It’s ‘nata’ good look, so to speak, is it? Picking up that little spoon that came with your coffee (as well as two obligatory sachets of sugar, whether you need them or not), and – with perhaps a glint of mischief or surge of delight – you plunge your colher (spoon) into your custard. Uncouth, vulgar even, you might say, and I know that’s what I thought when first learning of this pastry-based perversion.
And in bringing this matter to light, it would appear I have hit a cultural nerve, perhaps even caused a divide in Portuguese society around the matter of spooning, which all began with the seemingly inoffensive meme you see before you. The author is unknown to me, to all intents and purposes anonymous – a condition in which they may prefer to remain, given what has ensued in this last week.
Before we deep dive (into the custardy goodness we know and love), I realise that, in these polar times, no one needs another issue over which to fall out, or get all touchy and triggered. But this is a serious matter, worthy, to my mind, of presidential or prime ministerial attention, and if not that, at least some ambassadorial deliberation.
“What would Chris Sainty do?”, you might cry, looking for guidance from distinguished Brits. “And what on earth will be the expectation placed surreptitiously upon John Arrigo, as he bites for the first time into Portugal’s global superstar tart, in an official capacity?
As I write, I am well aware that the new US ambassador, or anyone for that matter, should not look this way for either an authoritative or conclusive answer, divided as I am on what you might imagine would be a simple matter.
On first seeing the so-called “correct way to eat a pastel de nata”, I was honestly unnerved. What with my own strict upbringing that stops only a few centimetres short of finishing school, and accumulated assumptions about the correctness of Portuguese people in certain situations, I guessed spooning would not be tolerated.
I thought that what I will call the ‘petisco precept’ would apply. By this, I mean the impressive way our hosts can deftly hold any kind of finger-foody snack in one hand, clothed impressively in one of those grease-proof napkins that adorn cafe counters and tabletops.
And incidentally, it’s only when you attempt to mop up a spilled drink in Portugal that you realise Portuguese napkins do not exist for that purpose; they are available, it eventually dawns on you, to protect the fingers and garments of cafe customers from snack-derived grease, wayward sugar granules, and – in this instance – flaky pastry confetti. This, I thought, is surely the correct way to nosh a nata, and the method illustrated here, is the forgivable wrongdoing of a recent arrival, keen to feast on one of this country’s great gifts to the world.
Now, most Thursday evenings, I am in the company of not only a stellar line-up of Portuguese migration experts, but also a committee of cultural consultants. As the weekly Expats Portugal ‘town hall’ style Q&A session draws to a close, I have become accustomed to asking the panel what I call my ‘cultural question’.
After an hour of intense advice giving, this serves as an often fascinating and educational palate cleanser. With no shortage of Portuguese culture and social conundrums, this has become something of an institution and a great way for anyone on the call, looking to move to Portugal, to learn, while being entertained, by ‘real’ Portuguese people.
This, I thought last week, would be my opportunity to finally put the matter of to spoon or not to spoon to bed, with final formal confirmation that stainless steel belongs nowhere near our natas, once they have left the bakery and are safely embarked on their final journey into our eager throats and stomachs.
Imagine my surprise then, when to a man (and woman, I should add) all fessed up to “being guilty as charged”, shattering my illusions and preconceived ideas.
In the delicate and traumatic hours and days that followed, opinion continued to be divided and inflamed by the shock news that – like me – many foreigners favoured finger fashion, while pouring scorn and feeling uneasy with native spooning. Comments that rapidly arose upon sharing a video of myself engaging in the act, included: “Just put it in your gob!” (Ray Thomson), “Blasphemous” (Porto-based musician, Michael Bliss), “No to spoons!!!” (Paul Rees of this esteemed publication), “Can’t believe you’d let yourself be filmed doing this. You know, it’s on the internet for good…” (Dan Thompson), and simply: “This one hurt” (Josh, from Expats Everywhere).
The notable Portuguese exception, who seemed to prove the rule, said: “No spoon for me. I just eat it in two bites, make a mess but love it!” (You know who you are!).
It seems that it’s not only the ‘Tias’ of Cascais (the Ab Fab ladies who lunch in that exclusive and upmarket town) who might resort to cutlery, presumably to not spoil their makeup; it’s the whole country! The ‘cougars of the custard’ are not the only ones to get hot under the colher, it’s anyone and everyone, given half a chance, and all of one the best pastries in the world.
I think I will leave whether to sprinkle with cinnamon, or not, for another occasion, as I’m not sure I can take any further cultural bombshells this week. But it does go to show, again, that the old clichés about making assumptions and judging books by their covers ring true. Or is it further evidence of that delightful Portuguese gift of defying the obvious, and always being ready with an “it depends” – which if you are Portuguese makes complete sense, but as a foreigner keeps you wide eyed with wonder and, from my point of view, full of admiration. Mostly.
See what the Expats Portugal Dream Team said, when asked this profound and probing question, as well as what happened when Carl tried for himself at www.goodmorningportugal.com
By Carl Munson
Carl Munson is host of the Good Morning Portugal! show every weekday on YouTube and creator of www.learnaboutportugal.com, where you can learn something new about Portugal every day!
