FOOD INC.

I just saw this documentary today, while  thawing frozen burger patties and snacking on imported corn chips with bottled cheese dip.  This documentary will either enrage you, frighten you or let you develop a conscience when it comes to buying and cooking food.

I know many will say that it's a food documentary that affects Americans, not us. But realizing that the WTO does not limit nor regulate what is imported here in the Philippines is all the more scary.

Recently, a number of sports drinks were recalled by the Philippine Department of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA, formerly BFAD) for containing DEHP, a plasticizer, a biochemical component  commonly used in concretes and plastics to make them more fluid and pliable. In drinks, they are used to make the drink more "cloudy", even if the endocrine-destroying chemical is not of food grade level. One of the most common plasticizer is the epoxidized soybean oil (used to replace palm oil in most food ingredients). I woudn't be surprised if Monsanto, one of the establishments criticised in the documentary is the main global producer of this product. After all, they created the GMO soy bean.

This blog could easily be criticised as a gullible reaction to some paranoid, conspiracy theorists. Hysteric even. But all you just have to do is read the label of the food product right beside you. Unless you're an organic freak, most probably you'll read through a list of ingredients you can't even say out loud. 

I say, since I've probably been eating genetically modified crap that will eventually kill me (not to mention my smoking), I want to spend my remaining days pain-free and happy with what I eat.

Food Find: Fried Siopao

I have posting like crazy these past few hours, making up for lost blogging time during the busy monthy of May.

This is the last of my posts for at least the next 72 hours (and hopefully my next post will include a recipe).

I discovered this about a month ago while doing some shopping at 'Market! Market!' for work (yep, some of my work requires me to shop. Unfortunately, I don't get to shop for myself). I was hungry and wanted to eat near a smoking area so I didn't have to walk far. And I saw the DEC stall, thinking that I will just have a shake. But then in the estante (glass display case), I saw edible stuff that I am cosmically drawn to... fried food!

 

 And sittng on one of the foiled melamine trays was a promising food experience- the fried siopao.

So I got myself some ad took home a couple for A. to snack on.

The bun had a crispy outer skin and the inner dough was a little chewy but I couldn't really complain, it was selling just for P15 a piece. Like many commercially made buns, the filling was not a hefty serving but the sweet and slightly salty, red shredded pork asado was tasty enough for me to finish a bun.

Like the steamed siopao variety, this is best enjoyed warm and not reheated.

MAY ASIM PA... ANG MANGGA NI MANG LITO!

Was in UP the other day.

 

Of the many places I visit every time I'm in the campus is the Shopping Center, if only to buy the green mangoes sold by Manong Lito.

I have been buying green mangoes from him for twenty or so years. But it was only three days ago that I asked his name. So as some sort of quasi-tribute to one of the silent witnesses of my youth, here's Manong Lito and his sour, green mangoes.

UPWARD MOBILITY AND ANGELO'S VERSION OF THE UPLAND DRESSING

I was once told that, "It's just a job."

I heard this line after one TV show I was writing for had stopped airing. I am a newbie at TV writing and I left my corporate life so I could write...

...about food like  kalabaw lugaw (porridge with water buffalo meat) sold  from the lowly karinderia (street food stall) and the expensive Wagyu Beef cooked on volcanic rocks served in upscale restaurants.

I just want to write.

About kids with learning disabilities and how the world treats them like they will never be able to contribute to society.

I just want to write. 

About all the crazy shit stuck inside my head, from the crazy tikbalang afraid to make friends to the two menopausing women conversing about abortion on their way to Quiapo to the sub-atomic sized letters that make up a world brought alive by the continued narrative told by these letters when they are linked. 

I really, really just want to write.

My days of upward mobility are gone. Job titles don't appeal to me anymore. Doing a good job and contentment in what I do are what's important to me now. This is something I tried to share with my younger brother, Angelo, when we were discussing his career path in the culinary and hospitality industries. He couldn't quite picture what I meant when I said job titles shouldn't matter. But I guess that's him being a product of the era of labels, the time of technology.

Good thing that he has his own passions. Cooking being one of them, I tried to explain my new work philosophy to him using the cooking analogy.

One of the lowest positions in the modern kitchen is that of the garde manger or pantry chef who is in charge of the cold foods including the pates, cold appetizers and salads. But when a meal starts with the salad, it becomes the garde manger's job to make sure that the meal becomes a success right from the start. A badly dressed salad can make a meal the epic fail that you don't want it to be.  

Whatever your station is in life or the kitchen line, it's always important to do the best work, one that you can be proud of.

So after sharing that analogy, we went on to make a dressing based on Cafe by the Ruins' upland dressing. My brother made some adjustments to suit his taste. So, here it is.

UPLAND DRESSING
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
2 tbsp honey (or brown sugar)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsps finely pressed garlic (or finely minced garlic)
1/2 cup corn oil (the aroma of any other kind of oil does not go well with this patis flavored dressing)

 Toast the sesame seeds. Mix in the lemon juice, patis, honey and garlic. Incorporate corn oil by pouring it as you whisk the liquid briskly. (If you want to do it faster, pour all the liquids in an airtight bottle, and shake vigorously). Add the sesame seeds just before serving.

 Serve with lettuce, arugula, halved seedless grapes, tomatoes and cucumber. I find that this goes well with salads that don't have any meat in it.

It's my Knife!

I know... I know... paraphrasing the Bon Jovi song, "It's My Life" will surely date me but I don't care. I've got my Tramontina knives.  I discovered them while looking for a good knife for my brother, Angelo, who is a culinary student.

 The ones I got were from the Onix collection, made of stainless steel. It's supposedly  heat-proof and non-stick but what I really like about it is it's light weight and perfect for my small female Asian hands.

Often, we think that just because a knife is heavy, it's top quality and the best for use in the kitchen.

While my knives may be perfect for me, they may be too small or lightweight for heavier built cooks.   My rule of thumb when buying knives is "to each his own". It should fit into your hand comfortably and should weigh just enough so your hand muscles don't get strained after long hours of prep work. 

If you haven't found  the right knife yet, happy hunting!

Food find: Leche flan cake

Waiting for the Kung Fu Panda movie screening to start at the New Eastwood Mall left me and my friends time to window shop. But instead of  the usual shoes and shirts, we window shopped the products of the Weekend Gourmet Market. And I shouldn't even use the term 'window shop' is the wrong word as the booths are mainly made up of one-meter tables.  

There was a lot to see and sample, including sugar-free Brazo de Mercedes and Russian Cookies, but  I chose to buy a Leche Flan Cake. 

Here's my midnight snack after  seeing the Panda save China and achieve inner peace at the same time.

 

FOOD FIND: FRUITY BANGUS AT PUERTO DEL SOL, BOLINAO, PANGASINAN

One of the perks of my current jobs is that I get to go places, meet interesting people and taste very creative dishes. In a recent trip to Puerto Del Sol in Bolinao, Pangasinan I tasted this refreshing and healthy concoction made by the resort Chef, Fruity Bangus. The boneless bangus belly is used as a wrap fro local fruits like mangoes and pineapple. To cook it, the wrap is simply steamed. The resulting flavor is similar to the Paksiw  na Bangus (bangus slow-cooked in vinegar and spices) but you also taste the natural sweetness of the fruits used.