Harald Brüning
Aida Rafaela Rosa de Jesus, endearingly called Dona Aida by her legion of friends and admirers, passed away yesterday at the age of 105.
The bereaved family told me last night that she died of natural causes – a weak heart and weak lungs – at the Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre yesterday afternoon. She had been admitted to the public hospital on Monday.
I had known Dona Aida since the early 1980s when I began to visit her then still relatively new restaurant, Riquexó, quite frequently. Ever since Macanese cuisine has been one of my favourite fares. I often talked to Dona Aida in English or Portuguese about the Eurasian fusion cuisine’s recipes and also about the Macanese community’s highly endangered Creole – Patuá. Dona Aida was one of the few remaining speakers of the Portuguese-based Creole.
Dona Aida was what our Anglo-American friends call a celebrity chef. Of course, she was famous for her Macanese cookery not only in Macau but also in Hong Kong and elsewhere, but in spite of her culinary stardom she remained a self-effacing and amenable person. Her welcoming smile was legendary. Each time I went to her family-run eatery I made it a point to talk to her for one simple reason – it was always interesting, instructive and, last but not least, entertaining. I learnt a lot from her about Macau. She was not just a great chef but also great raconteur. It is because of her that I wrote a raft of newspaper and magazine articles about Patuá and became an aficionado of “capela” – the irresistible Macanese meat loaf.
Dona Aida was always lovingly surrounded by her family – her daughters Sónia and Carolina and her son Manuel António as well as her in-laws and grandchildren who took very good care of her, in the past few years in particular. She was the family’s beloved matriarch.
Professionally, she was admired by her colleagues. No doubt, her restaurant has played a vital role in popularising the Macanese cuisine which has become one of our city’s main tourist attractions. Macau without Macanese dishes is simply unthinkable – thanks also to Dona Aida.
I hope that her passing will remind us all of the pressing need to ensure the survival of Patuá, which would be a great way of honouring her legacy. And, of course, savouring Macanese cuisine from time to time is another way of remembering one of the nicest people – personalities – that I have had the honour of meeting in Macau.
The wake will take place at Kiang Wu Funeral Parlour on Monday from 8 p.m.
Undated file photo of Dona Aida at Riquexó – Courtesy Macau Closer Magazine
