Staying Connected

"You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead"
                                   From the Beatles Song “Two of Us”


While getting an education, I was never far away from home. In my elementary and high school years, the school I attended was just “around the corner”. The university where I finished my college and masterial studies was just two jeepney rides away. There was always time to go home for a hot lunch and occasionally, I would bring home classmates for some afternoon snacks. It’s a wonder how my mother tolerated my little unannounced “parties”.

The same can be said of my son and daughter—they were always home after classes. Although because of the distance and time constraint, they had to contend with cold packed lunches and canteen bought snacks.

And so it was. Until my daughter applied and got a generous grant for a masters degree at a university in the UK. I was happy for her but at the same time apprehensive. Will she be able to manage all on her own—so very, very far away from home? For one thing, I never doubted her mental capabilities and know she will be an outstanding student. She is very good at following directions and reading maps so getting lost would be a very remote possibility. She has the necessary housekeeping skills and she won’t go hungry as she knows her way around the kitchen. But there was a tiny nagging voice asking, “What if…”

Well my visit and three day stay at her dormitory was a reassuring eye-opener. My short stay allowed me to experience something new-- dorm-living. She shares a five-bedroom apartment unit with four other girls. Meeting them and being graciously accepted to stay with them made for a world of difference in knowing that my daughter was with good company. There is a laundry mat, a tiny grocery and canteen at the students’ lounge which is just a 5-minute walk away. Even better was the fact that my daughter could just order for groceries through the internet and the items will be delivered to her. Perfect for when the rains come and it’s too cold to be out. While with my daughter, she received a notice from the university clinic reminding her of a check-up she might want to consider. How good is that!

There was time for my daughter to show me a bit of the university and the town. Walking around the campus made me wish for better things for our own government operated universities back home.

The university town was once a very industrialized area, but much of the factories are silent and abandoned now. But by the way malls and shiny new business buildings are coming up in the center of town, it will just be a matter of time when things start humming again with commercial life— if it is not already humming.

As I looked back at my visit, I remember the most filling breakfast appropriately named Full English prepared by my daughter one morning for me;

the peacefulness around the university grounds;

the youthful chatter of passing students;

the serene picture of swans and ducks gliding on a pond outside my daughter’s apartment;

the old grave yard surrounding an Anglican church-- straight out of a vampire movie;

the Indian side of town with its many bridal shops,grocery stores, brick townhomes and  restaurants ;

and, the just-right carrot cake we shared at the cafeteria.

Fun too was watching the latest James Bond flick, “Sky Fall” together. The film had lots of London scenes. Every time a familiar landmark showed up on the screen, we would both poke each other. A fitting ending to my trip as I now could relate.

But more than anything, the short visit banished all the “what ifs..” There was no question about how my daughter would fare by herself. The question really was how I would fare without her.
                                            xoxoxoxoxox

Christmas is family. Whether near or far, we find ways to stay connected. And food is the best connector of all. The miles soon disappear with familiar food to feast on during the holidays. When I returned to Manila, I left my daughter two cold-busting dishes in her freezer. In return, I brought away with me my daughter’s supply of hazelnuts. My daughter saved me a slice of a Nutella Cheesecake she made with the help of a recipe she downloaded from the website of Nagella Lawson. It was divine and I had duplicated the dessert at home for my hubby, my son and close friends.

Christmas is sharing. So below are two recipes that could make it to your dining table. I hope you have enjoyed reading and maybe even trying some of the recipes I wrote about as much as I have enjoyed sharing my stories and musings with you.
Merry Christmas!
                                                xoxoxoxoxox
Top on my daughter’s to-do list for me was to cook up a batch of chicken arroz caldo (chicken rice porridge) and pochero or bulalo visayan style (beef shank soup). The idea was to cook lots and freeze it. So while she hurried off to her classes, I spent the morning cooking up these two cold-busting dishes. The challenge was to cook as much as I could given the size of the available pots in the kitchen. But by George, I did it!!
You too can cook this up at home and freeze it. When you want something piping hot, just throw it in the microwave and zap it. You can add the greens (pechay, bochoy, or cabbage) when ready to serve. They wilt very quickly.

