An auto-da-fé (also auto da fé and auto de fe) was the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish Inquisition or the Portuguese Inquisition had decided their punishment after the trial. Both 'auto de fe' in medieval Spanish and 'auto da fé' in Portuguese mean "act of faith".
In the popular imagination, an auto-da-fé has come to refer to burning at the stake for heresy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-da-f%C3%A9
Auto-de-fe, what's an auto-de-fe?
It's what you oughten't to do, but you do anyway!
It's what you oughten't to do, but you do anyway!
I haven't been able to find any information regarding the proper meal before attending an auto da fe', and since this is essentially a food blog, that would have been interesting to say the least. Perhaps a little soup would be nice. Light on the stomach, nothing to make one gag or retch ...
The Week from Hell is coming to an end, and tomorrow (Friday) is the Main Event. Oh yes. I really am attending an auto da fe' - my own auto da fe' - and I'm looking forward to it with the same enthusiasm I experienced before my 1982 surgery, and most especially those few minutes before they gave me the happy pills. My mood has shifted from furious to depressed with all variations in between. Today, for some reason, I got goofy and started thinking of my impending excoriation as an auto da fe', as staged by the incomparable Mel Brooks. Now, instead of depressed I feel positively silly. I hope I don't laugh.
Let me just say something here. I love what I do. I have done it, successfully, for almost 19 years. I am proud of the work I do and of the people I work with, all of the people in my office. And I am going to keep repeating that to myself tomorrow. Wish me luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment