Maheu – Theweight of a plate 

The flames spread around the large pot with the color of smoke. The porridge boiled on the wood of the world. And then followed the two days of sitting in the darkness of the lonely backyard storeroom. Thewaitingthatwasconfusedwithforgetting, thegreatexercise of patience.

On the third day, the scent of fermented porridge wafted through the house. It was then time for the brown cascade of sugar to flow into the mill generated by the large wooden spoon in the choreography of the big-armed mommies.

And the glasses filled for the ritual with the sip of the density of the world to go with the kulungwanas with the bride and groom crossing the threshold of the plaited palm branches that would only fall when dry. And then it would be lunch. And who would eat much more after that first glass with the weight of a plate?

But the maheu is no longer just a wedding drink, it has become a celebrity in the hands of men of strength. And every boy wants to be a strongman. So we used to leave the last coins from our snack in the little jars on the way out of school.

The farewell ritual, the sharing of joy, when we didn’t yet have the feeling of a serious world, as Luís Carlos Patraquim would say. And then the scolding from parents for always leaving dinner half-finished.

Edição 85 NOV/DEZ| Download.