tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44189580061147989752024-03-06T07:32:47.269+08:00a PISO for your thoughtsLet's talk about food. Food that's good, filling and exciting. With a price tag a middle class Pinoy allergic to 800-peso posh resto plates can appreciate. Let's create, let's find, let's revel in food that every Pinoy can enjoy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-36383050451338895992014-06-19T02:54:00.000+08:002014-06-19T03:27:50.685+08:00Why San Beda is San Beda, and why Mang Roger is part and parcel of the legacy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The time I was kicked out of San Beda high school in '99 was transformative.<br />
<br />
I learned that outside of the asbestos-lined walls of the school I grew up in, from preparatory through 3rd year high school, life was different.<br />
<br />
Not so much about it being hard. In San Beda of old, we all knew life was hard. There was no sense of entitlement, just a brutal "be great or perish" fundamental upbringing.<br />
<br />
Leaving those hallowed halls did not mean having to eat cheap 15-peso lunches. We had even cheaper 5-peso lunches in San Beda, a five-peso cup of rice with free gravy augmented by what you could bully out of your classmates.<br />
<br />
The transformation came front he realisation that outside of the Mendiola I came to know, where rain meant standing outside the campus gates to gawk at umbrella-less Holy Spirit College students trying run through the torrent with their thin, flimsy uniforms; where being maarte or sosyal meant more ridicule than being nerdy or fat; more than the rivalry with Baste, Letran or Mapua, outside the Bedan community, school pride was Vulcan to the jocks or pop-culture speak to the nerds. Outside of the cream walls and asshole guards, the sense of school spirit was a deformed, ugly wench.<br />
<br />
Yes. I said it.<br />
<br />
While most Archers or Eagles founded their school pride in college and the status of their school, San Beda alums never looked at UAAP or NCAA, bar or board, international rank, and testing scores to be proud about San Beda College.<br />
<br />
Bedans have always been proud to be Bedans come hell, high water or a 28-year NCAA drought.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
Because San Beda is more than accolades.<br />
<br />
Bedans are instilled with pride their first second in the school, no matter when.<br />
<br />
I could expound on this further, but let us take a look at one shining example.<br />
<br />
Rogelio Lagman.<br />
<br />
Mang Roger to any Bedan.<br />
<br />
He died recently. And all, each and every member of the Bedan community mourned.<br />
<br />
Was he a Benedictine monk? Beloved teacher? Esteemed alumni?<br />
<br />
No. Mang Roger, to anyone who spent time in SBC before the millennium was balut-penoy-chicharon-fonkard-load vendor who never had much, but was always willing to give. He was that guy who would crack a balut as soon as he saw you meandering towards him and offer you his ware with a hundred percent acceptance rate, the same guy who would give a son of a senator or a multinational executive fare money -- or a scholar who was barely scraping by -- without a second's hesitation. He was the guy who you would not turn to for advice, but had the sixth sense to know that you needed it and the sensitivity to recognise that you did not need scolding, but a trusted elder to confide in. He's the cool uncle who'd slip you a shot of whisky without Dad looking but walk away with a wink and practical advice that drinking did not make a man, but eff it, you shouldn't be deprived.<br />
<br />
He was you companion when the school bus left you. He was the guy with whose help you knew you could always call home through. He was the guy that, damn all, will always be there for you, even if he didn't really know your name 'cause thousands of boys come through his stall day in and day out.<br />
<br />
He was "Mang Roger, bili mo naman akong yosi, ako muna magbabantay ng tinda mo," he was "Mang Roger, basted na naman ako," he was "Mang Roger, mukhang iki-kickout ako dito".<br />
<br />
That last thing was the last thing I said to Mang Roger as a teen, and all that he said was: "Once a Bedan, always a Bedan."<br />
<br />
After that short, passing conversation, I knew I was Mediola-bound after high-school.<br />
<br />
Bedan pride just had that gravitational pull. I knew I wanted to study Communications, but SBC did not offer it in 2000. I had to choose to be a Management, Marketing, Com Sci, Accounting or Philosophy major. I chose to forego my dreams and go back to Mendiola to pursue the futility of a Philosophy degree for a person so not into being a nerdy bookworm (which I was for 10 years as a kid).<br />
<br />
And the first fucking thing I saw going back was Mang Roger being purged out of official college grounds onto the streets.<br />
<br />
Mang Roger was, and always in my mind, situated along the dilapidated phone booths that were once gleaming halls to the PLDT Fonkard.<br />
<br />
But when I came back to my beloved school, he was being treated like toe scum. He had to leave school premises, because San Beda College, the institution, was too sosyal to have a resident balut vendor, when Bedans, proud and mighty, never even saw him as anything else but a fellow Bedan. But times were, indeed, a-changing.<br />
<br />
The two things constant in life are change and death and Mang Roger adapted. So what if he had to linger in the blistering heat, his family was always the Bedans, not he asphalt near the phone booths that he called home for decades. For him, logistics didn't matter. you could never kick him out of the Bedan heart. After getting kicked out from San Beda a second time around and going to nearby FEU, I made sporadic visits to my den, always kicking it with Mang Roger outside school grounds, I know he barely remembered my name but still he treated me like family, balut purchase or not.<br />
<br />
I saw San Beda become populated by vest-wearing socialites. I saw San Beda morph. I never hated that, it was a normal part of life. But more than not hating change, I loved the stability of one Rogelio Lagman.<br />
<br />
Putangina magbago man ang ibig sabihin ng Bedista, alam n'ya, tulad ng pagkakaalam natin na magbago man lahat, ang San Beda, San Beda. Ang Bedista, Bedista, ipaglayo man ng panahon o ugali.<br />
<br />
San Beda is San Beda the same Way Mang Roger is Mang Roger. He went through decades of Bedans. And he knew that time, culture or trends may change, but a Bedan will always be a Bedan in the truest form of the word.<br />
<br />
Mang Roger died recently, but he will forever be a TKB. A Tunay Kang Bedista who transcended time and generations, was treated to how Bedans could not give a flying fuck about social and economic status. An icon, a kuya, a friend, an inspiration. Because every triumph, loss or ache is... "for San Beda, our country, and God." </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-87978663845434093332014-01-17T04:16:00.002+08:002014-01-17T04:37:01.241+08:00Single child of a broken home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As the single offspring of a broken home, there are a lot of things people will not understand about you.<br />
<br />
This maybe a place in the current social paradigm that is not as uncommon as it was before. But as a 31 year old, in my time, it was.<br />
<br />
The biggest disconnect you will have with the "world" is that you put more value in stuff that seem trivial to most nuclear family-having people.<br />
<br />
I was asked once of the birth dates of both my parents. I said I did not know. To this day, I only know of my cousins' Ronnie and Reynan's birth dates. I barely remember mom and pops b-days even if I tried to remember them. Because of that irregularity, the immigration person at NAIA 1 said, "Why don't you know your parents' birthdays? That's impossible!" (I am being very democratic of their command of the English language, BTW)<br />
<br />
I told her to not be judgemental, not everyone has had a perfect family.<br />
<br />
She said she was not being judgemental and that she might just change her mind and off-load me to my trip to Dubai. I told her to do so, and I'd take my snorkeling gear to Boracay in the next domestic flight.<br />
<br />
She then turned red-faced.<br />
<br />
Reality is, my fellow single-children of broken homes, they think we're like them. They think we think like them. They think we value the same things they do.<br />
<br />
What they do not realize is that because we grew up alone and bouncing from one faction of the broken family to another each and every holiday... We have no anchor.<br />
<br />
What they do not fathom is that we put eternally more value into friendships, memorable places and experiences than they do and that, no matter how how nonsensical it may seem, we MAY favor one parent over the other, given specific circumstances.<br />
<br />
Because when they go to some place as awesome as say, Palawan, when they sky dive for the first time, when they finally see a place they only once saw on the telly, they most often do so with people even more awesome than the place or experience: their families. The skiing experience pales in comparison to how their mom - vaunted pillar of the fam - ate ice. The trip to a surfing paradise comes in second to the hilarious ways their sibling wiped out. How the sumptuous food of Singapore became forgettable compared to the awkward way dad first used chopsticks.<br />
<br />
Their friends would never come close to their relationships with siblings or parents, no matter how rebellious they may seem to be. Not in the long run.<br />
<br />
Us? Our parents barely know us. And past the teenage years of rebellion, our friends still know us better than the people who share our last or middle names. For a kid who grew up with aunts and uncles, its our friends who form the safety net beneath the trapeze as we grow. Sure, the cousins, the aunts and uncles, even the gramps may be there, but without a mom and pop, nothing really sticks as much.<br />
<br />
They will never understand how we can think of a place, a vacation, a friend's family more fondly than we think of our non-existent family.<br />
<br />
They will never understand that what was neglible for them - a family tied by blood that was always going to be there for you no matter what - was a mere dream for us. A dream made up for with ultra-close friendships and fond memories of times and places that gave us roots that we were always seemingly scrambling for.<br />
<br />
Most people will always look at you as a freak. Most people will never understand your unwavering loyalty to friends, your unabashed sentimentality about places not your hometown, your need to connect with old buddies.<br />
<br />
They will never understand that no matter how mature you get, how you patch things up with the "fam", you will always and forever treasure the "family" that was there when the real one wasn't.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-36589058415943618682013-12-21T03:33:00.002+08:002013-12-21T14:44:49.330+08:00Pasensya na<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Pasintabi, mananagalog lang ako. <br />
<br />
Lumayo muna tayo sa pagkain at pagusapan itong dyaskeng Binay issue na 'to.<br />
<br />
Pero onting pagbabalik tanaw muna. 2003 noong sayangin ko ang pera ng tatay ko at magsinungaling sa US immigration na nagdadamo ako kahit ayoko ng gulay.<br />
