BON APPETIT: ARE YOU EATING IT?

It was a typical ordinary night when I met a friend of mine in Tandang Sora entrance. My travel was a good worth of 2 hours and 4 rides. It was the very first time that I commuted going to the place, thank God that I know how to at least get an FX (an air conditioned PUV) ride that would have its route in Commonwealth.

After getting off to the place my friend instructed, with the assistance of the driver telling me that its already Tandang Sora, I made a very scary walk to the over pass foot bridge. Well, scary for me since I am very much afraid of heights, and the bridge, I describe it as so open, incomparable to the foot bridge I used to walk when I was in college in Espana-Morayta area, which was close and not as scary since it's made of concrete, unlike this one that is made of very thin scraps of metals. After the vertigo walk, finally I was on the other side.

The friend waited for me at 711 convenient store who was there already ahead of me for a few minutes. He was kinda in a hurry for us to leave and have another ride but I stopped him. Told him, hey let's have some here, then I pointed out the balut and penoy vendor.

Had my first pick on the penoy and asked my friend to join and help himself up. I ate penoy before, but as I remember then, it was having some soupy part inside so I was not expecting to eat something that was similar to a plain hard boiled egg. Wanting some "egg soup", I had my next pick on the hotter balut, yummy, I said. Had two of 'em, and my friend picked another balut after his penoy and I paid. The balut was like the average one but I was wishing for like something having a smaller chick. At any rate, at the end of my second one, I paid up and told ate (big sister literally, but this time, referring to the vendor) that she should be thankful that I really love balut.

While walking, me and the friend had a talk about street foods. Told him that I tolerate almost everything in native street food except a few ones like helmet (chicken head), adidas (chicken foot), and others. For as long as I know they are clean when prepared, I am eating most of 'em.

My friend mentioned to me, the ones that he thinks he's not able to eat are those that were cooked on dirty surroundings, like the typical street foods but the catch is they are being sold in Quiapo (how sad, the blog's name origin is being synonymous for what is dirty).


Speaking of unconventional food (that depends on what is your cultural background), this weekend, I have watched some entries over youtube.com of some episodes of Bizarre Foods. This show is being hosted by Andrew Zimmern who is a chef at the same time a food critic. This show is like a travelogue that focuses on the documentary of foods that are new to the sound and the sight, and in some ways unique, and sometimes also scary to eat, for a foreigner.

This episode I watched is where Andrew travels to the Philippines to document some of Philippine's gastronomic culture and he featured a lot of local foods, weird sounding, looking and tasting for the Westerners. They featured a lot of my faves, not so faves and definitely some that "I ain't eating." See it for yourself (thanks youtube.com):













Andrew says, "if it looks good, eat it," I say "not everything looking good is good tasting and not everything unpleasant looking are bad tasting."

RANDOM THOUGHT: THE TALE OF A GROWTH ENHANCING MILK

Greetings Fellows!

Well Christmas is coming and we are noticing the cold mornings here in the Manila.

Little Quiapo is again in the nostalgia lane and have found a blog that most of us might enjoy, here it is:

www.nostalgiamanila.blogspot.com

There is a bunch of materials there that for sure we can enjoy. Many might wonder why a lot of us are being entertained by this type of materials. Well I think these things help us to rekindle our lost innocence (hehehe!).

At any rate, speaking of Peter Pan fantasy (the dream of being forever young), I found this video link in you tube of the Philippine Movies' wonder boy, none other that Nino Muhlach.

At this video, we see him promoting the milk brand Milk Maid (the condensed milk I think, which I very much like to put on top of my bread).




I wonder if people have thought of suing Milk Maid for false advertisement. Evidently, this ad says that the milk promotes growth of children. What happened to Nino?

Truth in advertising?

TINY THOUGHT: SAVAGES IN US

Hello again Fellows!


Two Saturdays ago, I made a walk in the memory lane of the Philippine movie classics and watched in full length Oro, Plata, Mata (Gold, Silver Death).

Though I missed a 10 minuter part (since a repeated scene has been put on the part where the next scene is supposed to be seen), what I watched is enough. I was surprised finding the movie available in youtube.com to be watched for free.

