Another day, another press conference, another endearing confession from Dr. Arruda. After announcing that outdoor team sports will be allowed to resume in Quebec, Premier Legault, Minister for Education Isabelle Charest, and National Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda spent almost an hour answering reporters' questions. It was at the end of the press conference when the good doctor let his guard down and opened up about his own experience with team sports.
"I'm not very good on sports, I can tell you, I'm the one everybody left besides and don't want him in the team, because I'm more trouble than helping."
It was an admission that immediately called to mind the image of a young, wide-eyed Horacio waiting nervously while teams are chosen in gym class.
That childhood incident might explain his dislike of soccer, which he also made clear at the press conference Thursday.
He explained that "even being Portuguese," he didn't "participate in the discussions specifically in relation to soccer" under the new government rules.
"Maybe I should be more, but I'm not so much a soccer fan. I apologize for those who are."
Arruda's recollection from childhood occurs in this video after the 1:12:40 mark.
Arruda's story about being chosen last does have a happy ending, however.
Legault joked that that experience is "why [he] became a doctor."
"That's why I became a doctor, exactly," Arruda agreed.
The director's anecdote was especially endearing considering his impressive company.
Minister Charest is a speed skater who competed in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
This, of course, wasn't the first insight Arruda gave us into his childhood and private life, either.
We're still waiting for him to release his recipe for Portuguese pastéis de nata (custard tarts), which he told reporters he likes to make on the weekend.
The doctor has also gotten personal in the past, most notably when he teared up while apologizing for a viral video that showed him dancing.
Critics said the video was in bad taste in the context of the public health crisis and the large number of deaths in the province.
But as Quebec emerges from the worst part of the pandemic, we hope to see more of Arruda as his informative but playful self.
