Happy Round New Year!

I’d like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year! Hopefully you rang in 2010 with the ones you love, high with emotions about the past decade and drowned with bottles of sparkling wine. I celebrated New Year’s Eve with my extended family, feasting on delicious dishes, playing with babies, watching home videos, and laughing with/at each other. My family, like many Filipino-American families, carried over some new year rituals from the Philippines. We clean (or try to clean) our house to rid of “bad spirits”. We leave coins on staircases and doorways to attract good fortune. At the stroke of midnight, coins and bills are thrown into the air turning into a rugby match over quarters, leaving someone with bruises or a broken finger. Chinese culture have influenced much of these rituals. The Chinese have been an integral part of Philippine culture in the spheres of business, trade, and even cuisine.

My mother is very adamant about one particular ritual related to food; she insists on placing round foods on every table in the house, usually fruits. Examples include apples, oranges, and grapes. In the Philippines, households put out 13 different types of round fruits that can include lychee, lanzones, calamansi, guavas, and other local fruits. Some families also like to display a big ball of cheese, known appropriately as a “queso de bola.” Most of the families in my neighborhood demand the brand Marca Piña.

queso de bola

I worked at my father’s Philippine grocery store during New Year’s Eve as a cashier. Throughout the day I watched customers scramble for round-shaped foods, and shell out $20 for a ball of cheese. Why? I had no idea. It was tradition. I asked both my father and aunt why we put round things on tables during new years. “Oh, well, it’s good luck.”

“But why is it good luck?”

“I don’t know really…everyone does it so I do to.”

This was not a sufficient answer. As the day went on I continued to ask customers why we took part in this tradition, but all gave an uncertain answer. Funny how over the years we hold on to traditions so tightly, yet we forget what they mean. Eventually I learned that the full shape of a round object represents wealth and prosperity. This was probably also a Chinese idea brought over to the Philippines. I can’t help but think of the deipction of a big, fat, happy, and round Buddha, the Chinese translation of the orinigal skinny, contemplative Indian Buddha.

So thanks China for making the Philippine New Year so festive. I do enjoy eating a plate full of oranges and clementines on Jan 1. Happy New Year!

Vitamins, please!

I have to rave about my vitamins. Never have I ever been so excited to take my daily dosage of vitamin supplements until this year. I don’t know about you, but my eating habits don’t provide all the nutritional value I need, so it’s important to take vitamin supplements for maintenance. For example, as a woman, I need folic acid to make sure my future babies don’t pop out with neural problems. Also, since I live in Boston where winter dominates the year, I’m not getting enough sunlight for my body to create the vitamin D I need. Solution? Multivitamins. Unfortunately, adult multivitamins come in large horsepills that are difficult to swallow and not particularly tasty. Solution? Multivites!

yummygummy!

I got a huge two month supply at target for around $8. They come in different flavors and taste just like candy. It’s perfect! When I was on One-a-Day, I never remembered to take my pill. On Multivites, I always remember. The manufacturer Vitafusion makes a whole line from Vitamin C to Omega3 to Calcium supplements and more. You can visit their website to learn more information, or read reviews if you’re skeptical of its benefits. This is the way I see it; if Multivites are a little less beneficial than standard supplements, that’s okay by me. If I were on standard supplements, I wouldn’t be motivated to take them anyway! Yumyumyum.

Time out. woops!

So I dropped the ball on this blog. Forgive me, I’ve had a lot going on these past few months, I didn’t even have time to take care of my crops on Farmville. I realize I haven’t even finished my Philippines posts (I have a draft on Cebu waiting to be edited and posted), but I’m going to fast forward to what I’ve been up to now. Might as well finish this year fast and strong and start off 2010 right by posting regularly.

Hitting the books..and ranges

Honestly, I'm happy, but it's 7:30 AM.

