I don't blog often but when I do, it seems I overdo it as you'll see from this very long post.
I miss pinoy food.
You reader. You, who reside in Manila, who have easy access to places like dampa and authentic green mangoes. I envy you. This week, I had a mad craving for all things pinoy. I believe that I have reached the stage where I've begun to start missing home and everything (positive) it has to offer. But, most importantly, I miss the Philippines' oh so glorious food. Thinking of dampa (the original one by the airport), despite the smell of public transportation mixed in with the lingering stench of the nearby wet market, never fails to leave me wistful and longing.
The other day, on Mica's last night before heading off for two weeks, she made me pork sinigang. People who know me know I am not the biggest fan of pork. But OMG. All previous I-don't-like-pork hullaballoos flew out the kitchen window and I drank that broth down. Despite all that, I was still left unsatisfied and needed another fix. I needed a bigger meal. This afternoon, after my haircut (more on this later) in the east village, I went around the corner where there was a pinoy "turo-turo" place and picked up a halo-halo. I've known about this place before but Rann, who happened to work right across the street from this, said the food was no good. I didn't care. I was willing to spend $5.50 on a regular sized halo-halo even if I knew Coolman Halo Halo stands in Manila malls could give me better versions (and I was right). I grabbed a takeout menu and browsed through their offerings and saw tapsilog was $8.95!!!! The halo-halo was not mind blowing and I will only go back if I'm too lazy to travel to Queens for the good stuff.
Last week, me and Mica decided to check out Kuma Inn at the lower east side. I read about it in yelp and it's gotten a lot of rave reviews from, surprisingly, non-filipinos. The restaurant concept was simple. They didn't have appetizers but served only tapas style pinoy and thai inspired dishes. We were curious so we went.
WE HATED IT.
We should have known that the absence of a Filipino crowd was a sign that there was nothing authentic about it at all. These white people who come flocking through their small doors need to know that is NOT how Filipinos eat. It was ridiculous and overpriced and they shall not see us again.
I went to Queens today to visit Omee again and when tita Chon called Omar on her way home saying that she was going to the filipino store on Roosevelt, I was yelling "SAMA AKOOOO!!!" over the phone so she could hear me. I bought more boy bawang, sardines, another tub of leche flan, pandesal and corned beef. I was with Tita Chon, Tito Mo, Nana and Omee. I told them I had a mad craving for pinoy food and that I wanted to go to Engelines to eat. Nana was hesitant at first saying that she'd rather just cook at home than spend out again but when I said I was paying, tita Chon enthusiastically said "Halika na! Manlilibre na si Kari!" Walking to the restaurant, Tita Chon looks at nana and says, "Alam mo na oorderin mo ano?" Nana smiles, "Crispy Pata." I won't go on and on. We had fried galunggong, beef sinigang, pork bbq, kare kare, and crispy pata. HOMAYLULLABY! The crispy pata was FANBLOODYTASTIC. Again, my resistance to pork has temporarily been suspended and I ripped through that thing like a lion skinning a zebra. It was perfect. Crispy on the outside but tender enough on the inside that you didn't need a knife because the meat was falling off the bones!!! We ate our meal in silence and I even ordered pancit malabon to take home with me. That place serves the best pinoy food in NY so far and I will be coming back soon. Mica is already upset that I went without her.
I'm still drooling just thinking about it.
So anyway, I finally made time to get a haircut today. My hair has gotten ridiculously long and am starting to shed a LOT of hair. Angel ran her hand over my bed once and said, "OMG Kars, are you ok? You're losing a lot of hair!" I blame work stress and lack of sleep but this usually happens when it's time for a haircut. I don't have a photo to show you but I had it cut back to how it was back in 2007. Will have a photo for you next week....
Which leads me to my next announcement.
I've been holding off announcing this because I didn't want to jinx it and plans didn't become final until very recently. After a year, I am finally going on a (albeit very short) VACATION. It's only four days but it's all I could manage to get what with all the new people in the restaurant that still cannot be left alone and only Paul to carry them through service. When Lily told me she can give me my days off (sacrificing her day only day off that week!) I wanted to start screaming. Mica did the screaming for me though since I am going to where she's currently at. Where?
Well, I'm going to Martha's Vineyard :p
I have an affinity for Martha's Vineyard mostly because of the movie Sabrina. In the Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, Julia Ormond version, the vineyard is where Ford takes Ormond's Sabrina to keep her away from David (Kinnear). I must have seen this movie a hundred times and I love the scenes they spend biking on the streets of MV, taking photos of lighthouses and ending the day with wine, cheese and bread on the beach. MV is also famous for being a top vacation spot for celebrities and politicians alike. President Obama just recently came back from a trip to MV and the Kennedy's are known to spend summers there as well.
Vacationing in MV is not cheap. Summer lodging costs around $250 a night for the
cheapest room which leads me to my next lucky strike. I'll be staying with Mica for free!!! She is there for a short dance camp kind of thing, teaching a seasonal dance class for locals.
I've been stressing about this trip for a while but I'm finally getting hyped up for it. I'm going to port authority bus terminal tomorrow so I can buy advance tickets since I don't want to go too early to fall in line for my 7am departure Monday morning. It will be a loooong trip to the island, about 6-7 hours on the bus plus another hour on the ferry. It will long and tiring but it will be worth it. I haven't gone on a trip in a long time and it's time I did something for myself.
Expect photos to be posted late (what else is new?) since I am diving to work as soon as I get back but I promise to share my trip with all of you.
Mica texted me early morning yesterday asking to have some of the bangus I had in the freezer and that got me craving for bangus myself. Instead of the usual fried fish however, I decided to put a slight spin on my meal by cooking it like sisig, with onions, garlic and chili. I haven't had bangus sisig since 2008 back in Manila. Might have been late at night with Jammi after a closing shift at TPC Fort or after a late night drinking sloshfest with my Pilar buddies. I've missed eating at Gourmet, a late night cantina in the middle of BF Homes. If I ever find myself back home again, I shall pay a visit to this little hole in the wall.
I'd like to assume that Taco is sleeping off his Friday in preparation for a sleepless yet exciting weekend ahead of him. But really, it's me who's about to get no sleep this weekend. Nothing to complain about though. Vien and I have been excited for tonight's event. My fabulous Tita B from the UK, scored both of us tickets to Sleep No More, an interactive theater performance. I've been hearing and reading so much about it and I can't quite contain my excitement.