Pochero

In a large pot, put together the following:

500 grams beef shank (the grocers only had shin, so that worked well)
2 thumb-size ginger (peeled and sliced)
1 medium size onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
5-8 Pepper corn (a dash or two of powdered pepper will do)
1 teaspoon Salt
Enough water to cover the meat

Bring this to a boil then lower flame and simmer until meat becomes tender. This was no problem as the beef was soft. If I bought the beef in Manila, I would have used a pressure cooker!

Peel and chop into chunky pieces the following:
1 cup of squash
1 medium size potato
1 ear of corn
Drop the corn into the soup and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add the potatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Lastly, add the squash and cook until just tender but not “squashy” : )

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Cool it down and divide into three or four freezer containers. When you want to eat this, just thaw it out and heat it up. Throw in some greens like pechay, bochoy or cabbage and slurp away.

Nutella Cheesecake (adapted from Nigella Lawson)
250 grams digestive biscuits (Mark & Spenser)
75 grams unsalted butter (soft)
400 grams nutella (at room temperature)
100 grams hazelnuts (toasted and chopped)
5 grams cream cheese (at room temperature)
60 grams icing sugar

Method:
(N Lawson used a springform pan to make a whole cheesecake. I decided on using 10 smaller molds)

Break the digestives using a rolling pin to pulverize them. Place the crumbs into a bowl. Add the butter and a tablespoon of nutella and mix away until it starts to clump. Add ¼ of your chopped hazel nuts into the mixture and continue to mix until you have a damp, sandy mixture.

Divide this equally into 10 small plastic molds. Press down into the base either using your fingers or the bottom of a small drinking glass. Place in the fridge to chill.
Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.

Take the molds out of the fridge and carefully spoon the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top and place the molds back in the fridge for a least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.  (In my case, I wrap them up individually in pretty wrappers and curly ribbons and placed them in the freezer.  They are ready for the sharing season)

My daughter and I now has something of each other to keep us connected during the holiday season.

London: Sights and Sounds

“Where do you want to go?”, my daughter asked on our second bright morning in London.

“Here, there and everywhere!”, was my answer—quoting Paul MacCarthy.

And indeed we “tubed” and walked everywhere for the next two glorious blue-sky-days in London.

With a little help of our trusty TimeOut guidebook, we were on our way. What follows are pictures and impressions of what I saw and heard— not necessarily in the order that we saw them.

As was suggested by my daughter, we walked through the long and winding road of both the north and south sides of the Thames River. This gave me a better feel of the areas than if we had taken the bus or taxi (so expensive) and zipped around like crazy. At a leisurely pace, I saw some notable structures and everyday life along the River Thames.

Tower of London
A Beefeater acted as our guide— actually he would make for a different kind of stand-up comedian. He regaled us with stories of intrigue, murder, scandal and romances—peppering his spiel with witty remarks.

Did you know that King Richard III is alluded to in the nursery rhythm “Humpty Dumpty”? It was said that this king had a hump and that during the war of the roses, he was pulled off his horse and killed with a blow to his head. So that “all of his horses and all of his men, could not put Humpty together again.”

Bridges of London
London Bridge- I had expected a wooden, rickety structure but was dismayed (!) to find that it was all cement and definitely will not be falling anytime soon.

Millennium Pedestrian Bridge- oh, so modern and elegent with all its cables holding it together.

Tower Bridge- It's a pity we did not have time to see a ship pass through this draw bridge. 

At a short distance, we spotted the St Paul’s cathedral and many imposing and luxurious buildings. For lack of information, we took turns making up stories of the history of such a building--- like that was the palace at which Princess Kate had her engagement party with Prince William. If Her Majesty, The Queen, found out about our little tales, we would surely be deported.

Big Ben
He was silently looking down at all the tourists clicking away with their cameras. How many millions of people have looked up to check the time?

London Eye
The Brits have a knack of making the ordinary, extraordinary. This giant ferris wheel sure makes all others puny in comparison.

Modern Art at the Tate Museum

Who would have thought that it would be possible to turn a former power plant into an art museum? Even the giant, now empty fuel tanks were mini venues for an out of this world experience of red lights, black and white artsy movies. But I must warn you—trying to decipher the meaning of some of the art works displayed —like a torn canvas or pieces of wire attached to a ball —can be a head banging experience.

As the weather was sunny, I could not help stopping every now and then to take pictures of everything I saw—to the disapproval of my daughter. She wanted me to act naturally. But I felt that it’s all right. Everything was just so picturesque against the blue, blue sky.