In late September, I began taking classes at the new Le Cordon Bleu in Cambridge. To supplement my bachelors, I’m pursuing an A.O.S. in Culinary Arts and a Le Cordon Bleu diploma. The program takes two years, but since it’s accelerated, I’ll finish by next December with very limited vacation time. I take both kitchen classes and general education classes (whatever didn’t transfer from BC). Courses run for three weeks at a time, five days a week, 7am-12pm daily. Uniform compliance and attendance can be so strict that a Chef can throw you out of class if you step one foot out of line. The student body, composed mostly of local residents, ranges from recent high school graduates to middle-aged adults looking for a career change. Some have been working in the restaurant industry for years, others have never stepped foot in a commercial kitchen. I am a career-changer (though I never started my first one), with some experience with food production. I met some awesome people at school, started the painful process of covering my hands with cuts and burns but showing them off with pride, and took great classes such as Wine and Beverage. I finished my first two Skills classes which covered basic cooking principles and am looking forward to my first baking class. Mmmm….hot sticky dough…

Just a few of the dishes I made during skills 2:

Roasted Chicken w/gravy, Seared Winter Veggies, Green Bean Almondine

Seared Duck Breast w/Orange Gastrique, Sauteed Spinach, Orange Bulgar Pilaf

Grilled Rack of Lamb w/veal stock redux, Carrots Etouffee

Worky work, busy bee

Living in Boston is wicked expensive. You’re very lucky if you can rent a room for anything less than $600/mo (not including utilities), and if you want to partake in the nightlife each weekend, get ready to spend much more than a pretty penny. To make ends meet and to gain more industry experience, I held down two jobs and worked seven days a week. On the weekends, I was a personal cook at a Newton residence, cooking dinner for ten very nice women. I’m a one person staff in charge of putting out a five-course family-style dinner, from prep to clean-up. It’s hard work for a noob like me, but it’s great practice and experience. On the weekdays, I was a temp worker for BC dining, working as a buffet server for the priests at St. Mary’s. As boring as the job description sounds, it was actually a great time. The priests were a hoot! Most were very nice, some were kind of intimidating. It was “un placer” to work with the buffet and kitchen staff, who were mostly of  Hispanic and Latin American backgrounds. Working with them helped me a lot with my Spanish, which I feel (and most would agree) is a necessary skill to have when working in the US restaurant industry (at LCB we’re taught French. Silly, no?).

Jan 2010

I start the year easy by taking 3 weeks of art. LCB decided that my painting and anime classes I took at BC doesn’t qualify for an accelerated survey of art class. Whatever. I’ll only be holding down my cooking job on the weekdays to give myself more time to focus on a new endeavor. Mid-January I’ll begin pursuing a Masters in Liberal Arts in Gastronomy at BU. Hooray! I’ve wanted to participate in this program since my freshman year at BC. I realize I’m taking on a lot, and I’m somewhat intimidated by it all already, but I couldn’t be more excited for it. Do you know that feeling you get when you’re crazy giddy that your ass feels like it’s shaking right off to lead you in a square dance? Yea, that’s how I feel about next month.

I’ll randomly post the rest of Philippines sometime soon.

Lunch on the Lazy Loboc

After sightseeing in Bohol, it was arranged that my tour group would have lunch on, not along, the Loboc River. The Loboc is a popular tourist spot where guests can appreciate the river, mini waterfalls, and riverbank vegetation via motorboats or floating restaurant barges. Diners can enjoy delicious Philippine cuisine native to the province while lazily floating up and down the river. Our barge came equipped with a bar and, of course, a singer and keyboardist. Let the good times roll.

a floating restaurant

fresh coconut water

What I ate

Halaan & Malunggay Soup – This clam (halaan) and moringa leaf (malunggay) soup had such a beautiful aroma. It gave off a scent similar to a cross between ginger and horseradish. The tree that malunggay leaves come from is actually known as the “horseradish tree” due to its roots, which are shredded and used in the same manner as horseradish.

delicious

Lechon Manok – BBQ chicken. You bet your sweet booty this chicken was marinated in delicious flavors like soy sauce, brown sugar, calamansi juice, sprite (yup), salt, pepper, stuffed with onions, garlic cloves, and lemongrass. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.

Lechon Baboy – BBQ Pork. Same deal as the chicken, except it takes much longer to roast, thereby being much more delicious. Cebu province is known for their lechon preparation.

Shrimp, diced papaya, rice, pancit canton, and …

squishy

Kinilaw na Guso at Lato – Seaweed Salad. This looks nothing like the pieces of nori wrapped around sushi. It’s made from a gelatainous seaweed (guso), blanched and dressed with vinegar, ginger, tomatoes, and onions. The guso had an unfamiliar texture, like a savory, cunchy gummy bear if that makes any sense at all.

dessert

There was a lot to choose from, but I didn’t have much of a sweet tooth that day, plus I was stuffed. From the left, ube halaya, a thick sweet paste made from large purple sweet potatoes. Center, bibingka, a dense cake made from rice flour, coconut and condensed milk, and sometimes cassava. Right, puto, a sweet, spongy steamed rice cake.

