Work Place Revisited

I was in my old working grounds twice this week to run errands. 

The first time I ventured out, I left right after lunch and took the MRT (train).  That took a quick and comfortable 40 minutes. Hardly any queues at the ticket window and plenty of room inside the train.  Maybe if it was this easy all the time, I would have readily accepted the invitations of my office mates to come visit for lunch or dinner. But the sudden downpour as I exited the terminal made me rethink my being out so far away from home. 

The second time, I hitched an early morning ride with a neighbor and we spent a little over two hours catching up on the latest happenings in our lives before she finally dropped me off at my destination.  To say that the traffic was terrible is an understatement.  It truly is a wonder how I managed all those long and tiring commute times in the thirty years of work in that fabled financial district.  Love of work? Friends at work? Pay at work?  A combination?  It is a wonder indeed.

After completing my errands, I took time to leisurely walk back to the MRT station for my ride home. I got nostalgic as a flood of memories both good and not so good came rushing at me as I paused to look around me.  The time of the “great” earthquake where everyone rushed out to the safety of the streets; the midnight madness mall sales; the protest rallies calling for change; the coup d' etat witnessed through office windows; the waiting for management to call off work as a typhoon raged outside; the big shots and celebrities of the day who casually walked down the streets or who visited the offices; holy masses held at office lobbies during lunch breaks; the occasional working late into the night or on weekends; the office intrigues; canteen lunches where the smell of food sticks to your clothes; company parties; the perk to workout at a nearby gym (boxing, hip hop, aerobics, belly dancing, yoga, weight training and  swimming— whatever was the latest craze); the never ending financial cycle  (up one moment, down the next) of the company’s performance that dictated bonuses and promotions; and, almost always being squashed inside the MRT or the tiring wait for the bus or the FX (a ten-sitter van) to take me home.

So long ago, so inconsequential to me now; yet, somehow the memories of which will remain with me.

---xoxoxox---

There are a lot of options in the financial district to get a good bite to eat.  There are so many cuisines to choose from that I imagine it would take a lifetime to dine in all of these establishments. You can find them at nearby hotels and at the mall; or they can discreetly be tucked in some office building;or, there are the no nonsense hole-in-the-wall types.

Then there are the “jolly-jeeps” (jeeps disguised as  food trucks) or food kiosks along side streets where one can go for piping hot soups, familiar ulams (dishes) in plastic take-out bags to go with the cup of rice, and the never-fail-to-please lumpiang toge, banana and camote ques and turons (fried banana spring roll).

I remember afternoon office break times.  How easily it was to get everyone in the office to chip in and have the messenger go out for bananaques (skewered fried whole bananas) or turon (bananas wrapped in spring roll wrappers and deep fried). Sometimes, the boss would be teased into generously picking up the tab.

Now-a-days, restaurants have raised the level of the lowly turon.  No longer complete in itself, the new turon comes with an assortment of garnishes and accompaniments—chocolate sauces, ice creams, and what-have-you.

Here’s my contribution to the leveling up of the turon.  They're fancy enough to serve any high net worth guests.

Banana Crisp Roll Ups (an adaptation of apple crisp or pie recipe)

Two large bananas (saba), diced

¼ c brown sugar (or less)

¼ t of cinnamon (or more)

A pinch of salt

Lumpia or Spring roll wrappers

Melted butter

Optional:

Chocolate sauce

Chopped Nuts

Sesame seeds

Coconut flakes

Powdered Sugar

Place the diced bananas, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and mix well. 

Place a tablespoon of the banana mixture in the middle of a lumpia wrapper. Proceed to wrap up the mixture and brush the rolled up turon with melted butter.  

Place on a lightly oiled baking pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts or coconut flakes or sesame seeds on the rolls.  Bake in a 350 degree over for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. 

Once removed from the oven, dust with powdered sugar or dribble some chocolate sauce/syrup and serve on a paper doily for that special look.

Another option:

Trim the wrapper into neat rounds with a scissors.  Carefully arrange/press the wrapper into each section of a lightly oiled cupcake pan. Spoon in the banana mixture. Brush the wrapper with butter and fold over the banana mixture. 

 

Bake in a 350 degree over for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. 

Once out of the oven, dust with powdered sugar or dribble some chocolate sauce/syrup and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.