quinta-feira, 11 de abril de 2013

HISTÓRIAS DO CALHAU



 .... curiosidades ...


 


... os bomboteiros iam às Casas de Bordados buscar mercadoria para vender nos navios. Traziam as peças à consignação, com um preço previamente combinado. Tudo o que ganhavam para além disso, era lucro. Estes homens do mar eram, na sua maioria, analfabetos. Conheciam, porém, os números.   E era assim: preso com um alfinete, à toalha, por exemplo, estava um código deles. Imaginemos:   7856430120 – isto significava que tinham de entregar à casa 120$00. Ora, o preço que pediam aos “ingleses” era 300$00 e iam regateando. Tudo o que ultrapassasse os 120$00 era para eles....



... muitas mulheres bordavam em casa. No entanto, para ir para bordo, as peças tinham de ser certificadas pelo Grémio.  Havia um selo de chumbo preso com linhas de cores que se vendiam numa loja da  Rua dos Tanoeiros. Ora, havia o J. que era jeitoso e que falsificava os bordados  que as mulheres faziam em casa e que iam misturados com os outros, os autênticos.

 ... no ato da venda, os bomboteiros tentavam vender primeiro os bordados feitos em casa. Só depois, iam os outros.

... no regresso, algumas canoas eram revistadas, a ver se traziam contrabando. E, muitas vezes, vinha: eram cigarros, salsichas, leite condensado, marmelada.... tesouros que faziam a festa em casas onde se comia, geralmente, milho com café.   



Tales from the seashore

(loosen tracks)


…. the bumboat salesmen used to go to the Embroidery Factories in order to buy handmade towels to be sold, later, on board the vessels. The price was previously agreed and if it was sold by a higher price, it was all profit. These men were illiterate but knew the coins very well and their exact value. How did they manage? They tied up a small paper to the cloth with a code on it. For instance, 7856430120 – meaning that he had to pay 120$00 to the factory. So, they started by asking for 300$00 and tried to reach an agreement that was not lower to the price they had to hand in at the embroidery factory.

 

… many women embroidered at home. However, the pieces that were sold on board needed a certification warrant issued by the Grémio. There was a metal stamp that was tied to the embroidery piece with a coloured string which was sold at a shop in Rua dos Tanoeiros. One of the boys was very skilled so string was bought at the mentioned shop and a false stamp was attached to the embroidery done at home which was equally sold at the vessels.


… these homemade embroidery ( with no legal stamp) were the ones sold at first. Only then would the bumboat salesman sell the ones he had bought at the factory.

… when the boats came ashore, sometimes guards were waiting for them to see if there was any smuggling merchandize. In fact, very frequently these men brought back several things: cigars, sausages, canned milk, marmalade, corn beef … small treasures that enriched meals at local houses where usually there was only bread, cooked maize and coffee to eat and drink

….

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