Remarks on Mark Bittman on TED

I’ve been a fan on viewing videos created in TED, which is an invite only convention of 1,000 remarkable people in the field of technology, entertainment and design.

Above: Mark Bittman talks on TED

Though I agree with Mark that indeed man can live on vegetables alone. There are some people, like me, who is totally programmed to drool and crave for pork cracklings and melt-in-your-mouth steak.

Alas, the age-old adage of the real pursuit of food happiness is to eat everything in moderation indeed is true. Americans eat thrice or more than what Asians eat and are consistently happy. Remember the documentary Supersize Me?

Another key is to use and treat ingredients with respect. Respect their seasons, their habitat, their limitations and their flavors. I have always cringed at artificially concocted products and I think – forever will.

Lastly, be picky and enjoy the food. Stuffing oneself with whatever food that comes their way gets to be a bad habit. This definetely includes fast food. Though it is somewhat elitist to be choosy, I think it trains your palate to choose flavors that suits you and increases your standards for better fare (Have you noticed why organic veggies taste better than commercially pesticide ridden ones and why a home-made burger patty tastes better than the ones at McDonalds?)

Enjoy quality fare. Respect the ingredients. Moderation. We and the cows would all live happier.

Reinventing the Mass

Mass (Picture from farm4.static.flickr.com)

This has nothing to do with food. But I had a realization when it comes to forms of worship, especially for the Catholic church. It occurred to me that an hour of mass or even 15-minutes for the daily rosary turns into a ritualistic tradition that gets boring. It was a Purple Cow after revising the age-old Latin procedure, but now – it’s so ordinary, so predictable. If the Church wants to grab the attention of its future consumers, the youth, it needs to reinvent itself.

Have you ever wondered why after watching a very good movie for 2 hours, it doesn’t bother you? Same with eating with friends in a great restaurant with delicious food for 3-5 hours. Or even playing video games for 24 hours straight.

Why can’t our minds stay still in mass for an hour, participate, and go out and buzzing about it after?

If the Church wants to motivate people, especially the kids (not just with the kid’s parents forcing it on them), they need to deliver something different. A great sermon perhaps? A visiting artist singing opera? A change with the mass practice? El Shaddai is doing it. Some Christian chuch groups are doing it. Kids nowadays have less time on their hands and providing the same old-show they already know on an annual scale provides the same old response – boredom and apathy.

Entertaining at Home: Baguio and Andok’s

Had to cook for 25 hungry people during our visit to Baguio and seeing the weather wasn’t cooperating with us, we all agreed to dine in our quaint cottage near the Club. I prepared a couple of side dishes that were perfect accompaniments to the prepared roasted products procured from a nearby grill chain.

Yup, that’s actually Andok’s Lechon Manok.

As far as I know and can taste, there isn’t nothing wrong with Andok’s Rotisserie Chicken and is a far cry in terms of flavor and health concerns compared to regular fast food chain chicken. Baguio had the perfect atmosphere for roast foodstuff and I couldn’t let 25 hungry folks wait for their dinner, now would I? The chicken above was served with oven-roasted Parmesan and Paprika Potato Wedges and drizzled with the liver sauce that accompanies the chicken.

Above: Pork BBQ skewers with Buttered Asparagus and Carrots

Entertaining at home is easy. Procure some delicious foodstuffs some could be your main course or even your side dishes, serve in a nice platter, then plate with your own food creation and garnish. Garnishes can range from a sprig of rosemary, ribbons of parsley, or even lemon wedges. Above is Andok’s BBQ skewers which was paired with my Buttered Asparagus (which was in season with the Baguio weather), Carrots and onions that were sauteed in bacon fat and butter that ended up rich and crisp lending a sweetness to the entire dish.

Lastly, entertaining isn’t complete with drinks and a plus is liquor. Have a list of generic cocktails you could prepare in a flash. We prepared Rum with Cola, Mojitos, and Orange-Vodka cocktails. You could also do virgin versions (no alcohol) to your favorite cocktail creations for people who want to stay sane during the party.

Grab a couple of friends and have a party at home and enjoy!

Photos courtesy of Ms. Anna Dimerin

P.S. Andok’s didn’t sponsor this post, but was awfully lucky to be along the Baguio road we were driving.

Review: The Verandah at the Baguio Country Club

Baguio, the nippy, tourist-friendly, mountain attraction of the Philippines, where strawberry-themed everything is all a flutter accompanied by whipping pine trees and hilly golf courses. To cut things short (not exactly Anthony Bourdain here), was excitedly invited to visit during the weekend and ended sampling the local produce of what this city in the skies had to offer. We started our lunch in the famed 100-year old Baguio Country Club. The place had a fantastic scenic view of the golf course, but in terms of the food – simple no-fuss Filipino comfort food. Below is a duo of astonishing dishes that I would gladly go back for.

I had been craving for a good Lechon Kawali (literally means pork in a pan) and Baguio Country Club offered a perfect fried pork-stuff that literally made me want more. The very crispy crackling of its skin, the almost ethereal and almost liquid gelatin of its fat underneath and the crispy, but tender pork meat was a perfect combination with a soy-lime dipping sauce (or even without it). After getting my fair share, I was placed in a state of inner peace.

The meal was served with Sinigang na Baboy (Pork with vegetables simmered in a sour tamarind broth) that had a good sour-note and crisp vegetables, Fried Chicken which was a downer as it was crisp but very dry, Bulalo (Beef Shank with vegetables simmered in broth) had a comforting but very light approach to its broth, Chopsuey (Stir-fried assorted local vegetables) which were crisp and deliciously showcased how this mountain region’s climate provided the best snap peas and broccoli in the country, but again – pork reigns supreme!

The meal ended with a Meringue cake with Buttercream and Almonds, served with a fresh strawberry, whipped cream and a mango coulis garnished with a chocolate butterfly. The cake was the main attraction and the wisps of the temporary pleasure coming from the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of the meringue provided a good sweet counterpoint to the somewhat sour note from the mango sauce.

Overall, the meal was fairly comforting given the nippy weather. The vegetables evoked a certain freshness where only at Baguio you could get and the pork made me deliriously happy. Baguio Country Club gets 3 stars out of 5.

The Verandah at the Baguio Country Club

http://www.baguiocountryclub.com.ph/

Daily 6:00 AM to 11:00PM.

Photo courtesy of Ms. Anna Dimerin