Strum, Strum, Sniff, Sniff....the sad, sweet sounds of Fado.

Fado, the folk music of Portugal

I am surprised that I love Fado, to be honest.  Because I DETEST country and western music--and the two types of music have many similarities.  Country music grates on my nerves.  Really really really.  Just not my thing.  The singers seem to be whining, always bitching about this or that, and listening to it does nothing for my mood.   What I will admit, is that especially compared to today's pop music, country singers generally have great voices--good pitch, decent technique and range, and appear to have some musical ability.  This is very different to how the pop world works--for the most part these days, pop stars are groomed and promoted as products, and their 'music' is electronic, over-processed and dumbed down so that zero thought or attention is required on the part of the listener.  And the performer, for that matter.  Like aural McDonalds.  Or Sunny D.

Fado (Portuguese:destiny, fate) is a music genre which can be traced from the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor.   Hint:  replace 'sea' with the 'cattle ranch', and you've got a bang-up country tune.  However, in reality fado is simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure.

The music is usually linked to the Portuguese word saudade which symbolizes the feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent life lasting damage).  Like I said....Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn, I'm looking at YOU.

Fado only appeared after 1840 in Lisbon, at that time only fado marinheiro (sailor fado) was known and, like the cantigas de levantar ferro, was sung only by sailors. Back then, Fado was not sung in the rest of the country.

Anyhoo....I had learned about it, and wanted to check some out.  We have done this twice, and both experiences were excellent.  

My first taste of Fado was had at 'Seta,' a dinner-theater restaurant in Madeira.  We all went, after being told it was a 'local' restaurant, with local food and local clientele.  They weren't altogether honest about that--it was a total tourist thing, with travelers by the busload sitting at long tables eating dinner that had been pre-selected (bolo da caco, tomato and cabbage soup, salad, beef kebab, french fries and vegetables).  Incidentally, the food was delicious, fresh, and perfectly cooked.  Eugenia, the fado singer, did a very good job, as did her stringed companions.  She did NOT, however, come across as a nice chick.  She was overtly making fun of patrons, and turning her back on and rolling her eyes at people who were not silent while she sang.  Barf.  Get over yourself, sweetie....  ;)

Shhh! Be quiet!  And no eating either!  Eugenia is singing!

The best part about Seta, was what came after Eugenia's fado, which was folk dancing, performed by a large group in full-on traditional dress.  The members of this group ranged in age from 9 to about 50.  I was able to capture part of this on video (below).  Sadly, they later destroyed the folky-euphoria by having the small children who were folk dancing approach each and every customer and try and sell CDs, dish towels, and small toys.  Bummer.

Pardon me for ending the video so abruptly, as dessert was served.  At least I have my priorities straight.

 The video above and below were taken from a different restaurant.  "Arsenio's" is considered to be a much more legitimate and popular spot for the locals.  The music was much more varied, with three different singers.  I did enjoy this more.  It was pricier, but the food was also fantastic.  Mom and I went alone, and shared a cataplana for 2:

Good stuff!  Had both fish and pork in a tomato-based broth.  Extremely salty, we both woke up thirsty and puffy-eyed the next morning, but extremely flavorful.  The only thing is, there are always these HUGE prawns in everything, complete with legs, antennae, and beady eyes.  Ew.

ok, enough about the food--here's the other video: