My father Paul heard the rumor that I was going to make a lingui?a stuffing to go with the Thanksgiving turkey. This prompted him into action. He picked up the telephone and called me right away ? because to him ? I?d lost my mind and worse - his family traditions were at stake. ?Portuguese sausage in turkey? That?s nonsense.? he said before I could even say ?Happy holidays to you too!?

I tried to explain the lingui?a in a way that would appeal to his sense of history so told him about how that type of sausage reflects the large number of Portuguese-Americans here on Cape Cod and the Islands (where I live) whose ancestors came here as fishermen.? This was greeted with silence and let me tell you - there?s nothing like my father?s nothing on the other end of a phone line. I was in trouble. I could hear his thoughts grinding away as well as his jaw: ?My daughter, my grandchildren, lingu...
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