The First Encontro of the Presidents of the Casas de Macau worldwide has just concluded in the beautiful and historical city of Lisbon. 

 Due to the kind generosity of the Casa de Macau Lisboa, Fundação Casa de Macau, and the Fundação Jorge Alvares, in collaboration with the Fundação Oriente, all  the Presidents of the Casas de Macau worldwide converged in Lisbon for the Encontro which was held between June 19^th - 24^th, 2000.  The meetings involved daily work sessions to discuss areas of mutual interest, challenges and ideas in order to promote and continue our culture and heritage for future generations.    Prof. Engº Luis de Guimarães Lobato from the Fundação Casa de Macau and Dr. Vitor Serra de Almeida from the Casa de Macau Lisboa were our most gracious hosts throughout the week. 

 The results/conclusions of the work sessions will be sent to each Casa in the coming weeks for comment, further ideas and discussion.  As there were so many issues discussed and logistics for many of these still to be ironed out, it is probably prudent to highlight just a few of the major conclusions here in this article in order to provide a gist of what the week was like for us in Lisbon. 

 Due to space limitations, I am unable to provide further details other than what is written here, but be assured, the week was filled with "work" and was hectic, fun and most enjoyable.

 The Invitation

 The President of each Casa was invited along with his/her spouse.  If the President's spouse was unable to attend or if there was no spouse, the Casa could send another (one only) representative in place of the President's spouse.  As most of the readers of this article know my wife Carol, you can also then appreciate that there was no way on earth she was going to let me go to Lisbon without her, so we proudly set out as your Casa's representatives on this historical Encontro.  As we now reflect upon the trip, we feel incredibly grateful at having met so many of the Presidents and their wives and the many special friendships and bonds that have emerged from this Encontro.  The foundation is now in place for many more such meetings in the future as this one has proven to be such a success from the standpoint of camaraderie, friendships and a sense of belonging to one universal "community".

 The journey from Vancouver to Lisbon was an adventure from the start.  What would normally have been a 16- or 17-hour trip (including a 5-hour layover in London's Heathrow Airport), turned into a 33-hour adventure thanks to an air traffic controllers computer crash in London.  After a night spent on the airport floor, we were finally able to leave for Lisbon the following morning on the first available flight.

 Upon arrival at our hotel (The Lisboa Penta Hotel) in Lisbon (a day later than planned), we were grateful to see so many familiar faces, many of whom were in Macau last December for the Handover.

 The First Major Conclusion – Monday, June 19, 2000

 On the first day, we were taken by tour bus to the beautiful clubhouse of the Casa de Macau (Lisboa).  The structure is an older heritage-styled home renovated to suit the needs of the club.  It is a multi-storey building (with basement) which was very likely a family home at some point in its past, but today, it represents the "Sede Social" for the Macanese Community in Lisbon.

 The first work session that morning opened with a huge question asked by Prof. Engº Luis de Guimarães Lobato.  The question was: "Who is a Macanese?"  As most of our members know, there has been an on-going issue locally about being Macau -born, -raised and -educated, and I was, therefore, more than keenly interested as to where this discussion was headed.  To make a long story short, after a short debate, it was "UNANIMOUSLY" agreed to by all the Presidents of the Casas de Macau worldwide, that being born in Macau alone is not the sole criterion.  Thus, the first major conclusion of this conference was reached - UNANIMOUSLY.  A Macanese is anyone:  (1) born in Macau, (2) a descendant of someone born in Macau and (3) someone with a desire in his/her heart to be Macanese.  I was elated at this "revelation", but it was important to have it clearly defined like this (and agreed to) by all the Presidents of all the Macanese associations on our planet, including many in attendance who are Macau-born themselves.  As our members know, this conclusion is exactly what we have been stating all along.  This was indeed going to be an interesting week, and it was going to prove to be just that.  It was also important to have this major issue defined as all discussions during the week involved the Macanese people, especially our youth, worldwide. 

 The week was to progress with several other major conclusions reached, and these will be sent to every member or included in our next Newsletter once we have received the recap from Lisbon and have responded with our ideas and suggestions.Lunch on this first day was an exquisite Macanese lunch which included Portuguese chicken, minchee, rice, bacalhau and shrimp toast and which was prepared by the staff working at the clubhouse.