<br />
Ayokong umalis ng Pinas noon, kasi, 'di ba, masaya sa Pinas e. Onting kayod lang, ayos ka na, buhay ka na. Enjoy ka pa. <br />
<br />
Taong 2012 noong tawagin ako ng nirerespeto kong katrabaho sa pamahayagang pang-kolehiyo na pumarine na Dubai. Halos isang dekada akong namumuhay ng madali at maaliwalas sa Pinas pero, ika ko, "Tunatanda na ko, bakit 'di ko subukan?"<br />
<br />
At sinubukan ko. Ay pare mahirap dito. May pera oo, pero para lang sa mga taong may kapabilidad. Nagulat ako rito na may mga taong pumapatol sa kinse mil pesos kada buwan, sweldong hindi ko maatim mula nang 2010. <br />
<br />
Pero ayos dito. Wala kang kabang manakawan, wala kang kabang ma-gancho. Takot lang ng mga sira-ulo ritong makulong. Noon una, kapit na kapit ako sa mga paga-ari ko, pero kalaunan, nasanay na rin akong mag-iwan ng cellphone sa kape-han ng walang takot. <br />
<br />
Ayos na? Naipinta ko na ba 'yung pagkatao kong ayaw umalis ng Pinas pero napagtantuang OK din naman pala sa ibang bansa?<br />
<br />
Ayos na no pre?<br />
<br />
Ayos nga talaga pre, sana lang, hindi ko nababalitaan yung mga kaululan ng mga taong namamahala sa Pinas. <br />
<br />
Pards. Bikolano ako, galing ako sa Typhoon Strip ng Gubat, Sorsogon. Batak ako sa baha at sakuna. Pero, ewan ko pre, iba 'yung Yolanda e. Halos dalawang buwan akong hindi mapakali kahit ayos naman lahat ng kamaganak ko. Hindi ako napakali kasi, peste, pinakamalakas na bagyo 'yun na lumapag sa lupa. Hanggang ngayon hindi ako naglalagak ng pagkaing post sa Facebook kahit linggo linggo akong nagluluto. <br />
<br />
Tapos, mababalitaan mong 'yung bise presidente mo, nagrepack ng relief goods na me mukha n'ya? At namulitika muna ng DILG secretary bago tumulong, kasi hindi n'ya maalis ang mga labi n'ya sa tumbong ng presidenteng walang political will?<br />
<br />
Me mukha at selyo n'ya men. <br />
<br />
Wow naman. <br />
<br />
So ayos, nagmaktol ako sa Facebook, nagpakalat ng mga kahunghangan n'ya, pero una kong inisip, makatulong. Ayos, sige, bahala ka na Kokey, trip mo 'yan e. <br />
<br />
Lumipas ang ilang buwan. Ayos na, naka-focus ako sa relief operations eh, bahala na lahat ng gahaman. Tulong na lang.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tapos, ito. 'Yung anak ni Kokey, dahil hindi pinalabas sa gate ng isang subdivision na tinitirhan ng mga alte-de-cuidad na mga politiko at celebrity, dinuro-duro 'yung mga walang kalalabanlabang mga sekyu na ginagawa lang ang mga trabaho nila. <br />
<br />
Pards, ako man, ilang beses na nabadtrip sa mga sekyu. <br />
<br />
Pero pards, hindi ko sila pina-aresto.<br />
<br />
<br />
Ang siste kasi rito sa UAE, isang bansa sa gintant silangan, kahit sino ka pa, mananagot ka sa batas. Putek, mga pulis dito pards 'pag nakita kang susuray-suray sa kalsada, hihintuan ka para ihatid ka sa bahay mo. <br />
<br />
Tapos ikaw pards, mayor ka pa lang, walang isangdaan at kalahating metro sa gate na pwede mong daanan, magtatawag ka na ng mga bata mo para hulihin 'yung mga taong ginagawa lang mga trabaho nila?<br />
<br />
Tapos, kinabukasan, sasabihin mong sinisiriaan ka lang nung publikasyong naglabas ng kaangasan mo?<br />
<br />
Pero pards. sa totoo lang, ngayon gasgas na 'tong tono ko eh. <br />
<br />
Alam naman na naming lahat na ganyan talaga sa Pinas. <br />
<br />
Pero pards, alam mo kung ano ang sanhi ng "brain drain" sa Pinas? <br />
<br />
Alam mo ba kung bakit 'yung mga pinakamamatalino at pinaka-skilled mong mga kababayan eh hindi sa bansa natin nagt-trabaho?<br />
<br />
Dahil sa mga tulad mo pards.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hinding hindi gagawin ng mga OFW ang ginawa ng South Korea na bumalik sa bansa nila para pagyabungin ito. <br />
<br />
Babalik kami d'yan tapos ano? Pagkakakitaan n'yo mga paghihirap namin nang wala man lang kaming nakikitang pagbabago?<br />
<br />
<br />
Hihimukin mong magbalik-Pinas iyong mga doktor, arkitekto, inhinyero, siyentipikong naninirahan sa Saudi, UAE, Qatar, USA, Canada, Singapore, Kuwait, Honk Kong atbp. na bumalik sa Pilipinas para kumita ng kakarampot kumpara sa kinikita nila habang pinapayaman ang mga pulitikong namamahala sa bansa?<br />
<br />
Pards, alam naman namin e. <br />
<br />
Alam namin na hanggat hindi naeeduka ang karamihan ng Pilipino, walang pag-asa ang mga tulad naming basang basa mga banat n'yo para baguhin ang bansa. <br />
<br />
Na hangga't may nagbebenta ng boto sa halagang dalawang-daan, hangga't hindi maintindihan ng otsenta porsyento ng bansa na hindi si Erap ang kasagutan, hanggang Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr atbp. na lang kami. <br />
<br />
Pero pards, masakit 'yung kaalaman na 'yun.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ubusin man namin pera at oras namin, hindi kami mananalo sa inyo, kasi, kayo ang perpektong ehemplo kung bakit PUTANGINA LANG PINAS.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-67595477567380203572013-06-18T00:53:00.000+08:002013-06-18T01:02:32.256+08:00Bachelor's Fridge: Bastardized Southern Style BBQ Ribs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Wow, it's been a long time.<br />
<br />
I have probably 15 dishes I have wanted to post since last year that I haven't been able to because of the adjustments I've made to my move here to Dubai last December.<br />
<br />
But man, this barbecue just deserved posting. Why? Because it's perfect for <span style="color: red;"><b>Bachelor's Fridge </b></span>and <span style="color: red;"><b>Bastardo</b></span>, two ideas I've wanted to expound on here.<br />
<br />
First, I've been a true independent guy since I moved here, doing everything on my own around the house, so I have less time than I had back home, so I've really had to adjust my cooking, and this barbecue recipe, although far from the classic slow-cook, smoked original, is perfect people who have a lot of time over the weekend to prep stuff for quick cooking on weekdays.<br />
<br />
Secondly, I have craved for and loved, true Southern-style barbecue since the first time I saw them in US food shows. So much so that I have watched all of the barbecue specials of my favorite food shows. But alas, in this crowded metropolis, there is no space to erect a smoker, and to have the smell of barbecuing pork waft around the neighborhood can spell serious trouble. The time factor also played in, as true southern barbecue is all about slow cooking. So again, I had to adjust.<br />
<br />
But let me shut up and go to the meat of the matter:<br />
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Bastardized Southern Style BBQ Ribs</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikm1pARlmpPUdzpLtswIYDylMKcwJX4QahmECdsjYfB3Aya5ULszm3CHn8-FQsdTe4w1krw9NUW4OnIJiH1t_WFDkKoGd7-QpUO5ANEiuSgrH7VlXukWXEwgJdH0ag5z-hgxuVs5rG37s/s1600/IMG_0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikm1pARlmpPUdzpLtswIYDylMKcwJX4QahmECdsjYfB3Aya5ULszm3CHn8-FQsdTe4w1krw9NUW4OnIJiH1t_WFDkKoGd7-QpUO5ANEiuSgrH7VlXukWXEwgJdH0ag5z-hgxuVs5rG37s/s640/IMG_0387.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
What you'll need:</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Pork ribs, cut to desired length</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ginger</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Fish sauce</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Whole peppercorns</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Water</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
For the sauce:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 part vinegar</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/4 part chilli sauce (I used regular Tabasco)<br />
1/2 part ketchup (I used Heinz) </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/4 part brown sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/2 part ketsap manis (or regular soy sauce, just adjust the brown sugar)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/4 part steak sauce (I used A1)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Paprika to taste</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
dash of cracked pepper, garlic powder and cumin</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
dash of liquid smoke (optional)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sage, thyme, oregano </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
How to do it:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Boil (yes, I know, the blasphemy) the pork ribs with ginger, peppercorns and fish sauce 'til tender. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Set aside and freeze ribs and use the boiling liquid for Sinigang (I used it for Molo soup).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: yellow;">Or... if you have time and confident in your measuring skills, add all ingredients together and boil til the sauce is thick and clings to the pork. That's much better, but as I said, I prepped the meat in the weekend froze and cooked it on after work two days after. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you froze it, you really don't need to thaw it before prepping the sauce.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Put vinegar, tabasco, brown sugar and steak sauce into a pan, let simmer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Add in frozen pork and when properly thawed, add all the remaining ingredients. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Add water if needed.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make sure to cook down the sauce 'til it clings to the meat and acts like a barbecue sauce and not like a thick soup.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Done. Or as is said here, khalas. Have it for dinner and pack some for tomorrow's lunch.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-2238236460977590542012-12-08T15:45:00.001+08:002012-12-08T22:00:44.927+08:00Diet? Ano 'yun?: Deconstructed Bicol Express and Bagoong <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My mom hails from <b>Gubat, Sorsogon</b>, in Bicol. I wish I could lay claim to being a full blooded Bicolano, but I cannot. I can speak our version of Bicolano, called <i>Gubatnon</i>, but I still speak Tagalog in Legazpi and Naga. I barely understand the cooking outside of my hometown too, but I take pride in the recent trips I've taken to visit Gubat on my own to learn more about the food and places thereabouts.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel more in tune with my Tagalog side, really, but man, there's a flair for <i>gata </i>(coconut cream) and sili (chilies) that rages within me and I guess I am learning, albeit slowly, the ways of Bicolano cuisine. Because man, sorry Pampanga, my Luzon gastrnomic epicenter is Bicol, with Ilocos a close second.