Pia and the coconut

server swatting the flies away from the food

lil baby chili in a bath of vinegar

mini waterfalls

Not only did we have a flavorful lunch and spectacular views of the riverbanks, but great entertainment as well. Midway through the ride, we slowly floated toward a group of people on the riverbank wearing bright costumes. They greeted us with a hearty “Welcome!” and much more. They sang, danced, and played instruments. Their song (from what I could understand, which wasn’t much since they were singing in Visayan), was a warm-hearted greeting to us from the people of the area. They even sold local Loboc Honey. I purchased two bottles, only to break in my duffel bag a day later.

If you watched the video all the way through, they danced the traditional folk dance, tinikling. When they were finished, some of the guests wanted to give it a try. They had a hard time keeping up, but were still having lots of fun. The locals enjoyed watching them fumble as well. My mom looked at me and said, “C’mon let’s try it!” Okay, sure. Little did anyone know, I’ve had my share of tinikling performances.

My mom and I showing our skills

One of the Filipino guests asked me how I learned to dance tinikling. I responded, "College." At least I learned something.

The ride ended with some karaoke and line dancing. I would say, many Filipinos enjoy performance as much as they enjoy eating.

We had more sightseeing to do, churches and what not, but all I wanted to do was go back to the bungalow and relax. It was a long and enlightening day.

bungalows

Blood and Chocolate Hills

Day 2 in Bohol was filled with a lot of interesting sightseeing. As we drove through the Tagbilaran City, the capital of the province, our tour guide gave us a brief but colorful history of Bohol. Every year, the Boholanos celebrate the Sandugo Festival, which commemorates the blood compact between Philippine leader Datu Sikatuna and a Spanish conquistador General Captain Miguel Lopez de Legazpi on March 16, 1565. To show their friendship for each other and their commitment to the Spanish crown, each man cut their left arms, sprinkled blood in a cup of wine, and drank to friendship and brotherhood. Datu Sikatuna is sometimes called one of the first Filipino ambassadors.

The Sandugo Festival starts every year in March, but the most anticipated street dancing competitions take place in July to coincide with the annual TBTK (Tigum Bol-anon Tibuok Kalibutan), a gathering of Boholanos from around the world in Tagbilaran City. The festival is filled with music, parades, costumes, church services, and beauty pageants.

cheers!

Next stop, tarsiers! It was quite a long ride to the location. I took some random pictures of the countryside.

really old, parasitic tree

street vendor

they sold clams

they sold crabs

rice paddies

Tarsier farm!

Tarsiers are known as the smallest monkeys in the world, though they are not monkeys, but marsupials. They have long tarsals (hence their name), are very small, and can jump very high. They’re nocturnal animals and have huge eyes.

tarsier

i'm an idiot

Next, we drove to Bohol’s natural wonders, the Chocolate Hills. They are a collection of over 1,700 hills scattered across south central Bohol. Hills made of chocolate? Is this heaven?

Chocolate Hills

No, but these hills are pretty high up. They’re called the Chocolate Hills because during the dry season, when there’s less vegetation, they resemble Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses. I don’t remember their original names, but the first comparison to the popular confection was made by a visiting American teacher. The name stuck ever since. We visited during the rainy season so the hills didn’t look as brown. Aren’t they cute?

Geologists are still trying to figure out their origin. Some theories include limestone weathering, sub-oceanic volcanism, or ancient coral reefs that erupted from the sea. There are a couple of local legends that explain their existence. Our tour guide told us one of the romantic stories:

Legend has it that when giants lived with mortals, a gentle giant fell in love with a beautiful village girl.  Agoro , the giant was handsome and though a favorite among female giants, was also a loner. When everything and everybody sleeps, Arogo would sit by his favorite spot near the river to ponder or just watch the night pass by.
One night while Arogo was by his spot, he noticed a beautiful native girl with hair as black as the night by the river bank. He instantly fell in love with Aluya. After that night. Arogo would always wait by his place to take a glimpse at his beloved Aluya.
A rumor reached Arogo that Aluya would soon marry a man her parents chose for her.
The night before Aluya’s wedding, Agoro kidnapped Aluya. Seeing a giant, Aluya screamed, kicked and cried, but to no avail. Arogo was successful in abducting Aluya.
In the giant’s cave, Arogo tried to give Aluya food and water but the girl kept on crying. Her sadness reached her heart that she died with tears in her eyes. Arogo buried her and kept his vigil. He cried for days and months. Giant tears fell to the ground. He cried a thousand years for the loss of his love.
After sometime, Arogo’s tears hardened and became what we know today as Chocolate hills. The Hills were witnesses of an unrequited love of the years go by.