 Before ending the day,  the Associação Promotora de Instrução dos Macaenses (A.P.I.M.) presented us with their plans for the logo contest and the 4^th Encontro scheduled for the last week of November 2001 in Macau.  A planning session for the 4^th Encontro is in the works for November of this year so that the Presidents can help decide on just how the Encontro should be run and co-ordinated.

 The Second Day - Tuesday, June 20, 2000

 The work session on the second day was held in the Missão de Macau, who were also our gracious hosts at a fabulous lunch at a restaurant called Tia Matilde.   The highlight of this second day included a trip to visit His Excellency Sr. Jorge Sampaio, President of Portugal and the Presidential Palace in Belem.  This was indeed an incredible and unforgettable honour for us all as we briefly toured the palace before the President made his appearance.  His Excellency was most gracious as he posed for several group and individual pictures then chatted briefly with us as he expressed how aware he was of our roles as we strive for unity and the preservation of the Macanese culture and heritage for future generations.  The President was extremely polite especially when he noticed my wife, Carol, struggling to try to understand his Portuguese dialogue.  He noticed this and immediately came up to her, apologised and started over again, this time in English.   He remarked at the impressive and relatively young average age of the Presidents and noted that this was indeed going to be our unifying force as we work toward our goals. 

 The Third Day - Wednesday, June 21, 2000

 The work session was to be hosted by the Fundação Oriente  and was conducted in Arrábida which is over an hour south of Lisbon.  The Fundação Oriente owns a 16^th century monastery there which they have converted into a modern day study-centre while retaining much of the historical architecture and symbolism which is now nearly 500 years old.  The monastery is built into the hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and is situated in a protected area so that housing and industrial development is either prohibited or strictly controlled.  While the Presidents were at the work session, our hosts took our spouses on a tour of the beautiful peninsula adjacent to the monastery.  They returned to join us for lunch and afterwards were given a tour of the monastery as the Presidents concluded the afternoon session.   Lunch was hosted by the Fundação Oriente in a dining room overlooking the Atlantic Ocean below us.

 The day's work session included discussions on a planned student exchange, scholarships, clubhouses and funding of same and other items of interest to our Casas.

 The Fourth Day - Thursday, June 22, 2000

 The day's activities did not commence until 3pm so Carol and I were fortunate to have had the opportunity to race north to Fátima on a personal pilgrimage to this major religious site.  We returned just in time as our bus prepared to leave on a "fun-afternoon".  We were taken on a tour of Estoril, Cascais, Sintra, and Guincho Beach where we had a magnificent seafood meal hosted by Casa de Macau Lisboa and Fundação Casa de Macau. 

 The Fifth Day - Friday, June 23, 2000

 Today represented the final day of work sessions and was to be held at the Centro Científico e Cultural de Macau (CCCM) hosted by Engª Alexandra Costa Gomes.  We were given a tour of the Museum of the CCCM after which they hosted a luncheon at the Verandazul Restaurant where many of us overate… again.!

 Later that evening, a Chá Gordo was held at the Casa de Macau clubhouse (see Day 1) where we finally met the former Governor of Macau, General Vasco Rocha Vieira.  An exhibition of paintings by Cmte Herlander Zambujo and a live Fado show were the highlights of the evening.  The Fado performers were all former students at Coimbra University, and the music they produced was absolutely magical.

 The Last Day - Saturday, June 24, 2000

 We were taken by bus to the Macau Pavilion on the Expo 98 grounds where we were given a guided tour of the pavilion.  Our hosts then arranged for Holy Mass to be said on the occasion of the Feast of St. John the Baptist and Dia de Macau.  Lunch afterwards was at the Macanese Restaurant close by within the Expo grounds, and seating arrangements and place cards were very sensibly used to ensure the dignitaries present were seated with the Casa Presidents and their spouses (or the invited representative, in the absence of a spouse).    Seated at our table at the quite formal luncheon was one of the sponsors of this Encontro, the new Chairman of the Jorge Alvares Foundation, General Antonio Lopes dos Santos, himself a former Governor of Macau. 

 General Vasco Rocha Vieira was also in attendance, and his self-initiated conversation with me leaves no doubt in my mind we are on the right track with respect to the troubled clubhouse/unity issue in Vancouver.  He gave me sound advice on an action plan which has been discussed with our Casa's Executive Officers.   It is worthy of note that the former Governor’s ideas are not too different from our own.