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have always loved <b>Bicol Express </b>(a dish named after the Manila-Naga train line) but only learned that what I knew as Bicol Express was the Tagalog version in my college days, when I met students from <b>Bicol</b> <b>University </b>in the <b>YMCA </b>Student Conferences in Baguio. I was cooking Bicol Express in one of our <i>inuman </i>sessions in Baguio once (sorry, <b>FEU</b>) and a full blooded <i>uragon </i>whom I befriended asked if he could cook side by side with me and present his version of Bicol Express. I said sure. So while I was loading mine up with pork belly, he was chopping up tomatoes and loads of <i>siling pansigang </i>(long green chili). I offered up what one would usually see in the streets of Manila, pork belly stewed in coconut cream with a healthy amount of chili. He served what was basically tomatoes and chili sauteed in <i>bagoong </i>(shrimp paste) and accentuated by crisp <i>chicharon </i>(rendered pork rinds). I was shamed man. An uncle also told me that Bicol Express is basically chilies stewed in coconut cream, where the coconut cream is reduced enough that it separates into oil and cream, as this makes it easy to pack and longer lasting and that the spicy veg dish was a favored travel and peasant food as the kick of the chilies made one consume less of the dish and more rice, fuel for the tiring day ahead. The addition of pork was rare back in the day, as pork was expensive. If pork was present, he said, it was in minute quantities. Also, the use of <i>patis </i>(fish sauce) as a flavoring agent is a Tagalog reimagination, and that the weak white color of <i>carinderia </i>(street food stalls)<i> </i>Bicol Express is unacceptable to Bicolanos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So when <b>Marvin</b>, <b>Boj </b>and I opened the ill-fated <b>St. Bede's Kitchen</b>, we made sure we'd have signature dishes. Boj had his magnificent <i>Mechado </i>(flank steak stewed in tomatoes), Marvin his line of <i>pancit </i>recipes, and I had Tokwa't Baboy. But I wanted to come up with my own take to Bicol Express. So I experimented. This is the <span style="color: red;"><b>Bastardo </b></span>recipe that melds <span style="color: red;"><b>TradIsRad </b></span>techniques with my own twist.</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Deconstructed Bicol Express</span></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYBoKsG_hlLs8ZgsN5N2phZUcZKuH0elbiCjwXuHzxYgAqGq17szakXpOzaxZOvLbPrQwpxg4ad_DFSjrX2P_AtYRSzZpSvLm-kHbFuwgwmXqKMBJaJr04q0UhxJqnpru0zJ_gxeFxao/s1600/bicol+express.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYBoKsG_hlLs8ZgsN5N2phZUcZKuH0elbiCjwXuHzxYgAqGq17szakXpOzaxZOvLbPrQwpxg4ad_DFSjrX2P_AtYRSzZpSvLm-kHbFuwgwmXqKMBJaJr04q0UhxJqnpru0zJ_gxeFxao/s640/bicol+express.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What you need:</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Liempo </i>(pork belly) cut into large strips</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Gata </i>(Coconut cream)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Siling pansigang </i>(long green chili)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Siling labuyo </i>(bird's eye chili)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cayenne <i>pepper </i>(optional)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>for the <b>Bagoong</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Uncooked <i>bagoong</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cane <i>vinegar</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Small <i>pork rinds</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Oil</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Garlic</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Onions</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Siling labuyo</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brown <i>sugar </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dried<i> bay leaves </i></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">How to do it:</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are three components to this dish, because, well, that's what deconstructing a dish means: you break down a recipe to different parts. </span><br />
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Bagoong</i></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is an integral part of the dish because this is what gives it flavor. I planned to write about my take in bagoong on a separate post, but I'm just reusing a recipe I wrote before. It's a long and tedious process that is well worth the effort. The recipe is based on the super sweet <i>bagoong </i>I enjoyed green mango slices with, the one in a big tub that a man on a bike contraption carries around, along with large glass jars of water filled with green mango and <i>singkamas </i>(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyrhizus_erosus" target="_blank">jicama</a>) slices. This recipe was first posted on <a href="http://www.ninesvsfood.blogspot.com/">www.ninesvsfood.blogspot.com</a>, a friend's food blog when I guest posted there with my laborious take on <a href="http://ninesvsfood.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-make-traditional-kare-kare-and.html" target="_blank">Kare Kare</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
First, start with
<i>chicharon</i>, cabron.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
There are two ways
of going about the <i>chicharon </i>(pork rind crackling) part of the
<i>bagoong</i>, you can do it the old school and simple way: boil fat and
skin in a bit of water and let the fat render over low heat ‘til it
gets crispy and golden brown (really, this process works better if
you want to store the <i>bagoong </i>and not use it up all of it in one go).</span><br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
I bought fat and skin trimmings from a nearby
supermarket, but if you can’t find some, just have your butcher
separate the fat and rind from <i>pigue </i>(pork butt/shoulder) or <i>kasim
</i>(foreshank) and cut them into medium sized cubes. Add them to a deep
sauce pan and do not add water, add oil halfway up the trimmings. Do
this with everything at room temp and turn your stove to the lowest
setting you can get it to. I had to turn the knob counter clockwise
to get the flame as small as I had to get it. Now, this will take
time and attention. Wait for the fat to simmer, there will be a lot
of oily froth, small bubbles that tell you that the drying out
process is working. You don’t want to crisp up the fat too fast,
you want to dry it out as much as you can without actually air drying
out in the sun.</span><br />
</div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUjlhZ7UG9Oe7JDO-039DF0VZwo9_SaC4Xkw4YF6hWzHsPYk0hi2EneP357TyKYi0yI4VRuKs9rfawAQ5ZMvliyM8Mcf-gqhUimwKgdRsciFlq-ykeNfYk6xzMuZfyMyQmKqnqUD-4e8/s1600/fig+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUjlhZ7UG9Oe7JDO-039DF0VZwo9_SaC4Xkw4YF6hWzHsPYk0hi2EneP357TyKYi0yI4VRuKs9rfawAQ5ZMvliyM8Mcf-gqhUimwKgdRsciFlq-ykeNfYk6xzMuZfyMyQmKqnqUD-4e8/s320/fig+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Be patient with
this, and I promise, the rewards are going to be awesome. Mix it up
regularly, as leaving it to its own devices will mean that the bottom
layer’s temp will rise and crisp up the rinds before you dry out
the top layers. You should end up with something like this:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpOypjmSwidXa2JTCXnCgY9BwgCLwv6_DK0RseACtfYmXYyvq0jbY06Zn0GWnosE1Q2XyyYCBbsGJQmbyCLZTY2XltrgWLb0SU4yJ9c7hX6NJgm-wLBv84voZdC_mDn0VT0ztiuY1FX0/s1600/fig+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpOypjmSwidXa2JTCXnCgY9BwgCLwv6_DK0RseACtfYmXYyvq0jbY06Zn0GWnosE1Q2XyyYCBbsGJQmbyCLZTY2XltrgWLb0SU4yJ9c7hX6NJgm-wLBv84voZdC_mDn0VT0ztiuY1FX0/s400/fig+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Doing this in a large batch gives you two options: you can re-fry some in very hot oil and get home-made <i>chicharon </i>(you can even freeze this at this stage, think: instant <i>chicharon</i>) and you can use some for the <i>bagoong</i>. Put them aside and not snack on them. This is a test of will.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sauté garlic in oil
until golden brown, add onions and caramelize (a fancy term that
simply means to cook on medium heat ‘til translucent and soft). Add
bagoong and bay leaves and sauté for a while. Once you’ve evaporated most of the
liquid, add chilies, sugar and vinegar and leave alone
‘til it boils, uncovered. Add cayenne pepper powder, now lower
heat to the bare minimum and let all of the liquid simmer out. This
is crucial, if you want to keep the cracklings you will add to it
crispy and not soggy. When you simmer out all the liquid, which will
take, again, time and attention so that you don’t burn the <i>bagoong</i>,
you can add the cracklings, which will then soak up all the flavors
of the bagoong and keep it like a tight, crispy <i>bagoong</i> flavored
crouton. Most people tell me my <i>bagoong </i>looks like corned beef. I
say, “Yes, exactly how I remember the <i>bagoong </i>I so love on the
green mangoes I ate as a kid”.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGj9xhh9J3ALk1PmIkEYavf4plsNo8UbbE3g48tU21r5MoZwz7KSlDe6ASSfl7qbZgflwMSzSuX-vWwqF-fbxB_2UV9acAwTxI4dwSWtV5ZDviE-qGiwUI9joKziXaaYR3lClDD2hftA/s1600/bagoong.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGj9xhh9J3ALk1PmIkEYavf4plsNo8UbbE3g48tU21r5MoZwz7KSlDe6ASSfl7qbZgflwMSzSuX-vWwqF-fbxB_2UV9acAwTxI4dwSWtV5ZDviE-qGiwUI9joKziXaaYR3lClDD2hftA/s640/bagoong.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this one, I added popped <i>chicharon</i>. But I'd advise you don't pop them when you add them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now that you have your <i>bagoong </i>ready, let's tackle the meat then.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>Lechon Kawali</b></i> </span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This one's tricky. Real tricky. I have tried many ways to get the pork skin to pop the way I want to. As you can see in the picture, the one I made recently was more traditional Lechon Kawali (fried pork). But I've tried popping <i>liempo </i>in many ways. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's one I did not boil and slow-dried in the oven before frying in super hot oil.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKEoJuZ2ByRbg2RvrIfgtgc_pSmPGjVg9fVDzQXcQFcNaobFlLSN9k6wnMT7NgVsvWlyUf4xQoN_R8Q1Rz33alV0P1Yo0USEDfhWQjpt-MmA7QfFbE9T9FxPzrBOtvwao3lzbpQcsnLk/s1600/201890_10150169907137233_3266312_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKEoJuZ2ByRbg2RvrIfgtgc_pSmPGjVg9fVDzQXcQFcNaobFlLSN9k6wnMT7NgVsvWlyUf4xQoN_R8Q1Rz33alV0P1Yo0USEDfhWQjpt-MmA7QfFbE9T9FxPzrBOtvwao3lzbpQcsnLk/s400/201890_10150169907137233_3266312_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a three kilo monster that I stuffed and handed over to the local <i>pugon </i>(wood fire brick oven).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKFWtqrJWeQWtDP7BvRkxiKVjK_0ys2jiABHVabMVeuX1M1AP0yIQHz1bTaJm4GgZZARv52ZO73t1ovTM-b7U8xuUBnYmCbI3iA9Yaz-xpm9BBaVmdtFbjnWGdHpGcjFTM_rS8UYUPK0/s1600/316022_10150389833902233_804196140_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKFWtqrJWeQWtDP7BvRkxiKVjK_0ys2jiABHVabMVeuX1M1AP0yIQHz1bTaJm4GgZZARv52ZO73t1ovTM-b7U8xuUBnYmCbI3iA9Yaz-xpm9BBaVmdtFbjnWGdHpGcjFTM_rS8UYUPK0/s320/316022_10150389833902233_804196140_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But for this recipe, I just used the quickest way I knew. Boil the large pork belly strips until fork tender. Dry them out as you cook the <i>bagoong</i>, in enough cold oil to cover them at least half way and low heat, color them 'til deep dark brown. Let rest for a bit as you heat up the oil and add them one by one so that you don't lower the oil's temperature. You need the heat to get maximum poppage. See, when you boil the pork, you work the skin and it gets thicker. When you brown it over low heat, it contracts again, but it's already been expanded, so when re-fried in hot oil, it re-expands and pops. Just how much is dependent on two things: just how dry you got it on the first fry and the temp of the oil in the re-fry. You can omit the boiling part if you can slowly dry it out in an over as the initial stages of cooking will mimic the expansion brought about by boiling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, let's move on.