We got to climb these hills, which was quite an experience for me. Anyone who knows me is familiar with my awful fear of heights. It’s so frustrating, and I battle with it all the time. Whenever I’m in a very open, very high up location (or sometimes even the third floor of a mall), a chilling feeling swirls my brain and turns me stone cold. Acrophobia. Phobias are irrational, that’s why they’re phobias. If anyone can offer a cure, I’ll take it. Some people I know like to watch me cower and panic whenever I’m in such a situation and will even try to make me feel worse by freaking me out by lunging toward me. To them (or him) I say, I’ll remember that.

So imagine a chocolate kiss. Its sides are quite steep. Not very different from its geological counterpart. There were concrete ramps and stairs built into the side of the hill to make it easier for climbers. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so of course I climbed. I chose the ramps because they felt pretty enclosed and safe. I went up slowly and calmly behind my sister, stopping to enjoy the view and take pictures.

hills as far as the eye can see

we were pretty high up. see me holding on for dear life?

After lots of picture taking, we decided to walk back down. I thought to myself, the ramp is kind of steep, maybe I’ll take the stairs. I took one look at the top of the stairs…because you could see nothing else. From where we were, the midsection and the bottom of the stairs were nonexistent. You’d think this was a good thing, but watching people walking down and disappearing from sight sent chills down my spine and turned my legs into stone. The handrails were flimsy and wobbled. Everything was open air. I quickly looked at the ramps. They were my other, better option. They were built more lateral to the hill than the stairs, but they too were steep and open air. My heart was pounding. I started to heave. My older sister and mother were trying their best to figure out which method of descent would be less frightening for me. “Take the stairs, I’ve checked them out and they’re good…..no take the ramp it’ll be okay…c’mon lets go… ChiChi can you hear me? C’mon let’s go…” I heard nothing but the soft ringing in my ears and the silent immobility of my feet. Korean tourists were walking around me, laughing and having fun, wondering why this five foot statue of a terrified girl was placed right in the middle of the path. I became angry with myself, that I was paralyzed during what should have been a beautiful experience. What a crippling phobia! I was so beside myself with anger, that I began to cry. My sister noticed and offered to hold my hand while we walked down the ramps. GAH! I am six years old again. My father told me that I had this kind of spell when we first visited the Tagaytay volcano when I was a child. Pathetic. I could really go for some chocolate, or a drink.

We arrived to the bottom, and I am upset, but I release my anxieties with a bit of shopping in the gift shops. What a morning! I couldn’t wait for lunch.

Um, what kind of butter is this?

My family and I decided to take a few days to discover the Visayas. The Visayas are a region of islands found in central Philippines. It was quite a treat, since my sisters, mother, and I always stayed on Luzon during our visits. All the islands in the Philippines have their own unique culture, history, even language, so we were truly tourists in the Visayas. We were joined a handful of other tourists from the NY area. Our first stop was Bohol.

Our tour guide for the next few days greeted us at Tagbilaran Airport with handmade necklaces with a funny little animal as the pendant. It was of a tarsier, the smallest primate in the world, native to Bohol. I hoped to see one in the next two days!

We were accompanied by Mrs. Davide, the wife of a Philippine ambassador to the U.S. She really had the hook-up, because we were invited for a lunch at a new resort called The Peacock Garden, sponsored by a congressman of Bohol. Free food in a swanky new joint? Why, yes please, thank you.

Main building and restaurant

The shuttle ride to this place was a sobering guilt-trip. The poverty of the islands is nothing I haven’t seen before, but for some on the tour it was eye-awakening. I felt kind of bad that they had to experience guilt and discomfort. One shouldn’t feel guilty that you’re born into privilege. Somone before you either worked hard or was lucky enough to pass on a better lifestyle. What I do hope is that they were able to reflect on the experience and take on a more human, connected experience with the world. Humans would not survive without compassion and action.

