I have a habit of taking a contrarian point of view when there are discussions with friends about human nature. There are so many truths other than our own, even if they're hard for us to accept. It requires deepy understanding to achieve empathy towards other people.
In her essay about her failed marriage, and consequently her second marriage and her surprisingly amiable relationship with her ex-husband ("An Affair to Rememer," Vogue, February 2009), Isabel Gillies writes:
I believe in love. I believe in hard times and love winning. I believe marriage is hard. I believe people make mistakes. I believe people can want two things at once. I believe people are selfish and generous at the same time (emphasis mine). I believe very few people want to hurt others. I believe that life can surprise you. I believe in happy endings.
Ms. Gillies succintly expresses my own sentiments. If more people were as forgiving and optimistic as Ms. Gillies, I wouldn't have to argue so much about human nature.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Some Feast at Summer Palace
In my family, occasions are marked with either a Chinese lauriat or a hotel buffet lunch/dinner (There's always a favored hotel at any given time, but what's annoying is it's about someone's privilege card in said hotel, rather than the food.) So it wasn't a suprprise that for our New Year's dinner last night, the family decided on a lauriat at Summer Palace in EDSA Shangri-La. (I love Summer Palace; every meal I've had there had been a real pleasure. But as yet, no lauriat except in wedding receptions.) The advance notice, though, was that this one would be different, largely because of the price tag.
Given said build up, I was quite underwhelmed when I read the menu. There wasn't an item there that was new to me. And many of the courses I've come to expect were missing: fried pigeon, crabs and the perennial starter, the cold cuts.
But then came the food.
Baked Lobster with ginger and spring onion
When my aunt saw that we were each being served individual baby lobsters, she started grumbling. The Chinese, or at least those in my family, have a tendency to be impressed with quantity, so she really wanted to be impressed with a huge single lobster than what was being served. But she was soon appeased by the maitre d', who brought the big lobster she tested during the day. It was tough, dry and not very tasty. My own little lobster was wonderful. It was cooked by the chef with an obvious love for the sea creature, letting the meat shine with just the right amount of help from the ginger, spring onions and light sauce. And the doneness was exactly right, so the meat could be pried out with very little effort.
Steamed fresh scallop stuffed in winter melon in garlic sauce
This dish is a staple in lauriats, but in the cheaper type, the scallop used is the dried variety, which hardly tastes like real scallops in its saltiness and, if undercooked, can be tough to chew. The present scallop wass fresh and ample-sized so that served by itself on the dish, didn't look diminished, but took on the beauty of a well-plated simple French dish. The flavors were familiar and yet so heightened, it felt like eating a new dish altogether.
Braised superior shark's fin
If you're a member of PETA, please don't despise me; I was brought up in a shark's fin-loving culture. In my family, it is prized above almost everything else, but I'd be the first to admit that until now, I'm still not sure if it actually prized for its taste or its perceived value. (I think the same way about caviar, which just tastes salty to me, really. Or truffles, which when comes as a supposed hint in oil, well, I don't know what it does to a dish.)
I've tried many a supposedly superior shark's fin soup, but this was the only one that deserved the superlative. When I saw the morsels in the soup, I was shocked by the sheer size of them. I'm really more used to sporadic strands of fin that you have to look hard to find among the other ingredients. In this soup, there was nothing but fin. All the other ingredients in this soup were so well incorporated into the broth that was so incredibly thick, incredibly deep and rich.
Pan-fried codfish in light soy sauce
I thought this was a really artistic dish. When the meat is good and fresh, there's hardly much one has to do with it, and this codfish commands that respect with its fatty flavors. Just a light batter whose crunchiness contrasted with the flaky tenderness of the fish. Oh and the parsley here could have been decorative but eaten with each bite of fish, gave a real bite.
Braised abalone with sea cucumber and seasonal vegetables
Veterans of lauriats would tell you that abalone is rarely served this way. They are more commonly served sliced thinly and interpersed among mushrooms and sea cucumber. Which is why when the waiter brought in this course in a huge platter, where the abalone and sea cucumber looked like rocks served on a bed of greens--I was entirely shocked. They were huge!
This one tasted more or less like the ones served elsewhere, but the sheer amount of it made it feel worth all the fuss.