 After lunch, a cultural show (Martial Arts) was put on for us and was followed by another art exposition, this time by Teresa Mesquitela Cabral.   The beautiful paintings depicted many present and olden day/historical scenes of Macau.  A light cocktail (beberete) party ended the day.

 Conclusions

 The fact this Encontro has taken place leaves no doubt in my mind that our culture and heritage must be preserved for our children and their children in turn.  I left Lisbon with a feeling of belonging to a worldwide community rather than a generic "Macanese" community, and I am sure many of my counterparts felt the same way.  Most of us did not descend upon Lisbon on a self-promotional tour - but rather on a mission to give, participate and learn how we can become a stronger community worldwide. 

The focus of the week was indeed on our "Youth" and how we can foster in them the desire to continue our culture for their children.  The many ideas discussed and planned for implementation in the coming months will bear fruit if we can all keep in mind that all these clubhouses we are striving for may be empty someday if we do not ensure what we are doing today is carried on by the next generation.

The plan is to continue to have these meetings at regular intervals, and I am sure these sessions will provide the necessary thrust and motivation for us to continue doing what we have set out to do.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank once again, the sponsors for their foresight and intitiative which has led to this Encontro.  I thank also the many individuals who worked so tirelessly in the background, especially Dr. Mário Matos dos Santos of the Fundação Casa de Macau, who so capably handled all the travel and host arrangements for us all and made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed for an enjoyable stay in Lisbon.    Muito obrigado!

(Editor’s Note:  Kudos, thanks and appreciation to you, Michael and Carol, for representing our Casa in Lisbon.   We are all extremely proud of you! Glad you had a wonderful  time!)

HELLO JULIE!

 Julie de Senna  Fernandes was visiting family and friends in May and her visit coincided with our May 13 General Meeting.  

EDITORIAL

 It is with much regret that I have to report that Patricia (Butler) Adams has found it necessary to tender her resignation as Editor of The Voz due to extreme personal constraints.   Pat has been the backbone and strength behind our Newsletter for the past three years; she has set the standard and high quality of its appearance, layout and content.   Don’t worry,  Pat has not deserted us – she has agreed to remain as a  Consultant/Advisor to the Editorial Staff of  “The Voz”.   Muito obrigada, Pat! 

 On every page of this Newsletter, you can see that it is the July 2000 issue, or perhaps one can call it the “summer” issue.  Hence, this “summer” issue should then really reflect what summer in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is all about, nung eh?  Well, we tried but with no success.  Fortunately, like all previous issues of The Voz, everyone has continued to be extremely helpful and co-operative, and this “summer” issue continues to be by us, about us and for us!  Tanto de nossos membros  logo ajuda  escreve storias e conta novidades -  nung eh somente uma pessoa. 

 So although the “lazy, hazy days of summer” are upon us, the muito alegre life of each and every Filho de Macau in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada goes on, no matter what season we are in – mahjong games have never been known to depend on the weather (jugaderas e jugadores are always on hand, rain or shine; somente toca quanto telephonadas  e voce pode teng tanto paraceiros!), our beloved lingua Filomacau remains the same throughout the year (although it may get more intense and more chapado when chuchumecas get together!), our Macanese taste-“buds” are in full bloom all year round (without a doubt, an inborn Macanese trait!), festas are always held indoors because we would not be able to dine and dance in the rain nor in the snow (sunny days in Vancouver are extremely unpredictable, and our weather galos spend most of their time in their chuva mode!)

 See-sung ving neve, see-sung ving chuva, see-sung ving vento (talvez tambeng vento suju), see-sung ving sol - qualque tempo, nos Filhos de Macau nadi fica mung mung tung tung!  Nos pode busca tanto coisas pa faze, pa juga e pa come e bebe pa passa horas.  Nos Filhos de Macau deveras sabe vivo, deveras sabe goza!  Ving ya, nungcasa faze ceremonia – somente  nos com nos!