As a former communications student, dealing a lot with films, I've been tied to watching film classics. I tried to find this film over the pirated DVD market in Quiapo but failed to have a copy of it.

I even became bolder and being willing to pay a little extra amount to buy it. I tried to search for it in several legitimate video stores of VIVA (the production outfit), but failed to find a copy.

After years of looking for this 80's masterpiece of Peque Gallaga, I was ecstatic to find it available online.

I've been moved by scene after scene of this. As a person addicted on the Philippine bygone era, when Spanish was still a popular tongue then, I had my eyes and ears dedicated while watching the film.

There is a scene there that really moved me and made me think, are we as human beings able to do such savagery?











We are.

Look at what happened recently in Maguindanao. What are we?

PERSONAL: 15TH YEAR ANNIV OF BROWNMAN, PISSED OFF AT 70'S BISTRO'S SVC THOUGH

Hello Fellows!

I should have posted about this event long time earlier since I attended this event two Saturdays ago(December 29). The friend who treated my drinks, fudams (pulutan/ food) just uploaded this photo on one of the popular friend-photo networking sites.

Sound is great since it really feels relaxing to listen to their music which is reggae based. This type of music can be defined as an easy-listen genre though it is also classified as alternative. Reggae basically makes you feel tropical island (which Philippines is) mood, friendly and promoting the rasta culture (doobie, doobie, hehehe!!!).

Its the first time that visit that bar. I've been hearing the place since the last years of my college days and been wanting to visit it since as what I've heard, they cater a lot with non-mainstream bands and artists like Noel Cabangon, the Jerks and others. Plus, drinks are so inexpensive, fitted to someone who lives a counter-culture life then. But I never really had a chance to go there at those years.

The chance happened seven years after college. This friend of mine promised to foot the bill on this meet after a long while since we have last seen each other, anyway, she's the one who earns a lot. Door charge is fine, I think its PHP150. I sat with my friend along with her two other companions who were there hours before I arrived.

When I arrived, the show was just starting. Music and performance is A-okay, as we could expect to a reggae band (so far they are the most popular of this genre at this point in time locally).

What didn't impress me is the place itself. Although I am actually been on bars, much much working class friendly than this one, but this one is something you can level at the bottom, even if the door charge and their drinks are inexpensive.

The place itself, you cannot even determine that there is an air conditioning system. I dunno whether they are working or not. The place is so close without having visible windows that could give ventilation. Well, I said to myself, its fine, I've been on places much worse that this. At least they have pop performers on stage and their drinks are cheap.

But the thing that can really piss you off is the service of their crews. They made you wait and wait on orders you are expecting and they promised. My friend ordered some beer and ice for our table. In the beginning, service was satisfactory since they arrive in 10 minutes. But on the last order, its what you call an unforgivable thing a waiter can do.

Waiters should be there to wait for customers, but they do not have the right to make the customers wait unreasonably for their orders. We ordered our beers five times to a waiter, followed up on another , waited for an hour, taking reasons that beers just arrived, ice weren't bought yet, and all. After an hour and another follow up, nearing the end of Brownman's performance. we were told that there were no bottles left yet, WTF!

What kind of service is this? I really love the bar's marketing and remaining focus on its target followers (audience), but please, can you do something on your service? We're not just there to watch the performers, we want the booze as well and I would appreciate if they would come after a reasonable amount of time wait, if you do not have it, give customers options or just tell it to 'em straight to the face that you do not have it, we'll appreciate your honesty.

I wish you fire all those waiters responsible for such a shitty service to our table that night. They do not know their job, better yet for them to stop working there.

70's Bistro, you are great in marketing and your performers are superb, can we complement it with at least a satisfactory kind of service?

And for your service crews, you are the perfect exemplification of the "puwede na" (that'll do) culture. You are a disgrace of the service industry in the country. You do not reflect the the Filipino's unique and genuine tradition of hospitality.

Get your act together!

PROCLAMATION 1959, IS THIS JUST A PRELUDE TO A BIGGER DARKENESS?

