A Portuguese woman living in Britain has revealed her father is refusing to travel to the UK for Christmas, prioritising a traditional festive dish over meeting his six-month-old granddaughter.
The Festive Ultimatum: No Cod, No Christmas
Jo Martins, who is based in the UK, took to TikTok to share her family's unusual festive stand-off. She explained that her "old school Portuguese dad" was reluctant to board a flight from Portugal because he believed he would have to go without bacalhau, the dried and salted cod that is a cornerstone of a Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner.
"So I'm on the phone with my mum, and she tells me that my old school Portuguese dad wasn't considering coming to the UK for Christmas because of bacalhau," Jo recounted. With a young daughter hoping to see her grandfather, Jo was left exasperated by his culinary priorities, joking that his order of importance was currently "bacalhau, my daughter, [then] me."
A Smelly Compromise Saves the Day
The story, however, has a festive resolution. Jo's father agreed to make the journey on one strict condition: that his wife, Jo's mother, travel ahead of him. Her mission? To prepare the essential bacalhau at Jo's UK home in time for Christmas Eve.
"My mum is actually arriving today, and my dad and my sister are coming on the 22nd," Jo said in her video, posted in the days before Christmas. "And what's happening? My mum is coming today with luggage full of bloody cod that stinks, so that she can have time to actually prepare it." The father's final word on the matter was clear: "No bacalhau, no Christmas."
Social Media Sees the Funny Side
Commenters on Jo's video largely sided with her father's dedication to tradition, finding humour in the situation. Many argued that the flavourful bacalhau was a valid reason, with one user stating, "Well, completely valid reason. Better than dry turkey!"
Another supporter commented, "Sorry, bacalhau at Christmas is more important than grandkids. You can't take bacalhau from a Portuguese person." A third painted a vivid picture of the solution, writing, "I'm picturing an older Portuguese woman walking through London with a big old dried codfish, and it's cracking me up!"
The incident highlights how deeply held cultural traditions and festive foods can become non-negotiable parts of the holiday season, sometimes creating logistical challenges for families spread across different countries. For Jo's father, Christmas simply wouldn't be Christmas without the taste of home.
