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9.7.08 

Letter to a tourist

Dear tourist,

The fact that you are reading this letter means that it is in your hands to eat like a Lisboner during your stay in Lisbon. And you have to admit that not every guide book gives you such an opportunity of not being a tourist. Here are 10 tips to help you stay away from tourist traps.

1. Stick to the restaurants in this Guide. These are restaurants where Lisboners dine and wine. Leave the tourist traps to your fellow tourists.

2. Eat Portuguese time: lunch at one, dinner at nine. Practice at home before arriving, each day have dinner 15 minutes later so you are ready to dine after eight thirty each night. Restaurants who serve earlier dinners are tourist traps.

3. Take chances. In Portugal we don't eat dog or human flesh, nor tarantulas or live fish, and the food is never too spicy. Everything on the menu is conservatively ok. Ask for advice, point at other people's tables. It will serve you better than the menu's translations.

4. You pay for everything you eat. Don't think that the octopus salad or ham that you didn't ask for is a gift from the restaurant. If you don't touch it, make sure they don't include it in the bill.

5. Don't drink the house wine (vinho da casa), and only very exceptionally rosé. House wine is always cheap and nasty and Portuguese people only rarely drink rosé wine.

6. But you can go for the dish of the day (prato do dia), usually a cheaper option at lunch, always fresh and tested.

7. Don't eat veg outside a veggie restaurant, for you'll end up with a travessa of huge onion slices on top of huge tomato slices.

8. Don't say "gracias" or "buenas noches". That's Spanish. "Obrigado" and "boa noite" will make your waiter happier.

9. Yes, we have two seated hot meals a day, everyday, irrespective of age, sex and social status. Don't try this at home, but do enjoy it while in Lisbon.

10. Never ever have a meal in a restaurant with fado, folklore or other kind of event apart from the food. That's an expensive tourist trap. With bad food. Go for the Fado after dinner.

Enjoy your meal,
Lourenço Viegas


Time Out Lisbon

Contraprovador

  • Lourenço Viegas, 54 anos, é geólogo e crí­tico gastronómico. Colabora semanalmente na Time Out Lisboa. Nasceu em Lourenço Marques e vive no Ribatejo. Tem duas filhas.
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