When I was a kid(I was 6 or 7 then if I remember it right), I've openly asked at my late aunt's sala (living room) what is martial law. My cousin, her daughter, who was at high school then answered me that it means that it is forbidden to talk. If I remember it right then, that time the radio announcer was having a commentary about martial law's declaration and the possibility that it would be declared again. My innocent self terrified at my cousin's reply to my question since I was known then to be very talkative, being natural for me as a kid since I tend to question a lot due to curiosity. This childhood nightmare of mine came alive in flesh just recently.

*****

Almost two weeks after the mass killing of innocent civilians, politicians and journalists, the Malacanan Palace made its formal declaration of Martial Law in the entire Maguindanao Province on Saturday, the fifth of December.

This led to warrantless arrests of several personalities especially members of the Ampatuan clan who mostly hold high executive and legislative positions over the province. They were eyed to be the perpetrators for the said massive bloodbath along with some members of police, rank and file government employees and a large number of private armies by the clan tagged as Civilian Volunteer Organization.

Investigations of the national army led to the discovery of hidden fire arms in places that are said to be connected either to the Ampatuans or the CVO. It is also said by several reports that the said armed groups hostile to the government can reach up to more than 2,000 individuals.

Government officials are convincing people that this is a different form of martial law and the people shouldn't be afraid of it. To sugarcoat it, they even encourage media coverage of arrests, searches and other operations by the military. It is said that this will assure transparency and avoid various violations of human rights.

*****

Whatever it is the intention of the Manila government on the declaration of Martial Law, some of us are not forgetting the memories of the past. A lot of us are questioning, is this just a dry run of a bigger thing to happen?



There are reports on television already out of anonymous text messages that there are members of the military who are forcing entrance to houses, violently confiscating goods such as rice, and up to molesting women. The veracity of this particular report is still in question but why is that residents are fleeing already out of the the province? Even local commerce if affected by the take over and business establishments suspended their day to day operations.




If the military is playing the role of the savior, why are the locals so terrified of them taking over the province?

*****

Also a lot of speculations are coming out of the martial law declaration.

*****

One theory is that the Arroyo administration declared it in order to have the killings be elevated to the level of rebellion. It is said that this is a move to save the suspects from the crime of mass murder since the rebellion charge does not have too much merit and it could easily get dissolved and have them free as a bird right after the blood bath.



The Ampatuans who are the current main suspects of the military are known to be a loyal ally of the administration. It has been reported that they have all the ingredients a TRAPO could have: GUNS- see the massive number of ammunition found near the grounds of the residence of one of them, GOONS- the more than two thousand private armies they have and GOLD- look at the several palatial mansions they built despite the spread of poverty in their constituents (they are a third class province, as per the reports).


People from the side of the opposition are pointing that they are the ones who are behind the alleged massive cheating in the Mindanao region during the 2004 Presidential Election (do not forget the Hello Garci Gate Scandal).

an artist's work we found over the internet:

It may be possible that this is an I cover your ass, you cover my ass move.

*****

Another theory, and this is much frightening, this is just a showcase of what the current administration can do to the whole country.

Stepping back forty years ago, can we remember the scenarios that happened before the declaration of the 1972 Martial Law? Due to the massive protests and oppositions against Ferdinand Marcos' administration, spread of violence and terror occurred.

The Plaza Miranda Bombing and several ambush attempts to government officials led to the declaration of Proclamation 1081.

And the rest is history...

*****

Whatever it is, we as a people should be guarding ourselves. Or else, a curse. We are a nation that is very notorious for being forgetful of the past. And as George Santayana put it: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

picture of Adolf Hitler

picture of former President Ferdinand Marcos and some artists' work we found over the internet (particulatry kilusan.net and others), we say these people are so creative.

TINY THOUGHT: IS THIS A FASHION PROPHECY OR WHAT?

I just noticed that in the movie Igorota (featured on the previous post), it made some fashion forcast at that time.


As we observe on the movie clip that was posted previously, all the glamour girls (the "society bitches") was all dressed up in mini skirts and probably clogs, fashion items reflecting the 60's.

But the heroine played by Charito Solis was dressed up in a dress with symmetrical stripes pattern on its print (or knit, whatever).

This kind of clothing became a boom on the next generation, the late 70's disco era (which was the time of Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos, Annie Batumbakal, Studio 54 and probably Charlie's Angels as well).

Is that trend inspired by this movie? Or is it mainly coincidence? I wonder...