But back to the lunch! We entered the European style restaurant which was adorned with Dr. Jose Rizal paraphernalia. Rizal is the national hero of the Philippines, and the decorator clearly had great respect for the man. His name is Mr. Hans Schoof, a big, mild-tempered German who fell in love with a Boholano. He greeted us during our meal and later gave us a tour of his establishment.

dining room

We were given the normal basket of bread and butter to snack on while we waited for our orders. Nothing special. There were a few small containers of butter on the table. Then, I noticed some other containers that had something darker than butter. I tasted it. It was oddly familiar, and quite delicious. One of the diners suggested it was “spiced butter.” I had to dismiss that theory, because it tasted nothing like butter, but was just as greasy. It was a bit smokey. The taste was oh so familiar. I asked the waitress what it was.

Pork Fat

HAH. hahahah. Hilarious. I loved it! Spread some pork fat on your dinner roll! Only in the Philippines. If whoever in this kitchen could make pork fat this fancy, I couldn’t wait for the rest of the meal.

delicious calamansi juice

"How come we can't ever have just like a salad?"

As if I needed more pork in my system, I ordered the delicious pork loin with carmelized onions, potatoes, and steamed veggies. I was starving.

yum

pecan tart, mango ice cream, papaya slices

Rizal's chairs. He spent some time in Germany

Infinity Pool. The resort is on a mountain.

to the wine cellar

disco!

spa

tub on a balcony

cigar room and bar

After the tour, we headed to Panglao Island in Bohol to settle into our resort. It was a quick ride across a river.

We stayed at Panglao Island Nature Resort. My sisters and I had our own bungalo! We were also in very close proximity to the beach. When I mean close, I mean, beachfront.

bungalo

personal jacuzzi

bidet!!!

glass window shower with optional curtains

Bohol Sea

Banana Leaves and MRE’s

So why are there so many English words in the Philippine language? Why do Filipinos speak English, period? So well, that Asian students visit just to learn the language? Why is there a national basketball league instead of soccer, and a cartoon bee serving hot dogs and burgers? Why, because of war of course.

The United States (univitingly) introduced themselves to the Philippines during the Spanish-American War to fight against Spain. Spain lost. The Philippines was free from centuries of Spanish rule. Filipinos were happy. Americans said, “sike!” and wanted to take the Philippines as a commonwealth. The Philippine-American War was fought. Thousands died. American’s stayed. They took the Filipinos out of the Spanish convents and gave them Hollywood glitz and glam, as well as a structured education system.

Soon, The Philippines would become their own republic.

Sike!

Meanwhile, a group of funky cool islands in northern Asia called Japan decided they would start beef with everyone in Asia. I mean everyone, including the Philippines. Lucky for the Filipinos, the country was still a U.S. commonwealth, so U.S. soldiers came to defend the natives (and the strategic naval bases). The battles were difficult. Japan was strong. Many died. The U.S. could not hold, and the islands were occupied by the Japanese. Men were murdered, women defiled, babies slain. War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing.

Today, unless you’re an old veteran with reasons to be bitter, you have to be blind to see how awesome Japan has become in the last century. The food is amazing, the culture is inspiring, and the people are so over my head I’m just always in awe of how funky fresh that country is. Still, it’s important to learn about your history to know where you come from and where you’re going. My family, the other tourists, and I visited the location of one of the last desperate attempts to fight of the Japanese in the Philippines: Corregidor Island. Known as Fort Mills, it was a bastion island in the Manila Bay carved out by an extensive series of defensive tunnels. War ruined its natural environment, but was reforrested in the 1950s. We took ferry rides to the island from Manila, and were given a tour of the many large cannons, old run down batteries, barracks, and beautiful memorials. Throughout the tour I tried my best to remain respectful of my surroundings. The island is, after all, not just a tourist attraction, but a grave site. Despite my somber attitude, it was a beautiful day to sightsee.

Manila Bay

tunnels

your local YMCA

barracks

inside a battery

cannon

don't shoot!

hi mom

huge cannon

old movie house, later used as a morgue

my starring debut!

Japanese soldier

looks like a tadpole

sans Ate Kay

Ate Pia is mighty

war atrocities

don't go...

in the tunnels

a plate of disappointment.

One of my first food experiences for this Philippines visit was unfortunately not a good one.

My family and I participated in the 5th Annual Ambassadors, Consuls General, and Tourism Directors Tour of the Philippines. In a nutshell, about 410 Filipinos from the US, Canada, and Guam took part in this tour hosted by the Philippine Department of Tourism, Department of Foreign Affairs, and Department of Trade and Industry. It was a great time, but our first dinner was not so great. I hate to bash, but there’s a point to make for all this.

