Tabagwang or small snails collected from rice fields were on offer by one vendor at the Legazpi market. I understand these are enjoyed in the same manner as kuhol, but I have personally never tried these.
19 Comments Send this post to a friend
I WILL BE THERE.
Because we live in a democracy by choice. Because not speaking up when you know something is wrong makes you an accomplice to the wrong. Because I think everyone must be held accountable for their actions, particularly where their actions impact the welfare of millions. Because of the increasingly brazen disregard for the laws and even basic ethics that should apply to educated individuals. Because in many ways, I am embarrassed to be in the same gene pool as those who are perpetrating and then possibly getting away with such outrageous actions. Because of dozens of other reasons I will keep to myself as I know you get the point.
I was infuriated enough to write a rant on “the cash in shopping bags at Malacanang” issue ALONE, which by the way, got 12,000++ page views and over 100 comments, making it one of the top 2% of all posts in this blog, and I subsequently marched peacefully from the Aquino statue to the Makati post office, accompanied by only a few hundred other equally incensed souls. I have been out there expressing my opinion on several occasions, since I was in my teens. And I do think it collectively makes a difference.
It’s easy to say that nothing will change, that politicians are all the same, that we are all doomed, no matter what. It’s easy to say it isn’t your responsibility to speak up, and let someone else do it instead. Well, would you rather be buried under a mountain of caca, kicking and screaming and trying to get out, or calmly lay down as it grows darker and darker and you turn into worm food? If you have read this blog for any length of time, you would know I would bloody well say something and do something, if only for my own conscience. And I am not advocating politician roulette, I simply want folks to be held accountable for their actions.
SO YES, I WILL BE AT THE RALLY IN MAKATI on FRIDAY AFTERNOON, February 29th.
And if I could, I would send FG BURJERS (”Frigging Good” Burjers laced with truth serum) free to any of the folks involved in the growing list of outrageous political scandals…
75 Comments Send this post to a friend
I have come across several Bicolano recipes that call for “balao” (pronounced ba-la-o) and often the suggested substitute is bagoong. Balao is one of several variations of salted and slightly fermented shrimp that is a prominent feature of cuisines across Southeast Asia from Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand and even Indochina. The salted fermented shrimp can range from this variety in the photos, where the individual shrimp are still totally discernable, to a pungent shrimp paste that is a bit more mushed up and preserved (almost as a solid brick) like the Malaysian blachan or the Indonesian terasi. Salted shrimp or shrimp paste in one form or the other is a rather ancient flavoring/ingredient, with one suggestion being that one of the key ingredients of Ancient Roman cooking called garum was really a derivative of fermented fish or seafood…
18 Comments Send this post to a friend
There is something so wonderful about the color green, particularly when experienced at a provincial market with farm fresh produce. The color green can be soothing and invigorating at the same time. In this post, I feature photos of several “greens” - leafy vegetables both familiar and not, as well as other veggies colored green. Up top, a huge pile of betel leaves, buyo to locals, overturned, and waiting for buyers. I know betel leaves are used as part of a Thai dish (a wrapper for herbs, dried shrimps, lime and sometimes sour fruit like green mango), but locally I think it’s main use is to wrap betel fruit for the traditionalists to chew on and get their nicotine fix…
29 Comments Send this post to a friend
It’s paho season again and for a few weeks only, these little mangoes are on offer, and make a spectacular pickle or brined delicacy. I have written about paho before, here and here, but I just wanted to do this quick post to let you know they are in the markets right now. At PHP100 a bunch, they are a bit pricey, but you only need a few pieces to get that unique taste only paho seems to have. That’s two bunches in the photo up top. It seems many folks have never tasted paho or have and didn’t particularly like it, but for me it is a childhood flavor that I seek whenever it is i season. Besides chopping it up and mixing it with tomatoes and patis and chilli as a relish, I made three bottles of brined paho that should last me a couple of months…
37 Comments Send this post to a friend
This is “part 2″ of my contribution to the Lasanag Pinoy 24 topic of coconuts. My first ubod salad, here, was definitely more western leaning, but this one is pretty local. Our office manager hails from a small town outside Legaspi and she showed me how to make this delicious ubod ensalada. First, she picked out the ubod just at the tip of the wider portion, say rougly 80% down on the ubod piece pictured in the previous post. The cross-section of the trunk is noticeably different from the section I picked for the previous ubod and parmesan salad. In this section, the coconut heart is quite solid, with the growth rings becoming almost indiscernable, and you can almost see this evolving to a tough and fibrous coconut tree trunk as it gets older…
8 Comments Send this post to a friend
It’s the 24th edition of Lasang Pinoy and the chosen topic or ingredient is coconut, hosted by Kai over at Bucaio! Having just returned from Albay, where nearly everything you eat seems to incorporate some aspect of the coconut, I thought I might write an entry on something with gata or coconut milk. But then again, I was incredibly fascinated by my ubod (heart of palm) experience at the Legaspi market, so I decided to do two ubod-based salads instead, as a double contribution to Lasang Pinoy 24. First up, a fusion salad that I made without a recipe, but patterned after a favorite Italian salad I have enjoyed for many years. Ubod paired with parmesan may sound odd at first glance, and “fusion” cooking isn’t my thing, but do this the way I describe it and you will probably love the results… The inspiration is an Italian salad made with raw baby artichokes, endive, raddichio, celery or fennel and parmesan shavings with a simple vinaigrette. The original salad is edgy, slightly bitter, crunchy, sharp and delicious. I wanted to recreate some of this experience, but experimenting while at the family office in Cebu, my choice of ingredients was limited at best…
19 Comments Send this post to a friend
We came across “sacks” upon “sacks” of bihud or fish eggs at the Legazpi market last week. I love caviar, admittedly an acquired taste, but for some reason, I have NEVER had any cooked bihud in all of my food escapades around the country. These bihud were from large fish called “maya-maya” locally, but oddly, to me, they looked different from what are referred to as maya-maya or snapper in and around Manila. The actual fish are photographed below. On the one hand, I feel really bad that these eggs didn’t have a chance to turn into fish that we would eventually eat anyway, but as with other sea critters on offer, this is just part of a centuries old offering of food from the nearby seas… I am told that the bihud is good just sauteed with some vegetables, but again, I have not tried it yet.
50 Comments Send this post to a friend