26 Nov, 2006
I was at the FTI Market in Taguig early yesterday morning and came across these spectacularly fresh and terrific looking mustasa or mustard greens (Brassica juncea var.) that the vendor claimed were organically grown. I stopped because I was reminded of a conversation the other night at the Dante Alighieri dinner with “Frayed,”…
23 Nov, 2006
“Kruk-kruk “was a term my mother used to describe something gaudy, baduy, boring, tacky… I thought it might only be a word she invented and only those in our immediate family would understand what it meant. I bought these shell adorned toothpicks for appetizers several years ago at Tesoro’s for just PHP65 per…
22 Nov, 2006
My subscription copy of the December 2006 Christmas Issue of Gourmet magazine was delivered today. The cover of the December issue traditionally features cookies, as Americans bake something like 30+% of all cookies in a given year in the month of December/for the holidays (or at least I remember a similar statistic written…
22 Nov, 2006
I have only eaten fried Samaral or Spinefoot or Rabbitfish. Its skin sometimes has a weird texture when fried but the flesh itself is firm, clean tasting and great with vinegar or other sawsawan. These specimens were from the Batangas market the other weekend and you can see from the eyes just…
22 Nov, 2006
Balimbing or “turncoat†or “many faced†is a word that is often used in Philippine politics. In fact, the negative connotation has really taken hold, taking away from the stunning fruit from which the term originated. Balimbing, Star Fruit or Carambola (Averrhoa carambola) is a unique fruit because of its shape with…
21 Nov, 2006
Don’t read this post if you are the type that gets all huffy when someone takes light-hearted pokes at you. Just don’t. Heeheehee. You were forewarned! Assumption tarts are not something I grew up with, so I don’t have the strong benefit of “it’s a kid thing” My mom didn’t…
21 Nov, 2006
I love vegetables but could never be a vegetarian. I love my meat though neither could I be exclusively a carnivore. I can easily finish a cowboy or prime rib steak all by myself (or a 1 kilo bistecca a la Fiorentina for that matter), eat the better part of a goose…
20 Nov, 2006
This is how “fast food†should be defined. Thai red curry mix in a foil packet, canned coconut milk, some cubed boneless chicken breast (this really should be duck but we didn’t have any) and whatever veggies make sense. Traditionally, this might include some eggplants, onions, tomatoes, coriander, thai basil, kaffir or…