Reliving my salad days

"My salad days / When I was green in judgment: cold in blood..."
-Cleopatra （Antony and Cleopatra, Act 1, Scene V）

* * *

According to Merry and Websty, the origin of the word 'salad' can be traced back to the Latin 'sal', which means salt.  The earliest salads were seasoned with-- you guessed it-- salt.

* * *

My two Salad Rules are:
1. At least three colors are present.
2. One of those colors should be green.

Then I try to apply the five-taste-rule in Korean cooking: bitter, salty, sweet, sour, and hot tastes should all be present in a dish to make it balanced.

* * *

"Eat cress and gain wit." (Greek proverb)

Last Day 18

Mango coated with chili soybean paste + carrot + nori + peanuts

Last Day 19

The recipe for Cyma's Roka Salata (Greek rocket salad) can be found here.

Mestisang yogart / Takaw sa taco

Mestisang Yogart

May matangkad na Greko
Na bumisita sa preso
Natipuhan ng isang Pilipino
At pinakilala sa kanyang apo
Na bumisita rin sa preso

Mahinhin na dalagita
Ang gusto ng banyaga
So nag-date sila sa Luneta
At nagholding-hands pa
Sa ilalim ng mangga

Isang taon ang lumipas
Nagpakasal din sa wakas
Ang nagmamahalang si Tomas
At si Annalyn Bagasbas
Sa simbahan sa Batangas

Isang araw, may naka-realize
Na pinsan ni Lynlyn na si Lyz
Na marami palang sinabing lies
Itong si Tomas na mukhang plays (English: "pliers")
Na minsan ay mukha 'ring katol

Pero bago sila maghiwalay
May isang araw na sila'y sumablay
Dahil itong si Lynlyn na mahalay
Ay gusto palang maging nanay
So nagpabuntis siya kay Tomay

Mestisong bata ang lumabas
Crush ng bayan itong si Kulas
Kaso di niya alam ang panglunas
Sa kanyang pusong butas
Na di kayang takpan maski ng bayabas

So nagtangka ang bonitong mestiso
Na pumunta sa kabilang dako
Nang sa kanya may nagpayo
Na isa ring mestisong gwapo
(Na anak ng maitim na Kano)

Sayang beauty mo sister, sabi niya
Sumama ka nalang sa akin sa Maynila
At doon tayo magpakaganda!
Di tayo bagay maging Shanna
Dahil, hello, mukha tayong artista!

Napangiti si Kulas ng malaki
Kasi finally sa kanya may nakaintindi
Na kapwang magandang lalaki
Na feel din na siya'y pwedeng-pwede
Maging isang BB Gandanghari!

So nagpaparty si Kulas sa kanila
Dahil sa wakas alam na niya
Na siya pala ay isang bakla
And buti cool din si Mama
Na ang anak nya'y maging mestisa


Last Day 3

Ang mestisang yogart: maganda sa mata, maganda sa tiyan.

* * *

Takaw sa taco

'Pag pagod ka na sa katatakbo

Posibleng makaubos ka ng taco 

Sa loob ng limang minuto

Gaya ko

('Yun lang!)

Last Day 4

Magpasalamat ka at sinakop tayo ng iba't ibang bansa.

Street Food Friday

DAY 12

I was caught up in the Friday Rush running all sorts of errands that I wasn't able to make my own dinner.  I stayed for an extra hour at the office to finish a last-minute research assignment, went window-shopping for a track suit to wear as a costume at our next event, and bought microwaveable popcorn at the grocery for our weekend beach trip.

Since I was already in Cubao, I thought I should pay a visit to Manang who sells the best bagoong I have ever tasted in my entire life.

Manang's stall is in Cubao Expo (formerly Marikina Shoe Expo) at the exit end of the horseshoe-shaped driveway.  I discovered her tasty bagoong six years ago while hunting for vintage Playboy magazines in the shops there.  When I gushed about how delicious it was, she proudly shared that one of her loyal customers regularly brings bottles of her bagoong to relatives in the States.

What makes Manang's bagoong very special is the unique combination of sugar, sili, and garlic.  Lots and lots of garlic!

I bought two bottles for my officemate, one bottle for me, and 20 pesos worth of mangga and bagoong.

Filipino street food at its quintessential finest

From Cubao Expo, I made a beeline for the lower ground level of SM.  In front of the supermarket is a kiosk named Abuy Taste of China.  It sells only five things: bottled water, black gulaman, hong-ma (braised pork hock), beef brisket, and Chinese fresh lumpia.  I ordered a lumpia.  The servers always ask you if you want garlic in your lumpia or not.  I love garlic so I always say yes.

All-vegetable goodness (no MSG, too)

Garlic is beloved for its pungent flavor as well as the sharp taste it gives to a dish.  The superstitious believes it wards off vampires.  The practical knows that it turns off dates.

I sat down at an empty table, took out the mangga and bagoong from my shopping bag, and enjoyed my garlicky feast.

Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Salad

DAY 11

I confess I got carried away with the knife and just threw everything I can get my hands on, literally.

First, there was the ripe mango I rejected last night, cooling its heels (er, cheeks?) in the ref, already diced and ready for action.  I placed it in a bowl and mixed in a teaspoon of chili soybean paste.

Then I sliced a red bell pepper into strips and an onion into rings.

Then added a bit of peppered cheese from Holland that I got as a pasalubong.

The only decision I really put some analytical thought into is the addition of raisins to the rest of the gang.  I thought I may have put a little more of the chili paste than what was needed so I threw in something sugary to combat the heat.  Fight!

Happy Random Salad Day to you, too.

Tonight I celebrate my love... for veggies

DAY 6

Weekend is here! So I thought I'd treat myself to two spicy dishes: mango ensalada* and eggplant with extra hot bagoong.

For the ensalada, I chopped a ripe mango, two tomatoes, and one white onion, tossed them in a bowl, and seasoned the whole thing with salt and pepper. Easy!

Ensalada reminds me of summer days.

The eggplant dish took a little longer to prepare (but not that long).  First, I broiled an eggplant over the stove fire.  The skin of the eggplant had to be pricked with a fork to allow moisture to escape through when the vegetable is heated.  After it becomes cooked and soft on the inside, I peeled the skin off, chopped it and in a bowl, mixed it with spicy bagoong and white vinegar.

Yum-mmmy!

_______
 *Ensalada is just Spanish for salad.