisbon and Final Reflections)

Food in Lisbon

The food in Lisbon was very interesting. A lot of it was very seafood heavy, this is because half of the country’s borders are on the water. Something interesting about the type of seafood they choose to have Cod Fish as a key part of their dishes. The thing about Cod fish is that they don’t live on the Portuguese coast. This means that they have to import this fish from somewhere else. The reason that this is interesting is because the Portuguese have Cod fish with, or for, everything. Cod fish is a very important delicacy in Portugal, they have it every holiday and at every big event. Another food, or dish, that is very popular there is Sardines. Sardines were described to be very popular during the summer months in Lisbon, you could find them at almost every street vendor on the streets of Alfama during the Saint Anthony Festivals. Alongside the sardines you could also find roasted/smoked bell peppers as well as blood sausage. Sausage and seafood are some of the most common things that I saw be served as either a main entrée or as some sort of appetizer.

Final Reflections

After being away from home for almost 3 weeks in a completely different country a part of me was very much ready to go home. However, a part of me was very sad when I was sitting in the Lisbon airport. The things that I saw and experienced while I was there, I would have never experienced here in the US as a 19 year old. The friends that I made while getting my education there are some of the people I will remember for a very long time. The bond that this experience had created for all of us is amazing. One of the things that we would do closer to the end of our time together in Lisbon that I really enjoyed, would be to sit on the patio rooftop of the hotel and just look out at the skyline and listen to music. While we were up there we would just talk about what we thought of the day, but also what our lives were like here in the US. On the last night, like literally only 4 hours before some of us had to be at the airport to leave, most of us just sat up there and enjoyed some of the last few moments we would have in Lisbon together.

 

Ella Sabo

Hometown: Pepin, Wisconsin

Major: Kinesiology

Program Title: UW Movement As Medicine In Portugal