While waiting for my hotel check-in, I decided to pass the time by sitting in a nearby park and round about. At the center of the park is the very tall Monumento A Guerra Penisular. The violence depicted in this piece of work is beyond words. There are battle scenes covering the circumference of the monument—even the horse took a hit in the heat of battle! The late afternoon sun prevented me from capturing the images sans glare, but I’m here to tell you all I stared at that stature for a long time pondering Portugal’s violent past.
My dreamy state and reflective mood were underscored by the sated feeling I experienced after dining at a fast food chain establishment called O Kilo—where yummy Brazillan style dishes are sold by the kilo. The food is consistently good. How consistent? It’s been at least three years since I last visited Lisboa and even longer since I visited Oporto. I ordered the exact same combination on each visit and today it was as flavorful as the first time I’d visited the place. I was happy, not only because of the tasty food, but I was pleased with the manner in which the fast food was served on real plates and accompanied by flatware.
The O Kilo I visited here in Oporto is in a shopping mall food court. Across the way I watched MacDonald’s staff provide table service to customers! The thought did occur to me why would anyone opt for MacDonald’s when there were so many other interesting food vendors. Nevertheless, I was happy and wasn’t about to begrudge anyone their culinary pleasure.