DELICIOUS!  FUN!  INFORMATIVE!
(by Edwina Shuster)

 A few words that describe the Casa's first cooking class of the new Millennium (March 26 at the Bonsor Recreation Complex): 

 The Haslam family – Aleixa, Caroline and Catriona very kindly agreed to be the first 'cooks' of the  year and demonstrated Franga nu Pucara, Caldo Verde and Sonhos.  They cut, chopped, peeled, mixed, stirred with ease and made it all look so very simple!

 Our Portuguese teacher, Mrs Julieta Catao, was also on hand to teach us how to make Broa de Bacalhau.  The smell and taste of freshly-baked bread is very satisfying to one's palate.

 There were at least 30 Casa members at the class learning how to make these Portuguese dishes as well as totally enjoying the finished product.

In addition to the cooking, we also had two tables set up with genuine Portuguese bric-a-brac for the members to peruse and enjoy at their leisure.

 he Casa will be holding more cooking classes this year, and each one will be interesting, enjoyable and unique.   See you all there!

 A   proxima classe de cozinha!   

SPRING SOCIAL 2000
(by Jules Duguay)

 The first major social event of the year 2000 was enjoyed by members of our Casa with their families and friends on April 15 at the Holy Family Church Hall in East Vancouver.

 The turnout was great, 91 members and guests, a good mix of people filling the hall with a happy buzz.  We were honoured by the presence of a number of special guests from UMA, California, and our official Portuguese teacher, Mrs. Julieta Catao and her husband Jose.  Mr. and Mrs. Catao seem to be learning as much about Macanese culture as we are about the Portuguese language!

The tables were festooned with balloons, paper streamers, and cortadinhas - which, for those younger members such as myself who may not have recognized them – are lacey white table decorations, hand cut from fine white tissue paper, traditionally made for Macanese festive occasions.

 The Casa "choir", formed by the Portuguese language class, led us all in singing the Portuguese and Canadian national anthems.  They then regaled us with their rendition of the Portuguese folk song " Tia Anica" in both the original Portuguese tongue and a Macanese version.

 Pre-dinner speeches were succinct and to the point (thanks Michael!), for woe to any who stand too long between any Filhos de Macau and their Tacho or Minchi (!); speaking of which, I should write about the food, arguably the single most important element at any Macanese gathering.  The feast was done in a potluck style - my personal favourite - which yielded a combination of Macanese dishes and North American style food.  Nothing beats carefully prepared home cookin'!  There was Minchi, Prawns, various types of Chicken dishes, Pasta and Noodles, Barbequed Duck, Salads, and hot Vegetables.  The desserts reflected the diversity and variety of the savoury entrées, including the likes of Bebinga, Cornstarch cookies, Coqueira, Natas, various types of Cakes, Mango Pudding, Jello and Fruit Platters.  Yum!  Despite our enthusiasm, we swarmed the tables with some degree of order, and I don't believe any were shy about seconds.  We all gave a good account of ourselves, for when all was said and done (and eaten!), more than a few belts had to be loosened a notch or two, I'm sure!

 The Cultural Committee conspired with Socials to make the night a memorable success.  First, Betty Sousae reprised her role as the adorably dotty "Cha-Cha" - with the assistance of sidekicks Mariazinha (Rozario) DuGuay, Angelina Rozario and Edwina Shuster - generating many laughs.

 The entertainment didn't stop there - Fernanda Ho also assumed a role, that of Eliza Doolittle, complete with hat and flowers, singing "Wouldn't it be Lovely?" from the classic movie "My Fair Lady".

The draw for the winning raffle tickets was held at this point, with the first winner, Mrs. Hercia Delgado generously donating the prize back to the Casa.  The King family seemed to be having a lucky evening, as their table scooped two of the large gift baskets, with another prize going to Angelina Rozario.  Although not everyone could win the raffle, Fernanda, still in character as "Eliza", distributed her flowers to all the ladies in the crowd.  A very sweet touch.

 After the main meal was over and digestion well under way, song sheets were distributed (carefully prepared by Rowena Tan), and the hall resonated with the combined voices of the Casa lifted in song.  The tunes were nostalgic, and I’m sure they brought to mind the “good old days” of youth for some old timers present.  Heck, I felt a little misty eyed myself, and I wasn’t even around back then!

