Foot and Fire

He Who has no memory of camonsil has no childhood at all. That is my conjecture only, of course. My siblings and I loved this snake-shaped fruit that has seeds inside and one eats the white reddish outer skin of the seed which has nutty, and lightly sweet flavor and coarse texture... The red ones called "bukaka" are the delicacy as they are lightly sweeter than the white ones....

These are some of the arts and crafts found at the Pasalamat Fair, from paintings to miniature train made by local artists... These are sold at varied prices... The festival runs until tomorrow, sunday, april 28.

1 1/2 kilo cassava, ground or grated 2 cans condensed milk 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar Pre heat oven at 350F. Soften butter. Add a cup of sugar, mix well and set aside. In a big bowl, placethe ground cassava, add the milk and eggs and mix well. Portion by portion, add the butter and sugar mixture to the cassava mixture and mix well. Grease and pour the mixture in a tin pan, ideally 9x6x2 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. If desired, glaze the pudding with butter and sugar. Let cool a bit and slice and serve!

Here are our photos of our half day cooking class at the Saigon Culinary Art Center. And yes, the chef looks like Pacquaio, just a little handsomer. We passed with certificates of recognition. In some photos, we were with a small lady. She is the interpreter who speaks English well but still with the accent and speed of the Vietnamese. We just have to listen intently to her as we had a skill test afterwards... So cute photo op corner... I am guarded by Ms. Intepreter and Mr. Chef. We are cooking up a fish sour soup using starfruit. Claypot lotus salad lotus salad on top of chicharon he's steaming rice instead of boiling My saigon-based friend, Ann with the Chef.  

We had our first bowl of beef soup called   Pho Bo   in a shop fronting a highway. We were busy eating, counting our millions, and taking photos of motorcycles rushing in the highway like swarm of black ants. The highway of HCMC is vibrant and dangerous. One can see women wearing the traditional dress and miniskirts driving the motorcycle while the bus is following. On the highway, there are a few bicycles competing with the motorcycles. On our first day, I was like on the brink of traffic accident for three times. First, we were afraid to cross the street because of the rushing motorcycles. Second thing, motorcycles pass through the sidewalk meant to be the footwalk so that pedestrians cannot just dilly dally in nooks and corners of the street. On our second day, we know what to do: run in crossing the highway and just walk straight with no hesitation as the motorcycle driver will just be the one to find his way. On the first day, I was forced by no choice to take a ri...

When texts and emails were not yet here and there, I was, and have known some, hooked with stationeries, scented and unscented, pink, purple or light green, with complimentary stickers or bookmarks... Oh gone were the days. Or so i thought. Recently, i got some personalized pretty cards from my old roommate Omela. It sure brought joy to me. Aptly, Cicero is quoted in the card addresed to me saying, "Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things." This friend has not gotten over her flair for the pretty papers. It is great to travel, once in a while, in the memory lane.

Camote tops Onions Tomatoes Vinegar (apple cider or red wine vinegar) Salt and pepper Blanch camote tops, drain and set aside. Add the rest of the ingredients and serve chilled.

One of the best sugarcane strains is called la carlota... It is robust with purplish green peeling and quite expensive and a delicacy back then. Pang us is exclusive hiligaynon term for eating or chewing sugarcane and extracting its juice while it is still in the mouth! Munching is not an exact translation of pang us but it can do... Here is my nephew munching his sugarcane stick and the remnant of his chewed and juiceless portions.... Munching tubo is a happy childhood activity which is great to be revisited from time to time by a "batang negros."

One of the best sugarcane strain is called la carlota... It is robust with purplish green peeling. Pang us is a hiligaynon term for eating or chewing sugarcane and extracting its juice while it is still in the mouth! Munching is not an exact translation because pang us is exclusively used to describe in eating Pang us is a hiligaynon term used to describe eating sugarcane. It can be described as munching or chewing while extracting the juice of the cane and spitting the fibers. One of the best sugarcane strains is called la carlota, it is a robust, purplish and greenish in color and of course, sweet. Every one who came to live and had his/her childhood in Negros understands the pleasure of munching tubo or sugarcane... It is great to travel to memory lane once in a while.

This is a national sibling's month, they say. In honor of my four siblings, I am posting our photos here. Although life has been noisy and tumbling here and there, I still cannot imagine a worrld without them. A part of each of them is always a definition of what I am as their eldest sister! Cheers to my siblings and God bless our paths....

I am so happy that aside from the usual 45 days broiler chicken, restaurants nowadays offer native chicken. While there is a slight difference in the pricing, i do not mind. Native chicken is extra tasting, meatier and generally free from feeds and injectable vitamins which boosts growth as native chicken is usually free range or grows in a large backyard. Let me say, native chicken is muscled while broiler chicken is simply big flesh and fat. A must try is the native chicken offered in the Manokan country located in the reclamation area, beside SM City.... But i got a great taste of tinola and lechon manok, both native, at Ting ting's located along BS Aquino Drive, near Doctor's Hospital and I know, I shall be back for it! Click this link for contact numbers... http://tingtingsnativefood.weebly.com/

After watching a lot of tv programs featuring burgers and steaks, one cannot help but think of burger + steaks and so I tried out the cheeseburger steak of Kristin's in Goldenfield, Bacolod City. Aside from their various steak offering, they have premium meat orders: ostrich and crocs meat. If you want to try out the usual and the unusual... You can come here.

Panaad sa Negros, an annual showcase of agricultural produce and tourism of every municipality and city in Negros Occidental, still runs until April 14. One can find booths filled with fruits, crops and pasalubong as well as plants, arts and crafts. Aside from that, there are different activities slated each night in the Paglaum Stadium. Here are some photos of the food and booths I was able to take...