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Express Sauce</span></i></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Take bagoong and saute it for a bit. Add chopped <i>siling labuyo </i>and <i>gata</i>. Let <i>gata </i>reduce over a gentle simmer. Add loads, and I mean loads of chopped <i>siling </i>pansigang and reduce further. You can take it to the point where it breaks into oil and cream, but it really won't look good, so I just thicken it up to a sauce. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To serve, chop pork belly to cubes, line 'em up and top with the sauce.</span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRioXTvTHh-mV1RK2-RaJxPSN6gcUGVeXyd-zgB9afRdcF4uXYFeRF2ATGjqQOqL-7Pi-bL_Vvz4OQ2pn1wlbTzTxuAFIdeGFccs4ux0bSJxZD3v10gfvP3lHM68KKAARNE-NS920ezI/s1600/bicol+express+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRioXTvTHh-mV1RK2-RaJxPSN6gcUGVeXyd-zgB9afRdcF4uXYFeRF2ATGjqQOqL-7Pi-bL_Vvz4OQ2pn1wlbTzTxuAFIdeGFccs4ux0bSJxZD3v10gfvP3lHM68KKAARNE-NS920ezI/s640/bicol+express+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some notes:</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The pink tinge of the sauce is because of the cayenne pepper I added and the color of my bagoong. I found that deconstructing it like this sates the craving for something crispy that a lot of people have while keeping the traditional flavors of the dish. It also makes it more presentable and delectable. And oh, this is<span style="color: red;"><b> Pulutan Tayo Diyan</b></span>-perfect. Also, if you're out of the country and cannot get hold of uncooked bagoong... OK... fine... use the bottled crap from <b>Barrio Fiesta</b> and other providers that are exported. Sigh.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-45346835335132517442012-12-08T13:08:00.002+08:002012-12-08T21:48:42.187+08:00Juandering: Pares for the Ages<div style="text-align: justify;">
Beef Pares is a Filipino staple of Chinese origins that is a favorite of every hard working, low to middle class Pinoy who swears by his or her favorite joint. A joint that offers Beef Pares as its main draw follows a template: the cooking area is at the center, open to the diners who are seated around a table that frames the cooking area. Tables are often laid out outside of this main setup and most Pares joints use <i>'The Original'</i> or other variations of a claim to being the inventor of the dish. Why this is so, I have absolutely no idea.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But one thing is certain. If you are of the middle class or lived in an urban street-centric community or barangay, then you most certainly have a love affair with Pares. I know I do. Now, I am not one to make superlative claims. I certainly will not say where the best 'this' or 'that' is, except for three things: Pares, Tokwa't Baboy and Pancit Malabon. We can debate about Bulalo, Sisig or any other Filipino mainstay, but when it comes to former three, I will stand my ground. I mean sure, chefs may whip up versions of these that are gastronomic wonders, but when it comes to the best, readily available and cheap Pares, Tokwa't Baboy and Pancit Malabon, I grew up eating the best.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So before I even write another lett --</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Damn. Aint that a beaut.</div>
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The best Pares you will ever taste is located in Retiro, specifically, on N.S Amoranto cor. Dr. Alejos. We call it simply, Pares Retiro. Here's the <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202117162663043512112.0004d04f173db2093efea&msa=0&ll=14.624552,120.998311&spn=0.010257,0.021136" target="_blank">map</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7t9yYQ2yieomhs8c-Mem5NU4u1PGtAvqjtzxWTxTkjRmXJzluCuNJkQF9HKKWybIKOrDSEL-pmHHaXjxz99mZfhaGoyriYaE4FBxsxm9Xj92x4P9L0zszdWCjYp_yyMfJ4_MBsMIa7c/s1600/Google+Maps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7t9yYQ2yieomhs8c-Mem5NU4u1PGtAvqjtzxWTxTkjRmXJzluCuNJkQF9HKKWybIKOrDSEL-pmHHaXjxz99mZfhaGoyriYaE4FBxsxm9Xj92x4P9L0zszdWCjYp_yyMfJ4_MBsMIa7c/s320/Google+Maps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Along with Beef Pares, joints like this often serve different kinds of pancit, fried chicken and many other Filipino food staples. But I only really go to this one for two things: Pares and Bulalo. I grew up a short jeepney ride away from Retiro and the place is home to many great growing up memories. My childhood friends and I would troop to Retiro for a pig out to celebrate something or when we just want to stuff ourselves silly with awesome food. This place is integrated to almost all facets of my life as many of my school friends know and love this joint as much as I do. And I have taken new friends and relatives to this place. I have a personal record here of eight... 8 extra servings of garlic fried rice. A friend of mine, downed 11. ELEVEN EXTRA BOWLS of garlic fried rice. I have been paying my respects to this place ever since I learned to commute on my own, man.</div>
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To illustrate, here are before and after pictures of a visit recurring characters in this blog Marvin, Bojji and my visit here in 2009.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before. Sorry, Marv (left). LOL</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chaos after. Actually, this was at a point in time when we collectively ate less, and thus, the poor showing.</td></tr>
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The term "Beef Pares" is actually not the name of the dish, but refers to a partnership (<i>pares</i> translates to 'a pair' -- don't we just love stating the obvious?). Much like Fish and Chips mean fried, battered fish fillet and friend potato wedges or fries, Beef Pares is actually beef (<a href="http://www.yummy.ph/features/food-stories/details/know-the-10-common-beef-cuts" target="_blank"><i>camto </i></a>or flank steak) <i>asado </i>(Chinese stew) paired with garlic fried rice. There is Chicken Pares, fried chicken paired with garlic fried rice. I have tried replicating their beef asado for years. Years man. And so have Marv and Boj. But the balance of sweet, anise-y and salty flavors of their version still escapes us. Boj, who lives near the joint and thus clogs his arteries with glorious stewed beef fat and sinew more often, says he's seen evidence of black bean paste in some of his beef asado orders. The basic flavor profile of the asado relies on soy sauce, acid that is either vinegar or <i>kalamansi </i>(Philippine lime) juice, anise, <span class="st">clavo de comer or clovas (</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove" target="_blank">cloves</a>) and oyster sauce. I've tried adding chinese cooking wine, Sprite and a bunch of other stuff, but still cannot replicate the caramel and distinct salty undertones of Pares Retiro.</div>
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Through the years, after experimenting with accompanying orders for the pares (they have a great stuffed prawn and passable embotido), I, together with Marv and Boj, have settled into a default order:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlHyUrUd7cFn1VE1GExdAXtg6TFw69RY0bOaoSqVyjeg7pFCwxW6kmQF8i0c5VlJiyWeShhOqGaFOR74jIKKLbqMis15NWMZUauntaBBijpBWRri3pzuErb0MN1vVKReYfhN_0BtUl8c/s1600/IMG_0228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlHyUrUd7cFn1VE1GExdAXtg6TFw69RY0bOaoSqVyjeg7pFCwxW6kmQF8i0c5VlJiyWeShhOqGaFOR74jIKKLbqMis15NWMZUauntaBBijpBWRri3pzuErb0MN1vVKReYfhN_0BtUl8c/s640/IMG_0228.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top right: <i>bulalo</i>, chili sauce/<i>kalamansi</i>/<i>toyo</i>, <i>lotong</i>, garlic fried rice and beef <i>asado</i>.</td></tr>
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Let's break these down, shall we?</div>
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<i>Bulalo</i></h4>
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This is not the meaty version which showcases the beef shank. This one uses the lower leg, from the foot to the start of the meaty lower leg. It contains little to no meat and is often labeled <i>Batangas </i>bulalo. Its soup is rich and heavy due to the collagen in the joints and skin. your protein here comes fromt he skin and the boiled-til-they-jiggle cartilage that are so sinful you should not dare this if you have cholesterol problems. Boiled slow and low, the soup is unctuous and has deep flavors because of ginger, onion leeks and all the bones that are in the dish. A dish redolent of fat and bovine, this is as sinful as it gets man.</div>
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Want to know if the pares is good in a pares joint? First, ask the waiter if they serve <i>lotong</i>. If he or she gives you a puzzled stare like you're talking gibberish, leave.</div>
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Lotong is the sauce of asado. Basically an extra kick to quiet your jonesing for more asado. Often it is served on the side with bits of fat and cartilage. I never claimed that this was going to be about healthy food, have I?</div>
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<i>Garlic fried rice</i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvFLSW8c0kMMS-x9Vcof3V2VJ1uMvx8DeDZLGNGKwSeIe9k8EF0zmTAoDkj4Bjt37zPeUtWS5dUkX5RtgqTfxwTjQKWDy4mo-Mz1fWVJ29Bs8kpxETyUyCSfqqgKRCp9FPBDJx9Qaycw/s1600/IMG_0223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvFLSW8c0kMMS-x9Vcof3V2VJ1uMvx8DeDZLGNGKwSeIe9k8EF0zmTAoDkj4Bjt37zPeUtWS5dUkX5RtgqTfxwTjQKWDy4mo-Mz1fWVJ29Bs8kpxETyUyCSfqqgKRCp9FPBDJx9Qaycw/s320/IMG_0223.JPG" width="240" /></a></h4>
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Why even expound on this? Because if it isn't served in an orange bowl (reminiscent of its Chinese origins as a bowl is the most chopsticks-friendly vessel for rice), then it is not Pares. Period. No erase.</div>
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Stacking these guys up to personal towers of achievement was a sort of hobby/contest me and my childhood buddies had going when we were voracious teens who burned away all the carbs through small-ball street basketball with ice-water on the line.</div>
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There are, of course other offerings that you could try when you go to this place. And go there you must. I kid you not, getting parking space during any meal time (they're open 24 hours) is a challenge. Be it a heavy lunch or a drunken food binge, they are ready for you mate. Here are two things we tried the last time we went there.</div>
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<i>Camto Soup</i> </h4>
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Yes, sirs and ma'ams, that is a soup of beef intestines. Explaining the very unique and bold flavors of beef intestine to someone who has never tasted it is like explaining the high of any red neck activity: you have to try it and you either love or hate it.</div>
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This one, honestly, is a "meh" at best. It's unimaginative and reeks of commercial, MSG-rich flavoring powder. Stay away from this if you go there.</div>
