The Food Stories

Lisbon - food, the heart to happiness.   Travelling through Lisbon, my boyfriend and I were on a food mission to find Ponto Final after seeing it in a documentary called "Somebody Feed Phil". We were dying to eat the sea food, particularly a dish called Arroz de Marisco. Arroz de Marisco is similar to Paella but more soupy. Those who haven't tried this, it’s a mixture of rice, broth and seafood served in a ricotta coloured clay pot. Ponto Final is one of those restaurants that you would usually only know about if you know someone who knows about it who knows someone who knows about it...you get me. To get there we took a short boat ride across the river for only $2.60 return and after 10 minutes of walking along the river, we turned a corner and arrived at a homely picturesque restaurant with elegant tables outside that went up a little peer. It reminded me of a mixture between San Fransisco, Italy, Amsterdam and Brazil. The tables filled up quickly and w...

Save money or eat food that will change your life?   Save money or eat food that will change your life?  That is the question I asked myself as I sat down at a beautiful little restaurant overlooking the sea in Lisbon, opposite my sweet lover. It was my birthday.   I looked down at the menu and that familiar thought pattern kicked in that wanted to pick the cheapest thing on the menu even though I knew what I wanted and it was by far the most expensive dish on the menu. Is this to do with self worth, a general survival mode or just this western conditioning that I constantly need to save money? For what? We put in energy to find this hidden gem and yet, here I was, feeling held back by not wanting to spend too much money. At that particular point, I was financially secure, and even if I was to spend money on this dish, rationally I wouldn't be in financial trouble. My boyfriend ordered a fresh orange juice and suddenly the prospect of buying ora...