Family is a difficult dish to prepare.
There are many ingredients.
Bringing them all together is a problem…
Especially at Christmas!
No matter how good the pot is, creating a family requires courage, dedication and patience.
It’s not for everyone.
Sometimes you feel like giving up…
We prefer the discomfort of an empty stomach.
But life… always finds a way to excite us and whet our appetite.
Time sets the table, determines the number of chairs and seats.
Suddenly, as if by miracle, the family is served.
So-and-so turned out to be the smartest of them all.
Such-and-such arrived at the right moment, is the most playful and communicative, unanimously.
Such-and-such, who would have thought? He sang, he hardened, he withered before his time.
That one, the most generous, satiated, abundant.
That one, who surprised us and moved far away.
She, the most passionate.
The other, the most combative of all…
Are you all there? Everyone? Great!
Now put on your apron, grab the chopping board, the sharpest knife and pay attention.
Soon you too will smell the aroma of garlic and onion.
Do not be ashamed to cry.
Family is a dish that stirs the emotions.
And we really do cry.
With joy, anger or sadness.
First precaution: pay attention to weights and measurements.
One pinch too much of this or that and that’s it: it’s a real disaster.
Family is an extremely delicate dish.
Everything must be well weighed and well measured.
Another thing: you need to have a good hand, to be professional.
Especially when you decide to add the spoon.
Knowing how to add the spoon is a real art.
Sometimes the idol of the family, the good boy, the perfect one who has always helped, has ruined the food just because he put the spoon in.
The worst thing is that there are still people who believe in the recipe for the perfect family.
Nonsense! It’s all an illusion!
Family is affinity, it’s the style of the home.
And every home loves to prepare the family in its own way.
Some families are sweet.
Others are a little bitter.
Others are very spicy.
There are also those that have no flavour, a sort of ‘diet family’, which you only put up with to stay in shape.
In any case, family is a dish that must always be served hot, piping hot.
A cold family is unbearable, impossible to digest.
In short, the family recipe cannot be copied, it must be invented.
It is learned little by little, improvising and passing on what you know in everyday life.
No matter how bland, no matter how bad the taste, family is a dish you have to try and eat.
If you can savour it, savour it.
Don’t pay attention to labels.
Dip your bread in that sauce left in the porcelain, in the crockery, in the aluminium or in the terracotta.
Enjoy it to the fullest.
Family is a dish that, once finished, is never repeated!
Family: happy are those who have it and know how to enjoy, appreciate and value it…
Family: God’s plan.
So: love each other, forgive each other, accept each other, tolerate each other and live as
if today were the last day you would spend with your family!
Family: a privilege for those who have it!
Trechos do livro: "O Arroz de Palma" de Francisco Azevedo