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I honestly have to say that you have not had Pares unless you go to this place man. It's unpretentious, but is flocked by people from all walks of life in all hours of the day. Want more proof that this is a must-visit place? Here's a friend's <a href="http://nineslicad.tumblr.com/post/21629620531" target="_blank">post </a>about it on her blog. If you don't like their Pares, as Bojji once said, "<i>Wala kang</i> taste buds," (You have no taste buds).</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0Dr.Alejos, Quezon City, Philippines14.627338962843876 120.9927642345428514.626858962843876 120.99214723454284 14.627818962843875 120.99338123454285tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-66725401757907397662012-12-04T13:15:00.000+08:002012-12-08T12:24:38.815+08:00Juandering: Quattro + NationOften, people go to trendy restos, bars, distilleries and other hangout places because of the name, location or simply because everyone seems to be going there. I went through that phase, the clubbing and binging on expensive drinks phase. But these days, I am more about finding good food. Sure, new restos with the promise of new food experiences excite me, but I don't know, I am allergic to 500+/plate places. I scour the metro for more honest food in accessible places. I found a place recently, at the corner of Kamuning and T. Morato: a hole in the wall that offers the triumvirate of highly marketable Ilokano fare: Ilocos empanada (glad it's finally becoming a trend), Bagnet (Lechon kawali++) and Vigan longganisa. I'll write about that place again and feature it here. Just need to bring my camera next time.<br />
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So I go on food hunts, but when it comes to places to share a lot of beers with people you care about, the old tradition of "<a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/pulutan-tayo-diyan-vinaigrette.html" target="_blank">inuman</a>". Where I go for drinks is not dictated by trend or cool factor, not anymore. Where I choose to drink is not even really dictated by cleanliness, to be honest with you. I have this place I have been going to for years now, and it does not get its patronage because of it's certifications from the health bureaus. When my friends and I drink, we have to have good food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsDPfubJ1Ko2y2Ns8Ed7ghadLhDVLW6vp-0YzLuIOibQQxE0SOkIWT53ApU0RsR_UKhIWT54CdrS1RAQCFxOrFYbWWOyZCw2EPncVzuuUlNrz5sURe94eIVebpdkuXF_RSL_bIP86thI/s1600/photo+2+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsDPfubJ1Ko2y2Ns8Ed7ghadLhDVLW6vp-0YzLuIOibQQxE0SOkIWT53ApU0RsR_UKhIWT54CdrS1RAQCFxOrFYbWWOyZCw2EPncVzuuUlNrz5sURe94eIVebpdkuXF_RSL_bIP86thI/s400/photo+2+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main bar area</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb73YuHIkJmZQaacFsDbqy3Z_GrTOn2q3iVNcVQopBGKaZSP4OhQRxMmYzu81l-PTijHqJwHhCqurFikINdvLJjikO0iIE38q_q_cP4VuPLZogVf_83Nl_udlz13lKhRRuzxUZThvcG34/s1600/photo+5+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
My oldest and most trusted bar in the Timog area is <b><a href="https://foursquare.com/v/quattro-bar--grill/4c13be29b7b9c9280c0eaa37" target="_blank">Quattro</a></b>. It started as a kick off point for night outs back in college and has evolved into a trusted bar I can always bring new friends to, or meet old ones in. I even developed friendships with a few waiters there and am still recognized when I walk into the joint.<br />
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The owners of Quattro have opened <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NationBarAndGrill?filter=1" target="_blank"><b>Nation </b></a></span>in Sct. Borromeo, near Flight. It's an offshoot of my old fave but has entirely different look. While Quattro has that homely, cozy, bohemian vibe with it's old wood trimming chairs and eclectic decor, Nation is more modern, with well planned seating and minimalist decor and furniture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwx6Smwii-ldVIhD-1wUxe0j5GeR6IQy-YWpQ78kl3RvjpIaafZ9NdAY6uQ4hFNQlh71zyCWEar-SprKnN8chfAwXmMomthC1NO_WxbKlAE-SSzgSoDQYsuFdAVPs5lWh_efBMD_CWTnE/s1600/photo+4+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwx6Smwii-ldVIhD-1wUxe0j5GeR6IQy-YWpQ78kl3RvjpIaafZ9NdAY6uQ4hFNQlh71zyCWEar-SprKnN8chfAwXmMomthC1NO_WxbKlAE-SSzgSoDQYsuFdAVPs5lWh_efBMD_CWTnE/s320/photo+4+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside seating (front)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7somWmj_v8uVn7-yC37G_NWynr8tvRbv-Ht58LWclAbtk46mdODR7pON_XYgxvhxwLEq6npXBCUfUASRUM83kj8Q0iufrhI-2fPm2775o3jmiBWbnjgz5CnUBfEIyde_zwO7c5BGBYrg/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7somWmj_v8uVn7-yC37G_NWynr8tvRbv-Ht58LWclAbtk46mdODR7pON_XYgxvhxwLEq6npXBCUfUASRUM83kj8Q0iufrhI-2fPm2775o3jmiBWbnjgz5CnUBfEIyde_zwO7c5BGBYrg/s320/photo+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indoor seating</td></tr>
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The place is trendy modern Pinoy, in the spirit of <a href="https://foursquare.com/v/tides-grill--bistro/4d6bb5291c9a60fcde307819" target="_blank"><b>Tides</b></a>, chill out places with open spaces with a draw that you really don't understand. Why are people flocking to these places when the offer nothing of note in terms of food, are not really pocket friendly and are hard to get to?<br />
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With <b>Nation</b>, I finally understood the draw: the exclusivity of these places not being accessible to public transportation outside of a cab means that the straddle the line between exclusivity and accessibility. In these sorts of places, young and youngish people get to hang out without having to a., worry about the hoi polloi of people who can walk into, say, Quattro without b., having to spend as much as they would in places like <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheDistillery.Eastwood" target="_blank">Distillery</a> </b>or the many bars in The Fort.<br />
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What I love about <b>Nation </b>is that apart from the cool Pinoy pop art that lines it's walls, it meshes old traditions with new design. From the indoor seating ventilated by ceiling fans that remind one of old homes and lit by modernist lighting framed by abaca decor, to the outside seating accentuated by plants and antique looking furniture, to the patio-like outdoor area with the cloth umbrellas, the styles mesh well and lend the place a unique and classy look that sets it apart from the more jam-as-many-people-as-we-can style of Tides.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJdwOTp70zEnqNP8Q-12sQGbtDzwxWOnimLJhDONEscmxYfdH8ogOY-76qqoDq1D1tizF95VR9nTuLxg4AU8aJ-Y8_7kTChLa5JnBe6Uoh25KDlR-E3NnLDGBF7ijhZv2XhfA4Gv9fFE/s1600/photo+2+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJdwOTp70zEnqNP8Q-12sQGbtDzwxWOnimLJhDONEscmxYfdH8ogOY-76qqoDq1D1tizF95VR9nTuLxg4AU8aJ-Y8_7kTChLa5JnBe6Uoh25KDlR-E3NnLDGBF7ijhZv2XhfA4Gv9fFE/s320/photo+2+%25282%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside seating (back)</td></tr>
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But enough of this aesthetic nonsense. I am not an interior designer or architect. Let's talk food. Quattro grabbed me by offering competitively priced beers and generally above average bar food. With its Baked Fished Fillet, it has marked itself in my list of go to places forever. By chatting with Orly (a longtime Quattro waiter and the sole reason we even learned of and ventured into the place), we learned that the stuff we love in Quattro is essentially being ported into the <b>Nation </b>menu, with some additions. Now, I really don't take pictures of food before I eat it, not unless it's noteworthy, but often, even though. So let me just describe them to you.<br />
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What I absolutely do not like about a lot of bars out there is that often, they hire crap cooks who belch out bland, oily and overpriced dishes that no amount of beer would make me enjoy. But <b>Nation </b>is essentially Quattro v2, so order a <b><i>Baked Fish Fillet</i></b> for me when you go there. Enjoy the foil wrapped Tanigue fillet swimming in oil and its own juices, topped with a mayonnaise based sauce. Then go for their <i><b>Gising Gising</b></i>, a mixed veggie dish mixed with fish and squid pieces, drenched in peanut and oyster sauce. Or get the <i><b>Crispy Liempo Bits </b></i>that my friends love and the surprisingly enjoyable <i><b>Crispy Bangus Belly</b></i>. Now, they've glitzed up the menu with some additional fare, and I have tried their <i><b>Sinuglaw </b></i>and improved, crunchy <i><b>Sisig</b></i>, but I have my old faves and they will always show up in my table.<br />
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So check out this new chill out place for the food. Good enough and cheap enough for you to enjoy the night out while laughing uncontrollably at your friends' or your own drunken antics. The service is great, I guarantee it, as many of Quattro's waiters have been with them since I started going there in 2005. And my main man Orly's in <b>Nation</b>, so I know you'll be treated to attentive and warm service.<br />
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To get there, here's Google <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202117162663043512112.0004d04fa2edbcfd87e72&msa=0&ll=14.63732,121.03303&spn=0.010256,0.021136" target="_blank">maps</a>.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0Scout Borromeo, Quezon City, Philippines14.637839195769256 121.0327720642089814.635918695769256 121.03030456420899 14.639759695769257 121.03523956420898tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-39473868346218005052012-11-27T11:02:00.002+08:002012-11-27T11:02:20.335+08:00Comsat Cooking: Sinampalukang Manok and the strength of culinary rootsPeople will always have a special connection to the food of their childhood. Be it a favorite summer snack to break the sweltering summer heat filled with fun and adventures, or the hot soup you were always served when you were sick and had to be doted on. That is the power of food, it stays is with you and accents, if not defines, a lot of important memories. Much like music, once you taste an old favorite, you are taken back to the comforts of childhood or a fond memory.<br>
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For cooks and passionate foodies, this connection becomes even more intense.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sinampalukang Manok</b>: cure for both hangovers and fevers</td></tr>
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<a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/comsat-cooking-sinampalukang-manok-and.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-19035604127039712962012-11-26T16:25:00.001+08:002012-11-27T10:25:25.345+08:00Comsat Cooking + Gracie Diet: Lex's Tinapa Cream of Pumpkin soupI auditioned for Pinoy Master Chef and failed. I blame no one but myself and would like to keep my scathing comments from bubbling out of my oft-uncontrollable mouth. Let's just say that I over reached and was found lacking a back story. But I liked how a friend of mine who accompanied me to the auditions got in with a very simple dish. One that, upon initial tasting, fell flat for my taste buds, but after the long hours we spent waiting for our dishes' turn to be judged, developed deeper notes and thus became richer.<br>
