Vanguard | January 13, 2007 | 25 comments

Ode to a Toothpaste

MarianaVanZeller

watch more vanguard

Mariana van Zeller reports on the changes globalization has brought to her hometown of Lisbon, Portugal.
  1. groups:
    On Current TV,   Intro,   Vanguard,   Current International,   2 more
  2. tags:
    On Current TV,  Intro,  Lisbon,  Editors Picks Intergalactic,  15 more
  3. credits:
    MarianaVanZeller Starring, superkiy Editor, mshen Editor, more
  4.     
    |
    Embed video:
    |

25 comments // Ode to a Toothpaste // Video

  • Arnold_Rivas
  • coolmonkey
  • asanada
    • 0
      asanada  

    • Where is this Uma Casa Portuguesa place anyway. Would like to check it out. Sounds incredibly interesting but not knowing the language, having an extra hard time finding info via google. All I get is search results referring to a song?

    • 3 years ago
  • scheeko
  • GBrito
    • 0
      GBrito  

    • Como "mais vale tarde que nuca" (mais tradições portuguesas hehe), aproveito para te dar os parabéns pela excelente peça.

      --------- " ------------------------" -----------------------"--------

      As the saying goes: "better to do it late than not to do it at all" (another portuguese tradition). So, here are my congratulations for the amazing report.

    • 3 years ago
  • piotr_pl
    • 0
      piotr_pl  

    • I liked this pod, but it's not as in-depth, thorough and focused as most of your reports. Have you thought of creating a pod about the recent history of Portugal? I mean, you could drop all the purely political stuff, which is usually the highlight, and just concentrate on how people's lives changed, the economy... I had no idea the first McDonald's in Portugal opened only about 15-20 years ago or so...

    • 3 years ago
  • Devishlysweet83
    • 0
      Devishlysweet83  

    • Thats so funny! I saw this video after I came from Portugal. I did go to that store and bought several items. Couto tooth paste was one of them. So I went to the bathroom right away and used it! OHHH LISBOA how i MISS YOU

    • 4 years ago
  • scheeko
    • 0
      scheeko  

    • And I thought I was the only person in the american continent brushing my teeth with Couto!

      I also remember when the first McDonalds opened and the shopping center where it is located. It was the first true modern mall and me and my brother kept a list to see who had visited it the most.

      By the way, awesome videos!

    • 4 years ago
  • philip2004
    • 0
      philip2004  

    • I Travelled to Geneva by myself and travelled by tram train and bus to get to Annecy in France, I really do love the european culture and hope it doesn't go too commercialised to loose the heritage.

    • 4 years ago
  • PedroReis
    • 0
      PedroReis  

    • It''s really funny that people give so much value to toothpaste. I also love Pasta Medicinal Couto.
      And even being in NYC for the last 3 years I always have one to remember things from my national identity.
      Some friends accuse me of being extreme right-wing and are always telling that Globalization is a threat, while brushing their teeth with Colgate and planning to travel to South America, Croacia and all those cool places where they think people still leave with comunist ideas... Fools...
      This idea is great! Keep posting more!
      Have you thought selling this idea to ICEP?
      It helps to sell an image better the "country of mild people and traditions" and with a lot to share with the rest of the World.
      Saudades

    • 5 years ago
  • govideotalk
  • ocanada
    • 0
      ocanada  

    • Suadades. The root of the fado. I may be american but I too long for the past and have loved learning about portugal through its art and music.

    • 5 years ago
  • cornelius1980
    • 0
      cornelius1980  

    • aprende a conduzir oh! que raio de trajectoria e aquela? sobes o passeio quase que te esmerdas contra um carro! gostei muito, parabens! es mt linda gatinha gostosinha jokinhas fofas

    • 5 years ago
  • martabettencourt
    • 0
      martabettencourt  

    • eeach country has their own story.Why are portuguese so diferent from the german people and spanish from english, because each country has teir own costumes, personality,traditionsetc. We must never forget our flag our history, we must be porud of it. A very good report to allert each country how unique we are

    • 5 years ago
  • chunfucius
  • fairuser
    • 0
      fairuser  

    • Insightful and with a fresh view at the issues as all your reports. It took me back to memories of my childhood neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, and made me think of all the little trivial things that disappeared from that time, which seemed inconsequential and irrelevant at the time, but we would love to hold on to now.
      It definitely made me feel "muita saudade" probably also because I will be visiting the home country soon.
      Obrigado Mariana!!!
      PD: You were right on the difficulty in translating saudade. The only equivalent I am aware of is the morrinha in Gallego (which you also have in Portuguese)

    • 4 years ago
  • Kidryu16
    • 0
      Kidryu16  

    • I loved this POD, I'm from Trinidad, and it sort of reminds me of back home, the smaller things really do count. They get more personal to you. Thanks.

    • 4 years ago
  • sbiggs
    • 0
      sbiggs  

    • On one side, globalization is great for international trade and business. However, on the other side, it's a little sad that more and more countries are seemingly becoming more and more "Americanized" via globalization. For example, in this pod, although Laura Ling was trying to show how different the products in a Chinese convenience store were from those in an American one, I couldn't help but to notice the cans of Pringles above her in the shot where she was bending down to get the shrimp chips. It's good to see that Portugal is determined to keep a lot of it's culture, but how long will it remain because nowadays its seems almost inevitable that a country will open its doors to another country's products to keep the economy strong.

    • 4 years ago
  • orchidsofdesire
  • MarianaVanZeller
    • 0
      MarianaVanZeller  

    • I remember the day the Golden Arches opened its first restaurant in Portugal. It was such an exciting event. I was 15 years-old and I had been to McDonald's only once before, in London, where I had tried a big mac and a strawberry milkshake. It was the best thing I had ever tasted.
      The opening gave me the sense that my small town of Cascais was reaching out to the world. But now, of course, with every other fast food restaurant already in Portugal it seems that it's more about big companies such as McDonald's spreading their tentacles around the globe. And my small town has lost a little of its character. Globalization - it's a mixed bag.

    • 4 years ago
  • khsing
  • khsing
    • 0
      khsing  

    • Syrians have mixed views about whether to boycott a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant which is the first American fast-food chain to open in the country.

    • 4 years ago
  • khsing
  • khsing
  • khsing

top videos