Sarma in Portland

There is a big difference between Sarma in Portland and Summer in Portland, but both of those things are not quite what you'd expect.

Summer is that part of the year squeezed between Spring and Autumn, hot, sunny and generally pleasant in most parts of the world. Portland has an interesting take on Summer. I grew up close enough to Melbourne to know the need for a storm jacket and a speedo all in one day, but Portland has you going for the wet weather gear and the skimpy underwear multiple times in each hour of the day. I spent a couple days back in Portland after LA and I've never taken my jacket on and off so much in such a short timeframe. I was afraid it would catch fire from the build up of friction.

Summer in Portland

Sarma is an absolutely delicious traditional Croatian dish which my father cooks. Portland has an interesting take on Sarma. Looking for lunch, I found a bunch of food stalls, one of which was offering 'European' food including Polish Golabki (Sarma from a different corner of the continent). I'd actually just eaten a Souvlaki when I found the Sarma seller, but I couldn't go past ordering one as it was the first time I've ever seen it for sale anywhere. It looked sooooooo good. But it was sooooooo disappointing. Other than it looking exactly the same it was unrecognisable as the same dish Dad serves up and I eat by the bucket load. I finished a couple of bites hoping the flavour was hidden in there somewhere, then I thought about garnishing it with the paper plate it was served on for at least a little spice, but I walked away instead. Things are not always what they seem.

Sarma in Portland

I was taken to a Soccer match by Liz, Amity and Garrett - guys I'd met at the Rat Race who were organising, driving, feeding us, entertaining us and generally being awesome throughout the competitions. It was the Portland Timbers v the Vancouver White Caps - a poor choice of name by the Canadian side if you ask me. The 'Vancouver White Ants' would make for a much more epic battle and surely one they couldn't loose, well, not against the Timbers anyway. It was the most fun I've ever had at a game. The Portland supporters are, how do you say...insane! There was singing and horn blowing and drum beating and yelling and beer spilling and singing and dancing and key-rattling and they have a mascot called 'Timber Tim' who is a burly man with a VERY large chainsaw who cuts a slab of timber off a waiting log each time the Timbers score a goal. Then he puts the chainsaw back in the log and does a back-flip for good measure. After half time, some ground came out loaded with beach balls and threw them all INTO the croud. Can you believe that??? It was an eye opener to how sterile big sports games in Australia have become. By the end of the match most of the Portland supporters had lost their voices, their beer and their inhibitions. It made an Aussie rules game look like lawn bowls on valium.




Oh and the Timbers came home 2-1.