Regent’s Park
Since winter was just around the corner, all of the flower beds were already asleep. But this did not take away the pleasure of walking around the huge park—there was a soccer match going on in one area, bikers sharing the lane with mothers and their well-behaved babies who quietly took in the scene from their strollers, I saw a pair of swans gliding down a stream and heard a black bird call to its mate. Only prime and proper dogs on leashes are allowed in the parks. And best of all, there were strategic wash rooms with toilet paper!!

Evening at the heart of London's West End theatre district
I had booked tickets for “Singing in the Rain” over the internet while I was still in Manila and we just needed to walk over to the theatre to pick up our tickets. It was very convenient. While it was still early, we spent our time in a second hand bookstore browsing away at the collection—I was surprised to find Philippine coffee table books on furniture and food. Imagine that! Then it was time to see the play and my daughter had to restrain me from singing along with the actors. The play brought back visions of Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. The play was made special with the “rain on stage” effect that got the front row theater guests wet with the splashing and kicking of the actors on stage.

London Eats
Fish & Chips- This meal of battered fish and potato fries could fetch L5 at the market and L11 at a pub. It can go as high as L18 with fancy fixin’s of mash peas and a cabbage slaw. I imagine that to get that proper crispiness, I would have to get a fryer before I attempt this at home.

Pret A Manger-  It's the opposite of all the fast food chains in the world.  This restaurant serve food that do not have the usual preservatives, chemicals and additives very common in fast food offerings.  I love their porridge (oatmeal) with honey.  It is the creamiest I have ever tasted.  There was one outlet close to our hotel and my sister and I would have our breakfast there.  They also have free wifi-- a big plus for my sister who was on a working vacation.

Restaurant at Large - While at Harrods, we thought we'ld check out their food outlets. But Harrods (a department store that is possibly the grandest grandmother of our Rustan’s) was literally crawling with people. Their in-house restaurants were filled to capacity. We opted to try one of the many restaurants lining the streets outside of Harrods and entered a restaurant named Area (162 Brompton Rd) that seemed Turkish on the outside but had an extensive Italian Menu on the inside. One wall was decorated with different kinds of world currencies. Our apprehensions were put to rest when we tucked into our orders (osso bocco, pasta with salmon and asparagus, and pork ribs). Delicioso!

Food Tripping at Boroughs & Camdem Markets- There were such a variety of food offered in these venues. It’s like every country in the whole world was well represented in both markets. French cheeses, German sausages, Spanish paellas, English organic farm produce, European cakes, candies, preserves, meat pies, sandwiches, pizzas—even siopao!!

xoxoxox

I must make mention of our late lunch at The Lamb—a very old Pub in Bloomsbury. Prior to my visit to London, I thought that a pub was the English counterpart of a American Bar or the Pinoy’s beer garden. Boy was I wrong. Pub is short for public house. I felt like the fool on the hill. It’s more of a meeting place for friends and families to have a meal together, relax and have a beer. Also, my daughter informed me that one ordered and paid at the bar as it is very rare for a waiting staff to come to your table to take your orders. And did you know that tipping at a pub requires a little “drama”. One does not tip the barmen or barmaids. Instead, one says “please have a drink on me” or something similar. The barman then adds the cost of the cheapest drink to your bill.

I was also pleasantly surprised that English pubs were a go-to place for comfort food. You’ll find man-size sandwiches, eggs, sausages and mash potatoes, meat pies and stew in their menu. At The Lamb, we had a lamb and tripe stew—but of course. It was delicious with chunks of soft and gamey lamb cubes and chewy tripe. Two very generous slices of bread came with the stew. The serving was quite big that we had no need for dinner.

This has been quite a lengthy blog entry and so I will spare you my usual recipe offering.  I shall promise to share with you a British dish or two as soon as I have tried out recipes from a cook book I bought in a London bookstore. 
Tata! Do come back to read my next and final blog entry about my UK trip.

Meanwhile, please do enjoy this little trivia: How many Beatles songs can you spot in this blog entry?

London: On A Clear Day

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Heathrow Airport. Local time is 5:58 in the morning and the temperature is 3 degrees Celsius.

For your safety and comfort, we ask that you please remain seated with your seat beats fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about.”

