Set between the picturesque housesalong the road that links Betalbatim to Colva, a large Coca Cola sign looms,heralding the approach of a local landmark. If you read the marginally finerprint, you can’t help but grin at the text that lies beneath it, proudlystating: ‘Valanka Fast Food, very tasty sausage bread’.
The sausages that Valanka’sadvertises are home-made, and loved by those that are acquainted with them.These are no ordinary indigenous wieners though, and are the sole means ofincome for a family that wins their bread (pun intended) through the trade.Caetano Tavares, makes these sausages, as he has for the past 25 years, withnothing short of the attention paid to neurosurgery. “This has almost alwaysbeen my sole occupation, and has been what has helped me manage my finances.”
The man has not forgotten his humblebeginnings either. A part time tiatrist,Tavares did not have sufficient financial stability to realise his dream of asmall eatery. While Valanka Fast Food is now an extension of his house, therewere times when Tavares would be away from home for hours on end selling thevery item that he has become renowned for today. With the aid of a few friendsand family, as well as the meagre income provided by his stint in tiatr, hemanaged to generate the funds for a mobile stall. “I had no choice but to wheelmy wares to the beach at Colva on a modified bicycle with a carrier. While itwasn’t easy, hardship of such nature builds character, and in time we havemanaged to reap what we have sown as a family,” he reminisces fondly.
While it is the man that has been thepillar of the enterprise, he puts a lot of stock in the support of his wifeSantana, who he feels has been crucial to the success of his small venture.“Her support has been tremendous. We work together from start to finish of theentire process, and it helps our personal relationship as well” he says with aloving gleam in his eye.
Doubtlessly, the love they sharefinds a way into the sausages they painstakingly prepare. For if the proof ofthe pudding.. sorry the choris poao, lies in the eating, the devouring thatensues come 5:30 pm every evening, is indicative of a case of success, that isindeed proven beyond reasonable doubt.