 After this trip down memory lane, it was time to crack open the snack trays, dim the lights, and put on some dancing shoes. As he has been many times in the past, Humphrey Ho was the DJ and audio systems manager.  Of course, a sizeable contingent of dancing enthusiasts did the "Macarena"; while various other dance tracks and golden oldies kept ankle biters and octogenarians alike jumping well into the night.  “Uncle” Humberto Pires even did a turn on the floor.  Though he's closing in on a century, our most senior member continues to delight us all with his unflagging zest for life.

 Now to "roll credits"…

Helping the night run smoothly was Francis da Costa, Master of Ceremonies. The night was planned and co-ordinated by the new head of the Socials Committee, Rowena Tan.  Rowena was assisted by her dedicated team, consisting of Tessie Delgado, Hercia Delgado, Gilly Marshall, Carol Guterres, and new Casa member, Pat Albuquerque - who seems to have jumped right into Casa life with both feet.  On behalf of all who were there that night, I would like give thanks and appreciation to Rowena and all the others who were involved in making the Casa de Macau Spring Social 2000 a reality.  Their hard work allowed us all to have a wonderful time, and we have the pictures to prove it!

 It was a night of good food, good friends, and good times - a night that highlights why we all work to have a Casa in the first place: to celebrate our traditional culture through food, song, and the sharing of memories while creating new ones... to have a place of our own, wherever we may be.

(Editor’s Note:  Jules, thank you for doubling as our camera-man!)

"THE CLASSIFIEDS”

NEW VOTING MEMBERS

    Our Membership Co-ordinator has advised that our Casa has 10 new voting members since the beginning of this fiscal year!

DATES AND VENUES*
*refer to your Casa Activity Schedule

-  next General Meeting  - September 9

-  Member Appreciation Day  - October 7

- Cultural Programme has been cancelled for October 7

-  Portuguese Lessons cum Cultural Programme on August 12 will now be held at the Bonsor

   Recreation Centre (instead of Eaton).

 REMINDER

    Membership dues for fiscal 2000 were due on April 1.   If anyone has forgotten, please

send in renewal form and payment  ASAP. ($15.00 per voting member).  Thank you J

 DEATHS

    Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the following fellow Filhos de Macau  who

left us recently:

      “Aunty  Bel” Reed (in Seattle, WA)

      Carlos Noronha (in Toronto, Ontario)

      Eduardo Barradas (in Toronto, Ontario)

      Nelson Souza (in HongKong)

      “Tony” Gonsalves (in Tracy, CA)

      Dr  Luis Baptista (in San Francisco, CA)

      Eddie Remedios (in San Francisco, CA)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    Casa de Macau Club (Vancouver) does hereby express thanks and appreciation to the Fundacão Oriente for their continued financial support to “The Voz”, our Website and our Portuguese Language Classes.

      The editorial staff of Voz dos Macaenses de Vancouver wish to acknowledge and thank all contributors to this “summer” edition of  “The Voz”. 

     (Editor’s Note:  (1) Omission of proper accents on the Portuguese words appearing throughout this issue is because my keyboard is  not equipped with these.  Desculpe!    (2) By the way, Boca Tanto* is the pen-name of your humble Editor.)

PORTUGUESE CLASSES AND PORTUGUESE CULTURE
(by Angelina Fatima Rozario)

 Our Portuguese classes, held fortnightly on Saturday mornings, continue to make good progress.  Our teacher, Julieta Catao, conducts the class and speaks to us in Portuguese.  In addition to textbook exercises and conversation, we have covered a lot of Portuguese culture as well.

 At our Spring Social on April 15, 2000, members of our Portuguese class and Julieta led the singing of “Hino Nacional – A Portuguesa” at the start of the party.   We also sang “Tia Anica (de Loule)” in Portuguese and “Chuchumeca de Macau” in Macanese (both of which were based on the same tune). 

Of course, we had to “teach” Julieta how to pronounce some Macanese words such as chuchumeca and she is now very proud of the fact that she can sing a Macanese song!

 Our last three Portuguese classes coincided with three significant dates in the Portuguese calendar.  We observed these dates with pride:

 May 13  - The Beatification of Jacinta and Francisco at Fatima by Pope John Paul II:  During the class, we learned and sang the song dedicated to Nossa Senhora de Fatima…..”A treze de Maio na Cova da Iria, apar’ceu  brilhando, A Virgem Maria”…..  We also had a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and a music-box accompaniment of this song.

