Foot and Fire

From pale green (or red or purple) you turned into sunshine signaling me that you are in hurry to be picked from the budded befruited standing scepter of the forest. Why hurry? You will be cut in half, you football-shaped creature! You will no longer remain you. You will be your many soft white seeds with smooth pulps bearing your sweetness with tempered sourness. Then, you will merely be scooped out right away. (Children in the Philippines will gently suck you first, though). For a week, your soft delicate seeds will be fermented under the seething sun, or on some days, in a dryer machine. As if for you being picked is a happy occasion, you ignore me then and now. Mind you, Dear Cacao, you will be sun-dried for one more week before your individual selves in the form of cocoa beans will be shipped out of Ivory coast or Indonesia.   Gerlie M. Uy Copyright 2015 *A poem inspired after reading Chocolat Here's my review on...

Choco Mixture... Wonder how chocolates are made? This is how the basic of all chocolates... The preparation of cacao... from humble seeds to grand hot choco... While sipping, remember the Mayans, on how they treasure every cacao bean during their times. Dried Cacao seeds Peanuts Mascuvado sugar Bake or roast cacao seeds.  Remove outer covering by twisting and then separate from the cacao seeds inside. Add roasted peanuts, if desired. Add mascuvado sugar. Let it grounded electrically in the market, otherwise mortar and pestle will be used to refine the mixture. The powder mixture is ready to be enjoyed as hot choco! Mascuvado *** cacao, not yet peeled. *** My lola roasting the cacao! *** The peeled cacao...

The tshirt that educates us... In Vigan, you can order these great food without being hurt. Kung gusto mo PATOLA, just say, "Manang gusto ko nang DINENGDENG NA KABATITI or try the delicious Ilocos tortang talong, PUKI-PUKI o baka sabik ka sa freshly picked UTONG, yan ang Ilokano ng sitaw... WAREK WAREK, sisig naman yan.... native garlic abounds! Balicotcha or butong-butong for Ilonggos... Also called same as here, Tableya, a coarse cacao chocolate!  Bagnet, a crispy pata for us here. The difference  between the two is that the bagnet is  dried for two or three days before fying, hence less fat... Chichacorn is a hit... the corn pops like popcorn... chichacorn, up close and personal. onion and garlic tobacco cigars!!! Lastly, i am sorry. Out of excitement of sending some to a friend, I failed to photograph the Longganisa of Vigan... By GERLIE M. UY