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That just shows how simple food can be elevated and how some dishes are best reheated. It's healthy and simple, so I'm including it in my<b> <a href="http://www.graciebarranaples.com/gracie-diet.php" target="_blank">Gracie Diet</a></b> line and because it aint mine entirely, it's also <span style="color: red;"><b>Comsat Cooking</b></span>. So here is a soup from Lex's concept and a few tweaks from yours truly.<br>
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<h2>
<span style="color: red;"><u>Lex's Tinapa Cream of Pumpkin soup</u></span></h2>
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<h3>
</h3><a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/comsat-recipe-gracie-diet-lexs-tinapa.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-69702933275176540032012-11-25T20:59:00.000+08:002012-11-27T10:26:20.103+08:00Six Dishes and a Musing: Cooking for a crowd + Heartbreaker Porkchops + Pinoy Pesto + Tomato Cream Pasta + Mike's Pinaputok na Tilapia + Bulalo Steak au Poivre <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I could never cook for myself or for two. There's just something about me that makes me cook a lot more than I intend to. This means I'm always more comfortable cooking for a crowd. 10 people? Easy. 20? Sure. But when you get to 30 people or more, that is when it becomes challenging. I've never had a great experience with catering, I have yet to remember one dish I've had in a wedding or a birthday party or any other catered event. Aren't you tired of the same roast beef in mushroom gravy? Of mixed buttered veg that are just "meh"? Of dry fish fillets with an overpowering and overcompensating sauce?<br>
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But man, is it easy to understand why caterers fall back on these dishes when you try to cater to more than 30 people.<br>
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I am always in awe of Bravo's <a href="http://poivre/" target="_blank">Top Chef </a>episodes where the contestants have to cater to hundreds of people, with exacting judges expecting excellent quality while putting contestants in the most challenging circumstances. The flops and miscues in these episodes are often memorable and enlightening (remember this Betty Crocker <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-0/photos/best-of/top-chefs-craziest-challenges#image-6912" target="_blank">faux pas </a>in season 1?). The moments of triumph, often glorious and magnanimous (see the season 6 tearjerker Thunderbirds episode, where Michael Voltaggio touched on his <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xadivr_top-chef-usa-6-episode-3-part-3_shortfilms&start=246" target="_blank">difficulty </a>in cooking for a buffet line). But if there's one thing I've noticed in the ten plus years I've been watching the show, it's that the one difference between the caterers whose food I've had the dismay of eating and the top ranked chefs in the show is the way they attack the service.<br>
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When serving a considerable number of people, there are so many things you have to consider that one mistake can ruin the entire service. The most important part, I think, is timing. You can have the best dishes planned out, the freshest ingredients and the skills to tie them all together, but botch the timing and everything would be wasted. Let's look at catering an event from the vantage point of a town fiesta: when you cater, the goal is to cook everything in advance and be able to keep it warm enough so that your guests can enjoy it without having to wait for it. That, cabron, limits your options so much that you think up your menu considering the pre-cooking as the most important part.<br>
<a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/six-dishes-and-musing-cooking-for-crowd.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-54677394738012950682012-11-23T17:22:00.002+08:002012-11-25T19:37:39.721+08:00Bastardo NachosWhen we think nachos, we think American. Because the dish was brought over by the Americans during their short occupation of the country, along with the hamburger, macaroni and cheese and an addiction to chips. And really, we should. As Anthony Bourdain said in his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cTg7HkbhRg&feature=player_detailpage#t=254s" target="_blank">visit </a>to Mexico City with Les Halle main man Carlos, Nachos is an alien concept to Mexicans, even if all major Mexican-themed fast food joints offer them. Sure, there's the easily found version of the <span class="st">Piedras Negras, Coahuila restaurant where a guy named Nacho served American GIs the best thing he could slap together (a tale much like the origins of the famous New York invention, the Buffalo wings). But in reality, Nachos are as American as the hamburger is as far from the original meat sandwich from Hamburg.</span><br>
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<span class="st">I touched on the idea of the <b>bastardo </b>concept I love to do at the end of my last <a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/pulutan-tayo-diyan-vinaigrette.html" target="_blank">post</a>. Let me expound on that. Even with the expanding choices of ingredients we have in the country, most people still cannot afford the imported ingredients that would be inconsequential to First World cooks. Most Westerners would not think twice about grabbing a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano in their weekly grocery shopping. But man, not many Pinoys can spare the 250 peso price tag of real good cheese. Much like how my relatives and friends in the US pine for simple things for me like chili and tamarind leaves and lemongrass, it would take some real effort for me to find and buy authentic arborio rice for a paella. But I like to cook and try my hand at dishes not traditionally Filipino. I have respect for authenticity and will aim for it as much as I can, but I have many limits. There comes a point where I just say to hell with it and make the closest version I can of a dish using ingredients available to me. As long as one understands the flavors of ingredients, I believe one can replicate or even improve upon it.</span><br>
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<span class="st">So here is an Americanized dish with Mexican roots bastardized by yours truly. </span><br>
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<h2>
<span style="color: red;"><u><span class="st">Bastardo Nachos</span></u></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1yd0_1L2blyHqy8n8rmsA-_bYE8PobM8tXKjDOnqQIvkdbQgU7pYMgQOxclSOztuTc8jtakqhoZ9An5WQFtEiZ71tS0ZTV21rKFKvf86cieor1it7ldK1ktQhWFUKuTBcvABX1L1Y0s/s1600/Nachos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1yd0_1L2blyHqy8n8rmsA-_bYE8PobM8tXKjDOnqQIvkdbQgU7pYMgQOxclSOztuTc8jtakqhoZ9An5WQFtEiZ71tS0ZTV21rKFKvf86cieor1it7ldK1ktQhWFUKuTBcvABX1L1Y0s/s400/Nachos.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<h3>
<span class="st"> </span></h3><a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/bastardo-nachos.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-14746370456091498402012-11-22T12:35:00.001+08:002012-11-25T20:33:46.298+08:00 Pulutan Tayo Diyan: Vinaigrette marinated chicken liver wrapped in bacon<i><b>Pulutan</b></i>: a Filipino term often misunderstood by foreign food show hosts (Bizarre Food's Andrew Zimmern erroneously understood it as a generic term for finger food/snacks in his 2008 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXHwQKyD0hs" target="_blank">visit</a>). Here's the thing, man, <i>pulutan</i>, a word that, which like most Filipino words, is directly descriptive of the object or action being stated, literally means "stuff you can pick up with your hands", and this direct translation is what I presume to be the source of the misunderstanding. The closest Western word to it is Bar Chow, because <i>pulutan </i>is basically food consumed while drinking. A soup becomes a <i>pulutan </i>when served in an <i>inuman</i>. A bowl of friggin' spaghetti becomes <i>pulutan </i>when consumed with alcohol.<br>
<br>
Which brings us to another Pinoy quirk that will clarify the term further: We. Don't. Do. Social. Drinking. When most parts of the world get together and use alcohol as a social lubricant, a tool to wash away inhibitions and not the end goal, the Pinoy <i>inuman </i>(<i>inom </i>= to drink, suffix -<i>an</i> = added to words to connote an action or event to complete the act it is attached to, see <i>upuan </i>[chair], where <i>upo </i>means to sit and <i>suntukan</i> [fight], where <i>suntok </i>means punch) or drinking session, is an event on its own. Drinking here, as many foreigners I've shared a table with have noticed, is not a tool, it's an end on its own. Most Filipinos drink to celebrate, wash away sorrows or discuss important stuff, like most people do, but one thing you can expect is that 80% of the people around a table in an <i>inuman </i>will drink until they are drunk, because not doing so would be an utter waste of a perfectly good chance to get hammered. Is this healthy? Who the heck can judge that? It's a culture thing, much like how we like to put ice in beer.<br>
<br>
Much can be said about <i>pulutan</i>, and much will be said about it in this blog, but for now, here's my take on a classic hors d' oeuvres which makes for a great <i>pulutan </i>you can surprise your friends with. I have two takes on this, more a variation in cooking methods, because many Pinoy households do not have ovens.<br>
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: red;"><u>Vinaigrette marinated Chicken Liver wrapped in Bacon</u></span></h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWevD61q3q4XeLs__xXviOiHxbLLwsGy-5ZCPt7nRAd0tx7aaNFsD3x9llIh7a-u91_zN3-oN4xarRS7PZ9X2sVQe7V0taM-8NfS452v_F0F6NUY0e9_8TzdRCYAGgE9UG1ukktq33Cdk/s1600/liver+inbacon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWevD61q3q4XeLs__xXviOiHxbLLwsGy-5ZCPt7nRAd0tx7aaNFsD3x9llIh7a-u91_zN3-oN4xarRS7PZ9X2sVQe7V0taM-8NfS452v_F0F6NUY0e9_8TzdRCYAGgE9UG1ukktq33Cdk/s400/liver+inbacon.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking method number one: Baked and topped with vinaigrette and drippings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
<a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/pulutan-tayo-diyan-vinaigrette.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-9321821572195050592012-11-21T16:43:00.001+08:002012-11-25T19:38:04.474+08:00Shifting gears + Gracie Diet + Local Flair: Pork and Corn soupThis blog was a personal blog. Written as a public (the irony is not lost to me, trust me) diary of random thoughts, it contained nothing but personal musings. Sometimes, the posts I put up were read, recently, I've had an upsurge in hits with a reactionary post and a travel-related posts.<br>
<br>
But then, I thought: I write, I cook, I'm learning photography, I am passionate about food, so why the heck am I not writing a food blog?<br>
<br>
Well, there are many reasons. Firstly, I just don't think I could hack the Huessaff, Marketman or Our Awesome Planet take on food blogs. I don't have that much money to spend and I don't like paying homage to new trendy restos. Secondly, I hate trendy stuff, with a gusto. Thirdly, I was refining my craft in different ways. I never went to culinary school so I lack many of the basics.The list goes on and on, really. Time, effort, blah blah blah.<br>
<br>
But now, I want to write more about food and give a focus to this blog. But let me first explain why and how aPISOforyourthoughts is going to go about this whole food blog thing.<br>