 June 10 – Camoes Day and Portugal Day:  Julieta  gave us some background history on Luis Vaz de Camoes (1524 – 1580), the noted Portuguese poet.   After serving in India and Morocco, where he lost an eye, the poet wrote “Os Lusiadas”, an epic on the Discoveries.   We read two poems written by Camoes:  “Alma Minha Gentil, Que Te Partiste” and “Descalca Vai Para a Fonte”.

 June 24 – Feast of St. John the Baptist:   We learned from Julieta that on this day, it is traditional in Porto and Braga to eat grilled sardines.  Also one smells the Marjoram plant while another person taps you gently on the head with a dried leek stem.   (Nowadays, the dried leek stem is substituted by a rubber mallet or hammer.)   She demonstrated this to the class.

 We also learned a verse on the three popular Portuguese saints, namely St Anthony (June 13), St. John the Baptist (June 24) and St. Peter (June 29):

 Santos Populares

Vem o Santo Antonio
Depois São João
No fin vem São Pedro
Para a reinação

DIA DE PORTUGAL 2000 
(by Betty (Figueiredo) Sousae)

 Dia 11 de Junio, tanto de nossa membros ja attende festa de Dia de Portugal na Escola Secondario de Killarney a Kerr e 49 em Vancouver.  Quanto membros de nossa Casa ja faze tanto leia de sobremesas de filo-macau por vende.  Bagi, batatada, bebinga, gelete de chocolate, gummi-gummi, genetes, coqueiras, gelea de frutas, bolo de chocolate, pao de leite e gelea de "dedos".

 Nossa mesa de comidas divera tem bom nengoxio.  Nom pode para de gente-gente qui vem compra comidas.  Cada dos horas, unga par di nos tem di fica encarigado di nossa mesa beleza, bem decorado com prato-pratos cheio de comidas sabrozo.  Na meio-meio de mesa, unga bonita boneca com ropa de portuguesa e uma fita na cinturum embrodado com "Casa de Macau, Vancouver" scrito, e mesa adornado com unga toilha de mesa portuguesa.

 Chuva e vento forte-forte na aquele dia tamem nunca manda gente fuji. Sedo-sedo, gente vem unga traz di otro.  Mas tarde, tropa-tropa de gente qui passa aquele porta, divera pode ola qui nossa comunidades portuguesa sum muito forte e tem muito amizade.

 Em frente de porta grande, na lado baixo de unga grande cobertor de lona, tem cinco ou seis chefe-chefes muito ocupado  -  unga ta pica cebolas, tres ou quatro ta assa sardinhas, befe e galinhas por capi dentro de papa-seco.   Unga linha comprido de gente ta spera por da ordems de comidas e paga, baixo di chuva.

 Na teatro drento di sala, gente pode vai ola tanto leia de representasum di dansas, cantigas e poemas di diferente grupos.  Muito entritidos.

 Cada um di nos qui ja fica voluntarios, ja recebe unga camisa (t-shirt) di azul com letras PCOV scrito na lade.  Comidas e bebidas e digraca por nos. Nos pode toma quelcum coisa qui nos care.  Nom precisa paga, qui bom?

 Oficial de otro clubos ja empe e fala de olotro-sa organacum, e nosse vice-presidente, Miguel da Roza, ja vai na palco por papia quanto palavras simples por nossa clubo tambem.

 Durante noite, unga banda toca musica de fado, e dansas de portugues por unga hora e meia, seguido com musica e dansas moderno.  Nossa membros ja bem di gosa este festa qui ja acaba quase des horas.

 Este e unga bom festa por unga bom causa qui tudos ja gosa muito.

“TWO-BITS”
(by Boca Tanto*)

 Our Casa thanks the Portuguese Club of Vancouver for their kind invitation to participate in this festive event as well as for the complimentary T-shirts, food and drink, to the volunteers, and above all, their hospitality.   

 Our Casa’s contribution to this festive event was to co-ordinate the bake/desserts sale throughout the day.  There was a total of ten members who volunteered their time to “man” the sale and our volunteers were  Aleixa Haslam, Mickey da Roza, Betty Sousae, Angelina Rozario, Lyce Rozario, Ricardo Rozario, Michael Guterres, Carol Guterres, Humphrey Ho and Fernanda Ho.  Our bakers were: Tina Archer, Grace Johnson, Tessie Delgado, Catherine Guterres, Angelina Rozario, Lyce Rozario, Betty Sousae and Fernanda Ho.      Muito obrigada pa tudos!