Sauteed Beef with walnuts in taro basket
Fried bihon, "Singapore style" and seafood fried rice wrapped in lotus leaves
There's some good sense in serving two carb dishes in a row just when you're about full. You get to savor all the preceding courses leisurely, and if you're still hungry, these will certainly make you feel bloated. But however good they are, you kind of do not care anymore. For me, at least the noodles were not the usual birthday noodles, and I liked the smoky curry flavor; as for the rice wrapped nicely in lotus leaves, I still think Yangzhou fried rice is better.
Steamed egg custard bun and Fried water chestnut pastry
I think Chinese dessert is a bit of an oxymoron. The simplicity of Chinese cooking methods carried over to their dessert preparation makes for uninteresting outcome. The "steamed egg custard bun" is chocolate-swirled siopao bun whose filling is a runny yellow substance that barely tastes like egg custard, and while I'm not sure what a water chestnut is and couldn't taste its essential flavor, at least the fried wrapper had a satisfying crunch.
So was the meal worth the money? You bet.
You can eat simply-cooked live seafood in the ubiquitous dampas or every other Chinese restaurant around. You can still eat the so-called prized items above in moderate portions in the same Chinese places, but they will invariably be cooked and served without care.
Of course there are still things that could've been better in this meal, especially the desserts, but it has reminded me that for all the good things to come together, you have to pay the price.
Given said build up, I was quite underwhelmed when I read the menu. There wasn't an item there that was new to me. And many of the courses I've come to expect were missing: fried pigeon, crabs and the perennial starter, the cold cuts.
But then came the food.
Baked Lobster with ginger and spring onion
When my aunt saw that we were each being served individual baby lobsters, she started grumbling. The Chinese, or at least those in my family, have a tendency to be impressed with quantity, so she really wanted to be impressed with a huge single lobster than what was being served. But she was soon appeased by the maitre d', who brought the big lobster she tested during the day. It was tough, dry and not very tasty. My own little lobster was wonderful. It was cooked by the chef with an obvious love for the sea creature, letting the meat shine with just the right amount of help from the ginger, spring onions and light sauce. And the doneness was exactly right, so the meat could be pried out with very little effort.
Steamed fresh scallop stuffed in winter melon in garlic sauce
This dish is a staple in lauriats, but in the cheaper type, the scallop used is the dried variety, which hardly tastes like real scallops in its saltiness and, if undercooked, can be tough to chew. The present scallop wass fresh and ample-sized so that served by itself on the dish, didn't look diminished, but took on the beauty of a well-plated simple French dish. The flavors were familiar and yet so heightened, it felt like eating a new dish altogether.
Braised superior shark's fin
If you're a member of PETA, please don't despise me; I was brought up in a shark's fin-loving culture. In my family, it is prized above almost everything else, but I'd be the first to admit that until now, I'm still not sure if it actually prized for its taste or its perceived value. (I think the same way about caviar, which just tastes salty to me, really. Or truffles, which when comes as a supposed hint in oil, well, I don't know what it does to a dish.)
I've tried many a supposedly superior shark's fin soup, but this was the only one that deserved the superlative. When I saw the morsels in the soup, I was shocked by the sheer size of them. I'm really more used to sporadic strands of fin that you have to look hard to find among the other ingredients. In this soup, there was nothing but fin. All the other ingredients in this soup were so well incorporated into the broth that was so incredibly thick, incredibly deep and rich.
Pan-fried codfish in light soy sauce
I thought this was a really artistic dish. When the meat is good and fresh, there's hardly much one has to do with it, and this codfish commands that respect with its fatty flavors. Just a light batter whose crunchiness contrasted with the flaky tenderness of the fish. Oh and the parsley here could have been decorative but eaten with each bite of fish, gave a real bite.
Braised abalone with sea cucumber and seasonal vegetables
Veterans of lauriats would tell you that abalone is rarely served this way. They are more commonly served sliced thinly and interpersed among mushrooms and sea cucumber. Which is why when the waiter brought in this course in a huge platter, where the abalone and sea cucumber looked like rocks served on a bed of greens--I was entirely shocked. They were huge!