My sister, J, and I had finally arrived in London.  A trip I prepared for since that fateful day in September when she invited me to join her.  It was a much appreciated gift to gain an insight, though briefly, on British culture.  And even more so, it was a God-sent opportunity to bond with my daughter who was in the UK on a scholarship grant.

It was easy moving out of the airport to our hotel.  An underground train or the tube, took us directly to a station that was a block away from our hotel.  Since it was too early to check in at our hotel, we left our bags with the concierge and decided to walk around the area.  Although the trees were bare and the cold was getting into our bones, the blue sky made up for it.  We counted ourselves very lucky since we were told that it had been raining in London for the previous days.

We passed a church and at first I thought it was a Catholic one—it turned out to be Anglican. I reminded myself that everything changed with King Henry the VIII. But it did not stop me from saying a silent prayer of gratitude for a safe trip.

With the cold just getting too much to handle, we entered a StarBucks coffee house for some warmth. A croissant and a cup of tea helped.

 

Luck was on our side as the British Museum was just across this coffee shop.  I marveled at the tall and massive columns.  And was agog at what laid inside.  Question: How did the British manage to bring such huge and heavy works of art from one end of the world to their country?  I am sure some of these countries would want to have them back.

Our eyelids were getting heavy and although it was still early afternoon, we thought it best to catch up on some much needed sleep.  Rest would be important specially when we had planned to pack our days with the sights, sounds, smells and taste of London.

xoxoxoxox

The English are generally known to be reserved in their manners, dress and speech.  They are famous for their politeness, self-discipline, and their love for tea. And tea it was for me for the duration of my stay. 

Of course, I also wanted to make sure that I was making proper tea.  Guided by  instructions printed on tea boxes and advises passed down from one stranger to the next, I now share with you steps on coming up with that perfect cuppa:

Warm  the teapot (4-cup capacity -- preferably of the best china) by pouring hot water into it.  After a minute or so, pour out the water. 

Add one teaspoon of loose tea leaves or 1 tea bag for every person served—plus 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves or one tea bag for the pot.  (For the love of the Pot!) 

Now add freshly boiled water into the pot with the tea. Preferably spring not distilled water —one cup for every guest. And remember, chlorinated water will give off a smell to your tea that would agitate you or your guests.  

 Let the tea steep depending on the type used:

o                          About one minute for green tea.

o                                Three to six minutes for black tea.

o                                Six to eight minutes for Oolong teas

o                                Eight to twelve minutes for herbal teas.

o                                Note: if you like stronger tea, don't steep longer—add more tea, instead.

For those who want milk in their tea (but not in herbal teas, please), add it after the tea has been poured in the cups. They say it is best to use the least creamy type. This I confirmed with the complementary skim milk and tea packets provided by the hotel.

Pass around the sugar bowl for those who wish to cut the bitterness of their brew. George Orwell, a British tea purist, would be turning in his grave at the act of adding milk and sugar to tea. 

But in the end, tea is for the living and personal preferences should prevail.  So carry on and make yourself a cuppa tea the way you like it.

As I am home now, butter on hot pan de sal makes perfect sense

And that my dear friends, was my lovely first day in London.

Boracay: Trying to Save the Sunlight

I had just spent three days in paradise. All because my sisters M & V were visiting from the US together with M’s hubby and son. Another sister, G, and her hubby plus my son and his girlfriend completed the reunion entourage of 9.


After more than 20 years, I was once again looking at the powdery white sands of Boracay. Fat cumulus clouds rolled over the blue, blue sky providing the perfect cover from the harshness of the tropical sun. At that very moment, everything seemed perfect.

I was willing to overlook the flight delays; the collision of our banca with another banca;

fumes from tricycles weaving dangerously on the narrow road;

the haphazard mix of sari-sari stores, massage and tattoo shops and the resorts—high and low end of every conceivable design and concept —squeezed tightly together.

All of these dismal sights and sound were nothing compared to that eventual glimpse of paradise.

In those three days, I pondered this question: Is Boracay better off today than it was 20 years ago?



20 years ago: not much resorts on the beach



Dinner by Kerosene Lamp

Do the changes justify the improvement of the financial standing of the majority of the local folks?


Eager kids rush to our boat in the hope of making a sale


Alex, our tour guide/banca owner/cook was a poor fisherman twenty years ago. Today, he owns 2 motorized bancas that he rents out to tourists. His three kids are college graduates and earning decent wages.