We arrived early with other NY participants, and were brought to Travel Cafe Philippines in Greenbelt 5, a shopping area in Manila. We were informed about the menu beforehand, and I was definitely excited for it:

Mackerel Ceviche – Raw fresh mackerel marinated in vinegar and spices

Travel Cafe Spicy Fried Lumpia – Deep fried spring rolls with spicy glass noodles vegetables, and shrimp

Cream of Clam Soup – cream of clam infused with ginger served in pan de sal bread bowl

Shrimp Pomelo Salad – fresh shrimp and pomelo with fish sauce and calamansi dressing

Sarangani Classic – pan-fried milkfish belly from Sarangani province, served with garlic rice, pickled papayas, and tomato slices

Filipino Triolet – leche flan topped with macapuno (coconut), turon (deep fried banana and jackfruit spring roll), and suman (sticky rice dessert)

Mango Iced Tea

Cordillera Mountain Coffee

How can you not be excited for that? I thought this was going to be an explosion of flavors! Unfortunately, each course was disappointment after disappointment. I know I’m not a professional chef, but you don’t need to be one to know what tastes good and what doesn’t. I’ve also grown up with Filipino food and Filipino food products, so I don’t think I’m being completely out of line.

The Mango Iced Tea was pretty good. No huge complaints about that. Hi mom!

Maybe I wasn’t used to it, but the lumpia was too spicy for my taste. It had too much peppercorn. It was really the dominant flavor in the spring roll, which I didn’t enjoy. It came with a fish sauce dipping sauce. I enjoyed the makerel ceviche, but since it was made with vinegar and not citrus, I think it was less of a ceviche and more of a kinilaw. I’m sure they used the term ceviche because it’s more familiar to foreigners. You can debate how similar they are, but let’s call a spade a spade.

I think it’s unfortunate for this dish that I went to school in Boston and therefore had my share of clam chowder. The flavors in this soup were delicious. It had that familiar creamy clam taste with a hint of ginger. Strips of nori floated atop. As I was wolfing this down I realized there were no clams. No clams! Of course there weren’t any clams, because this wasn’t chowder. This was “clam-infused” soup. Damn! My New England frame of reference fooled me, tricked me into thinking that this would be a hearty soup. Still, it was delicious, but I can’t say the same for the stiff “pan de sal” bread bowl.

I was looking forward to the shrimp pomelo salad, but this wasn’t what I had in mind. I really though it was going to be a gratuitus bowl of sliced pomelos with some shrimp here an there, dressed with the sweet/sour calamsi and pungent fish sauce flavors. I thought it was going to be a flavor symphony! This was what came out. Two slices of pomelo, two small shrimp, one leaf of lettuce, and fish sauce here and there. Pure disappointment. The individual flavors of each ingredient had nothing to do with each other. I’m sure this could have been executed better. I think I’ll try it out soon.

Milkfish marinated in vinegar and garlic (Daing na Bangus), served with slated egg and tomatoes. It was good, no complaints, but my Tita Remy makes a better Daing na Bangus.

“Filipino Triolet” – also pretty good. I didn’t really like their leche flan, but the turon and suman were great. You can’t really mess up sweet sticky rice and fried bananas.

We were all given our own individual french presses for our coffee, which was nice and strong and helped with the jet lag.

The tour guide described that this was Filipino food served gourmet. “Gourmet” is a word normally associated with food of “high sophistication” or “high quality presentation.” To me, gourmet means high-quality flavor, and I did not get that at Travel Cafe Philippines. I do love the idea of having a restaurant serve as a travel agency. You can learn a lot about a culture through food. It’s a very interactive experience, and I appreciate that. But I don’t think the classic and vibrant flavors in Philippine cuisine should be dumbed down for the sake of “gourmet” or to seem more inviting to foreigners. You’re risking the integrity of not just the food, but the culture and the people! I’m also not saying that Philippine cuisine cannot be served in a sophisticated manner. It certainly can. I had an amazing lunch at Malacanang Palace that demonstrated authentic flavors and sophisticated preparation (future blog entry).

I support Travel Cafe Philippines, but please revise your menu. Give your guests what is authentic because authenticity is delicious. Give them what is true because the truth is beautiful.

Octopus, sausage, and reindeer, oh my!

I’m becoming somewhat of a jet setter these days, traveling to every crack and crease of America and the world via plush and luxurious modes of travel.