This one tasted more or less like the ones served elsewhere, but the sheer amount of it made it feel worth all the fuss.
Sauteed Beef with walnuts in taro basket
The superlatives end here. I really would rather have had pigeon at this point, even if I was already quite stuffed. Taro or gabi--along with kamote--is something I don't eat, I really don't know why.
Fried bihon, "Singapore style" and seafood fried rice wrapped in lotus leaves
There's some good sense in serving two carb dishes in a row just when you're about full. You get to savor all the preceding courses leisurely, and if you're still hungry, these will certainly make you feel bloated. But however good they are, you kind of do not care anymore. For me, at least the noodles were not the usual birthday noodles, and I liked the smoky curry flavor; as for the rice wrapped nicely in lotus leaves, I still think Yangzhou fried rice is better.
Steamed egg custard bun and Fried water chestnut pastry
I think Chinese dessert is a bit of an oxymoron. The simplicity of Chinese cooking methods carried over to their dessert preparation makes for uninteresting outcome. The "steamed egg custard bun" is chocolate-swirled siopao bun whose filling is a runny yellow substance that barely tastes like egg custard, and while I'm not sure what a water chestnut is and couldn't taste its essential flavor, at least the fried wrapper had a satisfying crunch.
So was the meal worth the money? You bet.
You can eat simply-cooked live seafood in the ubiquitous dampas or every other Chinese restaurant around. You can still eat the so-called prized items above in moderate portions in the same Chinese places, but they will invariably be cooked and served without care.
Of course there are still things that could've been better in this meal, especially the desserts, but it has reminded me that for all the good things to come together, you have to pay the price.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A Bit of Ruin, Lots of Cheer
One of the pitfalls of having too much fun at your friends' wedding is that you forget you're wearing an off-white jacket, on which you'll discover in the morning stains of wine and others of uncertain provenance. And all you can do is hope that the drycleaners at Manila Pen, still known as the best in the business, would be able to rectify the mistake.
Meanwhile, I'd like to send my congratulations to Erwin and Angie on their very elegant and incredibly heartwarming wedding.
(Jacket by Joey Samson, from a peg by Band of Outsiders; shirt from Tyler; and bowtie from TieLine)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
On Enduring Love
A poem I wrote three years ago came to mind while reading Nothing But You. The title is borrowed from the Ian McEwan novel, but the poem is not inspired by the story.
Enduring Love
Things everywhere
not anymore remarkable
but for being
there—
simply,
not still. They meant
splendor,
once—
good but finally
only human
hearts, the intentions
they can have, then
not keep—
was it failure,
after? Mistake?
No.
It was, as when hold’s
no longer mistaken for
keep, less giving up
than in:
Let pass what must.
Or
Let us note this landscape and still love each other.
Not winter, not come.
Fall.
Go.
You, me,
we both.
We do not lose what we can not lose
and lose again.
Enduring Love
Things everywhere
not anymore remarkable
but for being
there—
simply,
not still. They meant
splendor,
once—
good but finally
only human
hearts, the intentions
they can have, then
not keep—
was it failure,
after? Mistake?
No.
It was, as when hold’s
no longer mistaken for
keep, less giving up
than in:
Let pass what must.
Or
Let us note this landscape and still love each other.
Not winter, not come.
Fall.
Go.
You, me,
we both.
We do not lose what we can not lose
and lose again.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Pre-Valentine Reading 2009
Nothing But You: Love Stories from The New Yorker
Edited by Roger Angell
I have so far read fifteen of the 30-odd stories in this collection, and each story has been a marvel. Not every tale here is about romantic love, which makes it even better. Some great modern and contemporary masters, such as Cheever, O'Hara, Munro, Updike, Marquez, and Nabokov are here. And so are lesser-known writers.
Even just halfway through the book, I can already say I highly recommend it.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Afternoon Snack: Crab Cakes at Apartment 1B
I forgot to take a photo of this delcious dish, which can be described thus: two hefty and moist crab cakes encrusted with crispy potato strips, and served on a bed of salad greens with raspberry vinaigrette.