<br>
A friend and fellow chaser of the Muse asked me to write recipes for the website he's curating. He has a very specific list of ingredients and what can go with what. He says he's tried the diet he wants me to write for, <a href="http://www.graciebarranaples.com/gracie-diet.php" target="_blank">the Gracie Diet</a> and that it worked wonders for him. But that's also because he's resumed his MMA training. I got into a discussion with him as to how what I have in my pantry and what is available to me in the supermarkets and wet markets that I frequent will limit the appeal of the recipes I create, especially for his North American-dominated audience. Which got me thinking. Really, why over extend myself or even be intimidated by the limiting access I have to Western ingredients? Why not do what I always do and adapt recipes to the average Pinoy? Further, why even think about that when I rarely attempt classic Italian or French-inspired dishes?<br>
<br>
So here's how I'm going to go about this. This blog will not be your usual Foodie Blog about new restaurants or about new food finds. Though I will write about restos when I feel like it, I'll be focusing more on food I make and food that I grew up with. I plan to do a "<span style="color: red;"><b>Juandering</b></span>" series, featuring eateries and hole in the wall places that minimum wage earners can enjoy. I will be writing the Grace Diet pieces for my friend, but with a very local flair. But mostly, I'll be sharing recipes and thoughts about the Filipino food and dining culture.<br>
<br>
Let's get a few things straight. I have a very healthy amount of knowledge on food and think about it a lot, some even say I obsess about it, over analyzing it, thinking about the science behind it (damn you <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U989j62g20" target="_blank">House M.D</a> and your <a href="http://www.takethoufood.com/2009/10/bolognese-sauce-house-md-experiment.html" target="_blank">the sulfur compounds in star anise will enhance the meat flavor</a> shenanigans)... But I am no expert. I did not study it, but I am very much into food history, science and experimentation. I will also try, as much as possible, to only pictures that I take or make myself. But I realize that that is really an impossibility, so I will give due credit when I do cop a picture or get inspiration from a recipe/commercially available dish. <br>
<br>
Lastly, let's talk about ingredients. We all know that sourcing Parmigiano Reggiano or good lamb in this country requires money. But if you're anything like me, finding relatively cheap, essential ingredients, or really, even buying a few premium ones, for special dishes, is always something you should consider. One of my first posts will be about basics. Pantry essentials like herbs and spices and my take on them. Basics like how to make a good bagoong alamang or pureeing squash without a ricer or a blender. Skills that one needs to learn, things like that. Also, I don't measure, so parts per and approximations will be the norm here.<br>
<br>
So I'll stop rambling now and share my first dish inspired by the Gracie Diet, and one that holds a special place in my heart. I seriously do not know from whom I learned this, but I could never forget the calming and filling feeling this soup gives me.<br>
<br>
<h2>
<span style="color: red;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ground Pork and Corn soup</span></b></u></span></h2>
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<a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/shifting-gears-gracie-diet-local-flair.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-86666919378632830972012-06-04T18:12:00.001+08:002012-11-25T16:30:39.532+08:00What Irresponsible Journalism Looks Like<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I studied journalism and practiced it in college. I am in no shape
or form a journalist, but much like how serious musicians who never made it and
rabid basketball fans can tell a bad song or a bad play, I can smell
irresponsible journalism a mile away. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So when this story hit my Facebook timeline, I couldn’t help but
read it and the backstory behind it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The
story is about a column written by <a href="http://opinion.inquirer.net/tag/as-i-see-it">Neal Cruz</a></span><span style="font-size: small;">, a veteran, and I ask you to take note of that word, reporter,
editor and now columnist who first worked for the Manila Chronicle and for many big name publications before landing in the Philippine Daily Inquirer,
one of the three biggest broadsheets in the country. </span><br>
<br></div>
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</div><a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-irresponsible-journalism-looks.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-37864880039512668312012-05-26T20:05:00.003+08:002012-11-25T16:30:51.653+08:00A beach trip off the beaten track - Matnog, Sorsogon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Yq3iMlFcnc_N_zjpyy6jFvbd76QP5wV37Ay0jo5KxzdnuGiKTYFuC4rTULT0Yo2IOI7vmFddVl5IOGo29hfcFEugSQ6gHAt9GK0pmXSPuIW9vLPnXEttXGjk_AYL1EvM9OA8JfLk7uE/s1600/subic+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Yq3iMlFcnc_N_zjpyy6jFvbd76QP5wV37Ay0jo5KxzdnuGiKTYFuC4rTULT0Yo2IOI7vmFddVl5IOGo29hfcFEugSQ6gHAt9GK0pmXSPuIW9vLPnXEttXGjk_AYL1EvM9OA8JfLk7uE/s640/subic+8.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the overprocessing, I overexposed the shot.</td></tr>
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There are some islands in Brgy. Calintaan, Matnog, Sorsogon
Philippines that have always cropped up in conversations between my
cousins and I about the best spots to go to that’s near my hometown. I have, with a
flurry, explored the many great spots that litter the area around my beloved
Gubat, Sorsogon. In a much, much longer post, I will tell you the tale of how,
in about two years, I’ve gone to so many amazing places that, at most, are two hours removed from my ancestral home. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MTQVKyGQj_-WJUssLT7nbrpu7RMKYZD7KurXJPTGEwi_Hy2lHrCvXdxF5lc7ynPCicEgZL9uammBxY7Qz3PfsgIk9dImhfrtfd6j30_f-sILdyver54Rcrqa6iBdxTEghhFiaPe2XHs/s1600/subic+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MTQVKyGQj_-WJUssLT7nbrpu7RMKYZD7KurXJPTGEwi_Hy2lHrCvXdxF5lc7ynPCicEgZL9uammBxY7Qz3PfsgIk9dImhfrtfd6j30_f-sILdyver54Rcrqa6iBdxTEghhFiaPe2XHs/s320/subic+10.jpg" width="320"></a>But for now let’s stick to what locals call, Subic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saday</i> or Small Subic, which is in my opinion erroneously named
because I think people in Matnog don’t know HOW MUCH better their beaches are
than those in Subic, Pampanga. </div>
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To get there, you have to first travel to Matnog port, which
is easily found by riding a Sorsogon-bound bus in Manila or taking a plane to Legazpi City and
traveling by bus or public transportation (read: jeepney) first to Sorsogon
then another jeepney ride to Matnog.</div>
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When you get to the port central, you’d imagine that you’d have to work
through the hagglers usually seen in more well-known spots as <a href="http://www.puertogalera.org/" target="_blank">Puerto Galera</a>
(Sir, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pa</i>-White Beach <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">po</i>? Sir <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">may bangka na po kayo</i>? Sir, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dito
po, paalis na</i>, Tawaraw beach) or <a href="http://www.cebu.gov.ph/" target="_blank">Cebu</a>. Well, to some extent you get that,
with people buzzing around obvious tourist jeeps and cars asking those same
questions, but without the aggressive beat-you-to-submission sales shove. More
like a gentle inquiry that stops once word gets out that you have arranged for
boat services. People are so helpful here, with the boatmen we hired going the
extra mile and accompanying us at the beach, even cooking the fresh fish we
bought at the port for us! To help you
out, here’s a useful website full of tips and travel info on <a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Philippines/Province_of_Sorsogon/Matnog-1390706/TravelGuide-Matnog.html">Matnog</a>.<br>
</div><a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/05/beach-trip-off-beaten-track-matnog.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-46575610411073409422012-05-03T15:30:00.000+08:002012-05-03T15:30:01.688+08:00A few things I'd like to say to Facebook usersFacebook lets us do a lot of things. A ton, really. But here are a
few things I think everyone with a modicum of self-respect should bear
in mind.<br />
<br />
<strong>1. DO NOT like AND THEN and comment on your own post. </strong><br />
Please.
Seriously. Really. Come on, it's pathetic. Let your friends react to
what you post first so you don't come off as a friendless loser who just
wants attention, liking and commenting to get your post noticed on the
notification board. (And really, it doesn't even work. D'oh!)<br />
<br />
<strong>2. DO put your own picture up on your page.</strong><br />
Your
friends know just how f*cked up you look. They don't care. An anime
character may be cute for someone in their teens, but at 26, man, get
your mug up there. And please, don't even think of putting up a celeb
picture up there, it's just...funny. No. Depressing. No. funny. Nah,
really, depressing. Especially if you look nothing like him or her, even
after a rake plows through your face.<br />
<br />
<strong>3. DO NOT start or share your fights on your wall.</strong><br />
So
you love her or hate her with a fervor that brings the Crusaders to
shame. But don't you think lovers quarrels and petty catfights are too
personal to share to the world? I mean, a lot of times, your grammar's
wrong, your insults are weak and you whine like a wounded mofo. Would
you like people to see that?<br />
<br />
<strong>4. DO add friends that are, well, really friends.</strong><br />
Seriously.
Add people who really know you and you would like to be in contact
with. Don't fall into the fame-by-association trap. If you don't know a
person, then the whole gamut of services Facebook offers is rendered
senseless.<br />
<br />
<strong>5. DO NOT tag people in your selling posts who have previously untagged themselves.</strong><br />
Sure,
electronic commerce is cool. You can make a lot of money without even
leaving your house. But if someone already untagged him or herself from a
post you put up before, don't tag them in the next one just like it
anymore. It. Is. Annoying.<br />
<br />
<strong>6. DO choose your goddamn pictures.</strong><br />
You
have a digital camera or a camera phone. Good. For heaven's sake, don't
upload all the shots you take, weed out the out-of-focus ones. Or the
ones with half a face or are incorrectly lighted. Or the pictures of
your back pocket or the inside of your purse you accidentally took. The
user content driven age we live in should seriously have some
guidelines. Like a manual or something.<br />
<br />
<strong>7. DO NOT stalk people.</strong><br />
If
you have a crush on someone, man up and talk to her man. It's just
pitiful to see all of the posts on someone's wall with one person trying
to be cute and liking and commenting on every little thing there.
