Sardines and St. Anthony

I made my way back to Lisbon by way of the Museu do Oriente, an Asian art museum. It was a little disappointing, with more decorative furniture and Chinese opera and less porcelain and painting than I had been hoping. I returned to the Alfama district for an excellent food tour - three and a half hours of going from place to place, learning about local dishes and eating and drinking. After the tour, I couldn't resist wandering around the Alfama to enjoy the ongoing St. Anthony Sardine Festival. Apparently it's a joint celebration of St. Anthony of Padua, who was born in Lisbon and is revered in Lisbon although St. Vincent is actually their official patron saint, and the arrival of fresh sardines. It seemed like the whole neighborhood was out on the streets, selling grilled sardines on toast and ginja, a sweet cherry liquor, drinking Sagres, listening to bands and djs, and dancing. Some locals taught me how you're supposed to eat the drinking-snack snails - you suck them out of their shells and only use the toothpick for the difficult ones. Much faster than my toothpick-only method.Read more