Need a guide? Call Alex- 0918 324 5075

Hawkers walk up and down the beach with their wares hoping to catch the eye of an interested tourist. Many coming from nearby provinces and as far as Mindanao.

Sun hats: P150

What of the environment?

Towards early evening, resort employees come out to rake the sands—picking up trash and sea weeds washed ashore. At night the tides come in and give the sands a once over. In the morning, everything is untouched and new again.

Surely the great number of visitors must be putting a strain on sanitation.

While walking on the soft sand, I saw bits of broken glass. While island hopping, I noticed a plastic bucket bobbing over the waves.

What of the moral fiber of the community?

There are many sad stories of the local youth being taken advantaged by island guests. Alcoholic beverages are consumed more than water; parties have been the jump off point to rowdy behavior; and, modesty is set aside while prancing around the island.

A photo shoot for a Men's magazine

While attending Sunday mass, I noticed that the church was overflowing with Filipinos. Force of habit or not, I let God be the judge. Still, it was heartening to see that the Catholic faith was strong in Boracay.

The choir did a fantastic rendition of “The Prayer”.

Is there a middle ground where the well-being of the community will not continue to be compromised in the name of progress?

Ahh, the road to paradise is truly filled with challenges.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

 

Doesn’t it make you feel like
Tryin’ to save the sunlight
Surely you feel the way i do

We’re not gonna last forever
Blue skies and sunny weather
The problem is up to me and you

We shouldn’t be so careless
Think of the things we cherish
Think of them all gone away

                               As Sang by Lani Hall & Herb Albert

xoxoxoxoxoxox

When on vacation, do as the locals do. Feast on seafood and some pork belly. Splash some local vinegar on some chopped tomatoes and onions for a salad.  Slice up sweet mangoes for desert and give your belly a taste of paradise.

 

For most grilled seafood, the only seasoning you need really is salt and pepper. A squeeze of lemon or calamansi is optional. Throw on a hot grill and in 10-15 minutes it’s done. Overcooking makes for a tough fish or shrimp. Besides, no one ever died from eating raw FRESH fish.





Flower Power

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. Luther Burbank


Whenever I find myself thinking about a problem, I can’t help but sometimes get deeper and deeper into a bottomless abyss of despair and anxiety. It’s like an addiction of never ending what ifs and whys.

I remember the many times I would knock myself out with worry. Before long my fertile imagination would paint a guesome picture of the worse kind of accident. Then time passes and I marvel at how quickly these worries go “puff”.

Of course, there have been close calls and it would have been unnatural if I did not worry. But it’s dwelling on them far too long that causes havoc to tranquility. And so before I realize that dwelling on a situation is not going to help, I have already died a thousand imaginary deaths.

It’s a good thing that every now and then I get a wake-up call that puts everything into perspective. Sometimes it takes the form of a song, a passage in a novel,  and, sometimes it’s a shared story.

Just yesterday, a friend pulled me aside to share his wake-up call. Let’s call him R.

R is an early riser. At 4AM, he is up and busy sweeping the dry leaves that had fallen in his yard. As he sweeps the leaves into a pile, his mind is preoccupied with a financial problem. What should he do? Who can he ask for help? How will he continue to support family members who depend on him? These questions go round and round in his head as he moved on to water his plants. He is very passionate about his plants but lately, his focus had been on his problem. He was about to enter his house, when his attention was caught by a Trumpet shrub that was in full bloom. The morning sun was shining on it just like a spotlight on a stage actress.

He had been so anxious over his problem that he was losing all hope. He had buried himself in his own misery and had lost sight of the beauty that was around him. With new resolve, he got ready to attend the early morning mass. Then and there R accepted that he had done all he could and was leaving the rest to God. A God who never fails to send us reminders of hope in the form of flowers-- if we care to to take notice.

xoxoxoxoxox

I remember being served deep fried stuffed squash flowers in one of those provincial heritage tours. As I recall, the flowers were stuffed with a mixture of ground pork and shrimps; dunked in a batter; and deep fried. Unfortunately, I don’t have the recipe. But I will not dwell on my limitations.   Instead, I share with you some eye-catching beauties from my garden.

Periwinkle (suppose to cure cancer)



Lantana: a butterfly's delight



My Summer Blooming Lilies

Hibiscus aka Gumamela= a herbal tea

  These are my everyday reminders of hope.