REAL MEN DON’T COOK QUICHE
by Patricia (Butler) Adams)

 If you wanted to know what and how Real Men cook, you should have been at the men’s the cooking class at the Bonsor Rec Centre on June 24. This was a no-holds-barred, in-your-face cooking class that made WWF look like a cake-walk.

The first up was Tony Lopez, the Hulk Hogan of chicken-cooking. Tony is of Portuguese parentage, but has a South African accent you could cut with a faca. He explained how to make the “home-made” version of the world famous Nando’s African Flame-grilled Chicken. Microwaves? They’re for sissies. For this chicken,  you need a flame-thrower at twenty feet!

Tony caused a near stampede by asking if there was a masseuse in the audience, and when the dust cleared, only Betty Sousae stood victorious and was given the honour of massaging the cook’s back while he deftly demonstrated how to   “flatten” the chicken. (Not pretty!)

Mac Roza made the mistake of asking for the secret recipe for   Peri-Peri sauce. A voice in the gathering piped up, “Of course you can have the recipe, but then we would have to kill you.” Suffice to say the recipe remains a secret, and Mac lives to attend the next Casa meeting. Nando’s not only provided a generous sampling of their great-tasting chicken for lunch, but also donated a draw prize. Gilly Marshall was the lucky winner of a gift basket of sauces plus a family dinner.

 On the heels of Tony’s presentation came a lecture on safe food handling, presented by Paul Holtved from Stong’s. His motto: “Don’t mince words; mince meat!” Paul really knows his stuff and tells it like it is. “It” being  the unseen enemy — bacteria, in all its five forms. Questions on food safety came at him as fast as rifle shots, but he stood his ground and answered each one confidently. He ended with these few words of advice: “Wash Your Hands;” “Sharpen Your Knives”, and most importantly,  “Don‘t spit in the soup, we all have to eat!”

Gilbert Gomez demonstrated “Creme Caramel” with the assistance of his second-in-command, Anita. No sweet-talk from Gilbert. He recommended using Splenda instead of sugar. Like a Commander-in- Chief, he issued the orders, while Anita carried them out. Everyone watched in awe as they brought in heavy artillery in the form of a new hand-operated whipping cream beater from Wal-Mart, and they cheered wildly when Anita successfully flipped the Creme Caramel upside-down onto the platter, a particularly delicate operation.

 “Macho Minchee” was next on the  menu. Tim Haslam was ably assisted by his five-year old son, Michael, who entertained everyone with two renditions of the Alphabet Song while the minchee was cooking. (Real Men sing the Alphabet Song). Tim’s minchee was no fuss, no muss. Simple. Cook meat and onions, then add soya sauce. You want colour, add ketchup; you want spicy, add BBQ sauce. Finito!

Finally, our “Man at Wok”, Mickey da Roza, showed how to cook  Mai Fun. The audience hung on his every word until he took a bit of char siu and popped it into his mouth with his fingers! A shudder ran through the audience as the dreaded word “bacteria” was whispered throughout the room. Mickey hadn’t been around for the talk on food safety. But, like the rebel that he is, Mickey said,”Whatsa matter? A good cook never washes his hands, besides,” he added,” my mother always used to say  O que nao mata engorda , which means If you don't die you'll get fat.”

When the Mai Fun was done, all the food of the day was set out . Alas, there was no Lat Chiu Cheung to accompany the Mai Fun! Suddenly all fingers pointed to Hercia Delgado, and a cry went out, “Tony Lopez gave her a a sample bottle of the hot Peri-Peri sauce!” Immediately the prized bottle was wrested from her possession (not too difficult to do because her arm is in a cast) and was placed on the table for public consumption. When it came to eating, equal rights prevailed, and in typical Macanese fashion, it was first come, first served, no matter what the gender.

DIA DE SAO JOAO – ANNUAL CASA PICNIC
(by Boca Tanto*)

 On Saturday, June 17, 2000, we were blessed with the company of great people, mouth-watering refreshments, glorious weather and a picturesque environment.  The occasion?  It was our Casa’s Annual Picnic to celebrate Dia de Sao Joao (June 24).   Our Social Team was on the scene as of 10:00 a.m. to set the logistics in motion, and by noon time, gente gente began arriving. 

