If you’ve ever been in my bathroom in my former home in Texas, you’d know that I had a certain framed poster hanging on the wall. I bought it one night from the Michael’s Art Supply store in Plano Texas. I didn’t know what it meant, but I thought it was cute, plus it matched the bathroom perfectly.
For 2 years it hung there, barely noticed, until we packed everything up and moved to Boston. There it found a home in the kitchen, where our neighbor’s kid thought it looked like two men kissing. “Why are two men kissing?” he asked. “They’re not, and besides would that be so bad?” He made a face. Gender politics start young.
We eventually sold the picture, along with most everything else, I distinctly remember who bought it. It was the owner of the second hand shop down the street and she had grabbed all my favorite pieces: vases, framed art, place settings. I had joked at the time, “If I miss my stuff, I’ll just come to your place to visit it.” We moved to Madrid, and I never really thought about it again. This little poster traveled with us from Texas to Boston and I never once thought about what Porto Ramos-Pinto meant.
Well, if you’re a fan of Porto, the sweet, thick wine that is served as an aperitif, especially in Portugal, then you know where this is going. Last week in Lisbon, it wasn’t long before I ran into a store front that looked like this:
And you know what I thought? Oh look, they’re selling my poster.
It took me a second to realize, ohhhhhh, it’s not the poster, it’s the wine. I’ve had an ad for Portugal wine hanging in my house for the past three years.
I can just imagine the same thing happening in Bali, where some native has a Budweiser poster hanging in the living room, thinking it’s “art”.
So I immediately realized I had only one option: to buy a bottle. And I have to say, it’s really good.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I love these types of travel moments.
Julies last blog post..To Mompox, With Love
August 13th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Hahaa… amazing!! See, you were meant to go to Portugal…
August 13th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I have these posters hanging in my bathroom as well. I love all the old school adverts for travel and wine. The world is VERY small. I once bumped into a friend of my cousin in Piazza Di San Marco. He was chatting with some other friends of mine, we got to chatting and turns out he grew up w/my cousin.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
That is so cool! I would just die if I found the cafe on my poster! We have it because it has our last name on it…not sure if it is a real place.
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/L-Voisin-Cafes-and-Chocolats-1935-Posters_i366826_.htm
Like your gender politics issue, our poster prompted some innocent remarks. A little boy visiting our house asked why there was a monkey serving coffee. I was embarrassed for him, but I guess sometimes small white children get confused the first time they see a black person. How do you handle something like that!?
August 13th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I just discovered your site - and I love it. This is exactly something that I have been contemplating…but, unsure of how to go about it. I’m looking forward to reading more. I do have a question, how are you going about the photography part? Are you trying to sell your images?
August 13th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
That is far too funny. Did you have any other posters you are likely to encounter?
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August 15th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Hey, what a funny story. It is yet another story that only life can write.
Keep up the good work. Love your blog.
Phil
Phils last blog post..Rise Above Earth’s Confines
August 15th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
How funny! Glad to hear you at least enjoyed the wine you’d been advertising!
Theresas last blog post..American Images … at 70 MPH
August 15th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Those are the BEST moments in traveling!! I love when some odd happening reminds me of something (apparently) unrelated.
I’m happy to hear you went ahead and bought the wine - good for you!!
Nancy
http://www.familyonbikes.org