Okay, not really – More like Peter Pan buses and economy class seats, but whatever. When I’m shitting Benjamins is when I’ll shell out big bucks for the best seats. Over the Fourth of July weekend, I traveled to Easton, PA (speaking of cracks and creases of America) to rendezvous with Mr. Zhao to keep him company and create a raucous in a quiet town. It’s so quiet, it’s suicidal:

Actually, Easton isn’t so bad. First and foremost, it’s the home of the Crayola factory! For most children, the first culinary risk they take is sticking the “macaroni and cheese” crayon in their mouths. Much to their amazement, the yellow-orange stick of wax tastes somewhat similar to the bowl of inconsideration served at the school cafeteria. Because George and I are “selectively frugal,” we chose not to take the $10 factory tour. Despite that, here is a photo of the world’s largest crayon located in the factory store.

We were both very unfamiliar with the town, so we stopped to eat at the first restaurant we saw. Valenca On The Square is a Portuguese Restaurant located in the heart of downtown Easton. They offered a Portuguese menu, so I was looking for hearty seafood and pork dishes, Iberian style.

I forgot what this was, but it was good and strong

marinated octopus, fresh garlic, cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, red onion

Our second appetizer was a delicious and smokey Portuguese sausage, served asado, tableside. I could tell our waitress did not enjoy playing with fire, and was somewhat annoyed at the many pictures I requested to take while her fingers burned just for the sake of my blog and sausage.

Portuguese sausage served tableside flambéed with brandy

Our main course was a clam and pork stew, cooked with olives and cilantro, which was amazing.  I didn’t tolerate the cilantro; I enjoyed it. Hooray!

marinated pork, clams, and cubed potatoes sauteed in garlic, white wine, cilantro

Easton was a chill time, and though George and I didn’t get to experience Fourth of July fireworks, we were able to have a good drunken time around town in Easton’s great (and not so great) bars and pseudoclubs.

dusk sky from Lafayette U

This entry will officially begin the temporary conversion of my blog from a food blog to a journal of my Philippine adventures with my family. I arrived in the motherland on July 10 after a 20+ hour travel time from JFK International, to Anchorage, Alaska for refueling, to Taiepei, Taiwan, to Manila. It was a good flight, but China Air fed us well.

We needed to disembark the plane in Anchorage for refueling. It was a long cross country flight. The airport is small, with a tiny but comfortable waiting area, equipped with animal busts encased in glass,a small eatery, and a gift shop selling jars of fish oil pills and fur coats.

The eatery was well stocked with cold beverages and snacks, as well as standard food stand items like fries, hot dogs, and… reindeer sausage udon???

First, I was surprised there were udon noodles. It was the China Airlines terminal, so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised there was something Asian on the menu. I’ve never had reindeer, let alone reindeer sausage. I thought I’d have to go to the Lapland of Scandinavia, or Santa’s backyard for reindeer meat! Living on the east coast, I forget all about Alaska sometimes and how unique it is. Seeing this as a unique opportunity, I just had to try reindeer udon. Sorry Santa!

reindeer udon

What did taste like? I don’t know..gamey? Whatever that means. A little spicy with a smokey and unfamiliar aftertaste. I haven’t had venison so I can’t really compare the two. I’d have it again, if it were grilled with some peppers and onions. You can purchase the meat at the gift shop, but we were about to enter Asia and all food items would be confiscated.

just..so lazy..

It’s mid-August and summer’s winding down. My last entry was back in June, but that’s not to say I’ve been sitting on my booty all summer doing nothing. On the contrary, I’ve been traveling between Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, all the way to the Philippines. Much of the time I’ve had little access to the internet, but I was able to take down notes and snap pictures of some notable points of interests and delicious dishes. I’ve been meaning to post everything up two weeks ago, but for two weeks I guess I was guilty of sitting on my ass and doing nothing. Sorry! Forgive me, but there’s just something about the summer that’s so…lazy. After four years of hard work and stress, why wouldn’t I want to spend my days lying on my big comfy couch watching repeats of Project Runway?

After living like a three-toed sloth for two weeks, I realized what a dangerous lifestyle this was. My brain was frying, my ass was numb, and all the great pictures I took of my travels were still hiding in my iPhoto folders. I woke myself up, made a tray of meat lasagna for my family, and sifted through my summer memories. Here they are, written as if I experienced everything yesterday. I’ll be posting a new event or two every day for the next few weeks. Enjoy!