Two for the Road

A few weeks back, my husband surprised me with an invitation to spend a weekend at Tagaytay. This, I considered, was a major road trip.

Now if you know my hubby, you will just be as surprised.  For the longest time now, he would rather stay at home than go out and smell the gas fumes.   Traffic, weather conditions, house security— there was always a reason not to go out.

Ahhh, but in our younger days of courtship and early years of marriage, this was not the case.  There was always somewhere to go. 

A short drive around the corner to meet up with friends or a long road to traverse up to a mountain top.  

We sure hit the road then for the slightest reasons.

Bumpy and dusty at times where he needed to slow down.  

And when lucky, the chance to test his racing skills while pushing the vehicle to its limit as I stiffen up beside him  and held on the hand grip for dear life. 

There were the flat tires, the broken fan belts and engine overheating.  But there were memorable pit stops, delicious meals, fun people and spectacular views along the way.

Not to be dramatic about it, this sounds so much like how our life together has been. 

Lately, we have taken to sitting at our terrace in the late afternoon.  We chat about everything and anything. If the mood hits us, we sometimes hum familiar songs as we watch the transition of day to night.   The folding of the acacia leaves, the final chirps of the birds before they seek a shady tree to rest, the hush that eventually envelopes us as the bats take to the sky.   The buzz and sting of the mosquitos signals the end of our little rendezvous.

An unexpected road trip is a pleasant surprise but I find that I am just as happy with our "rides" together without having to leave the house.

---xoxoxox---

Don’t you have favorite songs you like to listen to on road trips?  Instrumentals, snappy jazz, cool bosa novas?

My kids can’t forget all the Basia’s “Cruisin for Bruisin”, Swing Out Sister “Breakout” and Bruce Springstien’s “Born in the USA” track we had them listen to from start to finish on our trips together when they were younger.   (Sorry kiddos for making you our captured audience.)

Now on that trip to Tagaytay, I could not stop this song from playing in my mind. Indulge me as I go through the lyrics again.

Two for the Road (Henri Mancini)

If you're feeling fancy free,

come wander through the world with me,

and any place we chance to be,

will be a rendezvous.

Two for the road,

we'll travel down the years,

collecting precious memories,

selecting souvenirs

and living life the way we please.

In the summertime the sun will shine,

in winter we will drink summer wine,

and any day that you are mine,

will be a lovely day.

As long as love still wears a smile,

I know that we'll be two for the road,

and that's a long long while.

---xoxoxox---

For some reason, for lunch, we had  a delicious Sinigang na Salmon sa Miso at One Tagaytay Place , the boutique hotel we spent the weekend at.  And when we got home, we had Sinigang na Sugpo. 

I don’t want to over-analyze what this could mean.  There are things in life that you simply just accept and enjoy.

Here’s sharing with you my take on this delicious sour soup. May it be a favorite of yours for a long long while.

Sinigang na Salmon sa Miso

¼ c to ½ c of strained juice of boiled green sampalok or tamarind (or a pack of sinigang mix powder)

205-300 grams of salmon

2 T cooking oil

1 small onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 med. Tomatoes, quartered

2 T miso (fermented soy paste)

A liter of water
Vegetables of chioce: eggplant, okra, string beans (all optional)

A bunch of mustasa (mustard greens), washed

Salt, pepper, patis (optional) to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes and saute until softened. Add miso and saute until well combined. Add salmon and  water.

Stir in tamarind concentrate, your vegetable of choice and patis. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer until fish is cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add mustard greens and simmer for a couple of minutes before serving the soup hot.