Portuguese Food and Guns

This is one the post idea vote so here it is.



We headed back to the Philly house (which is sort of like my ancestral home in that my mom spent the later part of her childhood there) to meet up with my aunts and cousins. For most of the Christmas trip we had avoided the Gun problem... the problem is this. My cousin has a bayonet rifle designed in the late 1800's and manufactured for WW2 for Soviet use. It's cool, I will give him that. But I just feel like it is unnecessary to have it around my kids.

I didn't say anything when he stood like a soldier with the thing pointed up. But as he became more relaxed and lax and the gun began to be pointed horizontally across his lap as my children ran around I asked him, "Is that loaded?"

"Inconceivable that it would be." It was hard to read what he meant by that, and after asking a few more times I came to understand that it was sarcasm.

"How about we just have it unloaded while my kids are here?" I reasoned. And he allowed that.
From his perspective he wants it to protect the family. So when he was acting like a soldier and having it pointed up, I allowed for that. But when he wasn't well no the thing needs to be unloaded.

"Just use the bayonet part to protect us." So he attached that after unloading it and that was the compromise.


Yeah the safety was on, and I will admit I don't know too much about guns, but the truth is, it's just an unnecessary risk. An armed security guard has his weapon loaded, but it is holstered. He doesn't chat and clean it at the bank or wherever the hell he is working.

We went out to eat and found a pretty good Portuguese Restaurant, Tio Pepe's, on Castor Ave in Northeast Philly. There was a bar playing Dominican dance music downstairs. There were a ton of restaurants from various ethnic groups. This seemed like a cool place to hang out actually.

The restaurant was upstairs, which was difficult for my aunt. A quiet family place with nice linen table cloths and wine glass table setting.

Grace ordered the Paella, clams, Shrimp, a noodles and shrimp dish for Dai Dai because Dai dai loves his crimps and noodles a pot of potatoes and pork..  and that fed us. Sangria kept conversation going and my cousin ordered a glass of port. He noted that he could taste the brandy separately even as he drank it and that it was extremely smooth. The kids loved the Paella. Dai Dai fell over at some point and needed to have a talking too. He also entertained himself doing arts and crafts with the noodles.

"Keep it on your plate" I admonished. That is, I would allow the arts and crafts provided that they did not touch the table. That way I could still eat them.


We parted ways outside the restaurant with hugs and promises of seeing each other next year or perhaps even sooner and it was a nice night.


So reader... any other votes from the Top Ten  list? What story would you like to hear next?

Also,
New Years has come and gone and my class at First Baptist Church on Centre street is starting on Janruary 12th. If you are in the Jamaica Plain area in Boston, sign up for it by emailing me. It will be $20 a month but I want everyone to pay for the three months up front. The class will be Tuesdays 8-9pm. Tell your friends!

-Sifu Adam