What a great way to spend a solitary afternoon. Apartment 1B describes its offering as "gourmet comfort food." So comforting, you want to give the chef a hug of gratitude after.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Tigerlily
I love the Tigerlily brand in Debenhams. It has some of the most adorable stuff for toddlers and kids. For Christmas, I got my goddaughter Julianna this faux fur-trimmed shrug/cardigan. Some day in the future, I hope, she will be delighted to see a photo of herself wearing this.
For warmer days, her mom can remove the fur collar and Julianna will still look chic. When it comes to style, it's good to start 'em young.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
From Kyowa to... KingCom?!?
Last April, a few months before the company I work for was acquired by a huge conglomerate, I waxed rhapsodic about Mister Donut Coffee in this entry, and at the same time bemoaned the condition of our coffeemaker.
Today, I am a loyal customer at Cafe Enzo and of their Lavazza Coffee. But shelling out at least P85 for a cup of coffee daily can tax the wallet in the long run. (The world being in recession mode, I want to be more prudent as well.) So I've been thinking of just buying the beans (or grounds) and brewing it myself.
Which brings me to the coffee maker pictured above. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the puny--and Kingcom? Really?--coffee maker that replaced the dilapidated Kyowa unit which I donated years ago.
Did I mention we're now a subsidiary of a huge conglomerate? Believe me, I'm in tears just typing this.
Monday, January 5, 2009
To Give and To Receive
To give...
I loved shopping for presents for my goddaughters at David & Goliath, which is filled with shirts and stuff that feature irreverent and witty one-liners. For Sharlene, who's 14, I got this backpack.
It didn't occur to me that, at 14, she might no longer think that boys are "smelly" or "stupid" or "gross," the adjectives that are interchangeable according to her mood. So I was relieved to know she used the bag immediately for a Tagaytay trip after Christmas.
For six-month old Julianna, I got this shirt that says "Not Listening." I think it's just perfect for infants who are impervious to their parents' scolding.
To receive...
I'm not sure how I got the reputation for being a difficult person to find gifts for, but these two friends below gave me useful things which I love.
From Marilen, a "devil cup cap" that adds a little whimsy to the otherwise plain duo of jug and glass in my room.
And from Mona, something to keep me from littering the streets with cigarette butts.
And from myself, a pair of white shoes from Pedro. Actually an impulse buy, but Christmas is the best excuse to give yourself something, anything.
I loved shopping for presents for my goddaughters at David & Goliath, which is filled with shirts and stuff that feature irreverent and witty one-liners. For Sharlene, who's 14, I got this backpack.
It didn't occur to me that, at 14, she might no longer think that boys are "smelly" or "stupid" or "gross," the adjectives that are interchangeable according to her mood. So I was relieved to know she used the bag immediately for a Tagaytay trip after Christmas.
For six-month old Julianna, I got this shirt that says "Not Listening." I think it's just perfect for infants who are impervious to their parents' scolding.
To receive...
I'm not sure how I got the reputation for being a difficult person to find gifts for, but these two friends below gave me useful things which I love.
From Marilen, a "devil cup cap" that adds a little whimsy to the otherwise plain duo of jug and glass in my room.
And from Mona, something to keep me from littering the streets with cigarette butts.
And from myself, a pair of white shoes from Pedro. Actually an impulse buy, but Christmas is the best excuse to give yourself something, anything.
My 2008 in Receipts
I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year, first of all. I hope that 2009 will be all about good things for all you.
Meanwhile, after a year's worth of receipts, invitations and mementos had been tacked onto its pages, this is how my 2008 Moleskine planner looks like. I'd like to think that I'd go back to it some day and remember my purchases and activities with perfect fondness.
And it feels nicely circular that the last receipt in my '08 planner is for my new Moleskine notebook, which I hope will be filled with good memories and new knowledge and, hopefully, some wisdom.
Again, my best new year's wishes to all!
Meanwhile, after a year's worth of receipts, invitations and mementos had been tacked onto its pages, this is how my 2008 Moleskine planner looks like. I'd like to think that I'd go back to it some day and remember my purchases and activities with perfect fondness.
And it feels nicely circular that the last receipt in my '08 planner is for my new Moleskine notebook, which I hope will be filled with good memories and new knowledge and, hopefully, some wisdom.
Again, my best new year's wishes to all!
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