poetry / culinary poetics
Can You See Beyond the Bread? A Portal to Presence
The Albergue
bruuooooooonng!
bam. bolted. because.
a widow in 1601
a fit to neighbor leprosarium.
fear not.
the holy house of mercy lodges.
funeral parlor harbors two abodes
when comes the time to join her seaman lost.
the old country accosts not.
creeeeeeeaak…
iron keys ten inches protruding
unlocks the chamber
for her song. portuguese
refugees follow camphor trees
when in 1937
aggression advances the japanese.
shanghai to macau asylum finds
wisdom in crumbs of freedom.
crusty bread ebullient
extra virgin olive oil exuberant. 2023. she
spares a thought for the old country.
same bread, same oil,
same panels, different wood.
caldo verde centuries stir
green shreds to echo thoughts afresh.
warm earthen root.
earth-bed oceans fellows absolute.
will petingas fritas be crispy?
will chouriço assado be savory?
will azeitonas be tasty?
chef pedro almeida
grills bacalhau
stews rabo de boi
bakes arroz de pato
just the way the old country does.
just the way the old country loves.
drunken pear poached in
port, star anise, cinnamon.
ruby red sails down old country
—vale do douro fruits, tile rooftops —
alas! memories she sees not.
she speaks in a different accent.
culture turns a different head.
ruby wine the same ancestors yet knot
to this belongs she not.
nine clocks pendulums swinging.
generations howling. oceans devouring.
fogs stop at lighthouse guia.
hands clasped, hearts whisper, homecoming.
who climbs the rickety stairs
of a landing two fit not?
forefathers and mothers
five hundred years in macau
but the same hog, same chouriço assado — not.
duooooong…
© Pseu Pending (Seu) 2023
Albergue 1601 — an authentic Portuguese restaurant in Macau’s historical district — features on the World’s 50 Best Discovery in restaurants, 2021. The Albergue is part of the Holy House of Mercy, opened in 1569, a charitable Western clinic and the first in Macau. Nuanced with centuries-old artifacts, the complex now hosts cultural activities. It was once the House for the Poor and Refugees.
Macau was under Portuguese colonial government from 1557-1999 and subsequently returned to Chinese sovereignty as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). Centuries of Portuguese natives have married and settled here. They became Macanese.
Update March 2024 — I revisited the restaurant last month. Most of the artifacts disappeared. Ownership might have changed hands.
Thanks to The Howling Owl for accommodating the howls.