 Muito obrigada to our Social Team for their enthusiasm and efforts in organizing this year’s picnic.  Muito obrigada also to the members and guests who turned up in support.  Unfortunately (or might we say, fortunately) our President, Michael Guterres and his “better half”, Carol, were unable to join us because they were in Lisbon, Portugal, by invitation, to represent our Casa at the First Reunion of Presidents of the Casas de Macau worldwide.  (Editor’s Note: Remember to read the cover story of this issue.  By the way,  Michael and Carol,, we devoured for you your share of the goodies!)  

 Our mascots of the day were Tristan and Buddy.  Tristan is a 4-year old Siberian Husky and Buddy is a 2-year old Dalmatian, whose “parents” are Roy and Isabel Ma and Ricardo and Lyce Rozario, respectively.  Our mascots greeted each other with their “waggly” tails and “intuition” – they became instant friends.

 Throughout the day, everyone had a wonderful time - mingling, “chin-wagging”, sun-bathing and enjoying the barbequed chicken wings, “mai-fun”, chili con carne, hot dogs, watermelon, etc.. Some even took to the park to enjoy, among other attractions, the children’s swings and water-park.  (Hey, who said we can’t be kids again!)  I guess our line-dancers found it a little too warm for dancing and decided to sit this one out.

 In keeping with tradition, no Filhomacau picnic would be complete without some form of jogo.  Dado Farinha was the name of the game, and young and old joined in the fun and excitement.   There were no losers, only “jinxes” to vira sorte de aquele quantos “ jugadores”!  

 Among our guests was Father Lucas Ho who celebrated Mass for us at the picnic shelter.  Father Lucas is the godson of Casa member, Clotilde Waites and he was visiting family and friends in Vancouver.  Father Lucas is presently serving in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.  Mass was simple yet beautiful.  I am sure no one had enjoyed Mass so much in a long time.  There could not have been a more fitting conclusion to a day filled with camaraderie and love for one another.  Muito obrigada, Father Lucas!

BEATIFICATION OF JACINTA AND FRANCISCO
MAY 13, 2000, AT FATIMA, PORTUGAL
(by Angelina Fatima Rozario)

On May 13, 1917, three young Portuguese shepherd children were tending their parents’ flocks in a field at Cova da Iria, close to the small village of Fatima.  Lucia dos Santos was 10, her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, nine and seven, respectively.         

 Suddenly, the sky grew bright revealing the figure of the Virgin above an oak tree.  All three children saw the apparition, but only Lucia was able to communicate.  In her memoirs, Lucia recorded that she heard the Madonna – a “Lady brighter than the sun” – say “I am from Heaven.  I have come to ask you to return here six times, at this same time, on the thirteenth of every month.  Then, in October, I will tell you who I am and what I want”.   

The children’s story was met with skepticism.  However, in the following months, interest picked up, and on October 13, the day of the last apparition, some 20,000 people gathered at the Cova da Iria.  There, the so-called “Miracle of the Sun” took place where the sun turned into a vast swirling ball of dancing light.  Countless miracles took place that day – the blind could see, the lame made whole and the sick were cured.  However, only the three children could see the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As predicted by the Blessed Mother, Francisco and Jacinta died shortly after the visions by the flu epidemic in 1919 and 1920, respectively.  Lucia joined the Carmelite Convent near Coimbra in 1928. 

On May 13 this year, Pope John Paul II beatified Jacinta and Francisco Marto at Fatima amidst an estimated crowd of 600,000 people.  Present at the beatification of her cousins was Carmelite Sister Lucia, aged 93.

 Nossa Senhora de Fatima    Our Lady of Fatima                                   

 A treze de Maio                     On the 13^th of May

 Na Cova da Iria                      At the Cova de Iria

 Apar’ceu brilhando               Appeared a brilliant light

 A Virgem Maria                   The Virgin Mary

 Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!  Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

 A Virgem Maria                   The Virgin Mary

 Cercada de Luz                      Encircled in light

 Nossa Mae bendita               Our Blessed Mother

 E Mae de Jesus                     And the Mother of Jesus

      Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!  Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!