Message her. Don't stalk her. You have a better chance just talking to
her, than frightening her with all your (what you think are) cutesy
little comments. Fudge.<br />
<br />
<strong>8. DO friggin' spell and grammar check. </strong><br />
See
those red squiggly lines below what you're typing? THEY'RE THERE TO
TELL YOU THAT THERE'S AN ERROR IN YOUR SPELLING. Man. What? Avoid
shaming yourself please. Worst case scenario: a pretend Grammar Nazi who should swallow his or her own pill.<br />
<br />
<strong>9. DO NOT update us with everything you're doing.</strong><br />
So you're eating. Sleeping. Defecating. Watching. Picking your nose. Breathing. Existing. So effing what. <strong> </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>10. DO log off.</strong><br />
Try talking to your friends or making new ones in real life. It's sooooo much more fun.<br />
<br />
Got anymore ideas? Feel free to add your own.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-25414400747632169342008-05-10T00:49:00.000+08:002012-11-25T16:31:18.027+08:00Let's Talk Pinoy StreetfoodI lived in a paradox of sorts when I spent my formative years (seven years of grade school, three of high school) in San Beda College from 7AM-3PM and Sta. Cruz, Manila the other odd hours. The weird thing, which I will most probably expound on in a different piece, was that I went to school that charged 20,000 pesos a year while my friends took five pesos to school with them for their daily sustenance. That meant that after school, around the sons of lawyers, businessmen and other affluent families, I went home to a street where my friends and I brought out any leftover lunch; read: Black, burnt rice at the bottom of the pan and half a piece of salted fish, for a communal dinner capped by an eight-peso 800ml bottle of local cola.<br>
<br>
<br>
So, in San Beda, I learned just how the good life tasted -- though those rich kids NEVER acted like the snotty air-headed morphlings of today's pricey schools -- and in Vision Street, Sta. Cruz a couple of blocks away from the then San Lazaro horse racetrack (yes, I knew that place before it had air-conditioned department stores and Starbucks) showed me how the good life... is over-rated.<br>
<br>
<br>
Okay, okay...<br>
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I know you like your hors d' oeuvres and your bite-sized pieces of pastries and cured meats, hell, I know what you're talking about when you say amous bouche and pancetta, but do you know the simple...rustic...so-bad-for-you-it's-damn-good delight of monosodium glutamate showered dirty oil deep-fried cow fat? Sebo, my dear cabron. Street food, for the average, subdivision-bred insolent means rubbery calamares or the classic 50 centavo fishball now relegated to second-stringer status due to rise of pretentious chicken balls. Some people recall banana-que and kamote-que. I even hear stories of "south" (Parañaque ain't no St. Luis or ATL mah boys... the real south is Cebu) grown girls in elitist schools who have not tasted balut. Seriouly, I understand the paranoia surrounding the gloriously germ infested fishball, but an egg is a perfectly clean life-support system designed by nature to protect the continuance of a species-- the point is, it won't make you sick and it's such a sin to carry a Filipino passport and not know how it tastes like. Dang.<br>
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Living in a street filled with horse-racing fanatics, a dash of addicts, a sprinkling of street ballers and computer addicts, my life at home was classically urban Pinoy. Fishball vendors were friends I even drank with one after they sold out the day's wares, always saving a fourth of a pack of fishballs and three one-day-old ducks for our pulutan. When I was a kid the most famous lady in the community was the Yakult vendor followed closely by the Magnolia Chocolait-in-a-bottle milkmaid.<br>
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I know street food. My circle of friends are street food connoisseurs.<br>
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Though some lament that our street food scene is not as eclectic and streamlined as, say, Hong Kong or Singapore, two Asian foodie havens whose cuisine is pushed forward and made famous by hawker stalls, I still think our street food scene deserves a more detailed look. And no, we are not going to talk about fads like buko shake or those crappy fried siomai, let's talk about the staples, the foodstuff of recently old, progressing from the suman, belekoy and panutsa - sugar, coconut and glutinous rice dominated delicacies, moving toward quick, filling and easy on the wallet fare purpose built for the hardworking Filipino. Many of these items can have different names, depending on the location, which is just another little quirk I love about Filipino street food.<br>
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<a href="http://apisoforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/05/lets-talk-pinoy-streetfood.html#more">Read more »</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4418958006114798975.post-33739355952736505202008-03-23T17:30:00.000+08:002008-05-12T16:40:50.720+08:00Dyip ni JuanMerong mga bagay na ‘di ko maintindihan, tulad bakit “Para” and sinasabi sa dyip, e salita nama’y wala namang pinaggalingan. O bakit mga dyipni drayber eh halos lahat may kiling pa-kanan, para ba madaling makahipo sa tsiks na maganda, o sanayan lang?<br /><br />Pero, nasa dyip na rin naman tayo, ‘di ba ang byaheng ito’y napaka-Pinoy? Sapo bawat alikabok, usok at ingay ng maalingasaw na kamaynilaan…<br /><br />Dama bawat hapo ng puro trabahong magdamag, amoy putok, baktol at anghit ng mga taong pawis na pawis sa trabahong tanging mahahatid sa hapag kainan eh itlog na pula, kamatis at tuyo, ‘di alintana na bawat hapagkainan, mapa-tanghalian o hapunan…nakahain eh pang-almusal (tuyo, sardinas, itlog, itlog na pula) pa rin lamang.<br /><br />May makikita kang natutulog, halatang dalawa ang trabaho. Umiindayog ang ulo, sabay sa bawat arangkada’t preno ng Japan-surplus na makina. May nagdarasal ng rosaryo (umoonti na sila, oo), pikit mata’t kibit balikat na nananalangin na sana’y maayos ang anak o asaw nila sa Saudi (o Dubai, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Korea, TNT sa Amerika, Canada at Britanya). Nanginging ang labi, nagpupumiglas ang mga salita ng bawat Ama Namin o Aba Ginoong Maria, tapos, mai-istorbo ng lasing na katabi, ngunguyain namang salita’y mga mura’t parinig. Hahaha.<br /><br />‘Yung lasing, lima ang anak, isang taon ang agwat ng mga gulang, pahinante sa pier at 200 lang ang kita sa araw. Sa lumo at salimuot, pipiliing i-ambag na lamang ang singkwenta ng kita sa isang araw para sa Gin, kalamansi. Pulutan? Sipol at hinagpis. May estudyanteng naka-uniporme nga, sa mall naman ang punta, makikipag-deyt ‘ata kay Bheybs. Buhok na kala mo adik ‘yung gumupit, ‘di pantay pantay ang tabas, kala mo’y dinilaan ng kalabaw sa lagkit at tigas. At ang uniporme: and bantayog ng hustisya at pagkakapantay-pantay sa eskwela. Kaya nagu-uniporme and kabataan eh para hindi malaman ang estado mo sa buhay, para hindi ka maiba sa mas may kaya mong kaeskwela. Pero si boy, may kulay itim na pangloob, may nakatatak pang Sex Pistols eh baka nga hindi pa nagkakakilala mga magulang n’ya nuong sikat ang bandang ‘yon. Mga itim na purselas na puro bungo, may swastika pa, kilala n’ya kaya si Hitler? Sapatos na Converse, 300 sa Cartimar, tatlong buwang pinag-ipunan, dalawang buwang gamitan.<br /><br />Byahe sa dyip. Ma-alog, masikip, mainit. Huntahan ng magkaklase’y dinig na dinig. Nanliligaw ka’y inday, ‘di magkaumayaw sa kate-teks.<br /><br />Siyete singkwenta lang, may tatlumpung minuto ka nang teleserye. May magkasintahan naga-away. May batang pinapagalitan na “Huwag mong ilabas ang kama’y mo’t baka maputol ‘yan!”. May Biglang sasampang nagbebenta ng kendi at Stork, saba’y kanta o hirit ala Mike Enriquez.<br /><br />Pero ‘di naman laging bad trip mga ma-uulanigan mo sa dyip. Minsan, may nakakatuwa rin at nakakaganang tagpo na sisiguraduhing nakangiti ka ‘pag sabi no ng “Para”. May drayber na panay ang sulyap sa salamin n’ya, dahil duon, nakadikit ang litrato ng asawa’t anak n’ya. Alam mong daig ng ngiti ng maybahay at ni dyunyor ang tindi ng Cobra, Extra Joss o Lipovitan. Puting puti ang Good Morning towel na nakasampay sa balikat n’ya. Kahit manipis at luma na, dahil sa alaga ni kumander e pwede pa.<br /><br />May estudyante’ng subsob sa kababasa ng Nursing Fundamentals, hindi para lumipad tungong Europa, pero para magmedisina at ma-assign sa Marinduque. May binata’ng naka-iPod, padala ni Papa, pinapanuod ang daily Podcast: bidyo ng bati’t paalala ng ama galing Singapore. May batang sobrang bibo at talino, matanong sa inang hindi na magka-umayaw sa pagsagot sa makulit na anak, pero tuwang tuwa dahil alam n’ya, kandong kandong n’ya ang pagasa ng bansa. May tindero ng taho na tapos na ang araw, uuwi na, ang pera’y hiwa-hiwalay na: 100 para kay misis, pambili ng hapunan. 30 para sa panganay, baon kinabukasan. 20 kay bunso, na top one sa klase n’ya sa elemntarya. at kinse pambili ng pansit, para salubong ng mga bata’y puno ng ngiti at sabik.<br /><br />May lalaking hinahatid and gelpren pauwi, kahit sy’ay taga-Valenzuela at sinisita’y taga-Cavite, hindi padupuan kahit sa lamok ang sintang mala-sanggol ang tulog dahil pagod sa duty sa pampublikong ospital. ‘Yung binata; naka-uniporme pa ng Jollibee, pero may dalang T-Square at mga libro sa Geometry. Saludo ako sa mga ganito: Pinoy magmahal, Pinoy ang t’yaga. Parang dyip, oo reject man ang makina sa Japan, pinagi-ige pa rin para pagkakitaan.<br /><br />Habang tindi ng kapit mo sa estribo, habang kabado ka sa mukhang holdaper sa tabi mo, ‘di mo alam, puwede ka nang ipinta ng mga maestro o iguhit ng mga kartunista dahil nasa eksena kang perpektong simbolo ng kung ano ang Pilipino.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12523935451501028363noreply@blogger.com1