Welcome The Year of the Ox!

So where were you last night at the celebration of the first day of the Year of the Ox? We were invited to a dinner at the Summer Palace, where the highlight of the evening was a Dragon and Lion dance performance by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation.





By 8:30 PM drums started to beat, fireworks were set and everyone gathered at the lobby where 5 lions were dancing and a dragon was chasing a fireball.


According to Wikipedia, and my Chinese friend, we were seeing a Chinese southern lion dance, which is said to be symbolic and is usually performed as a ceremony to exorcise evil spirits and to summon luck and fortune. "The southern lion exhibits a wide variety of colour and has a distinctive head with large eyes, a mirror on the forehead, and a single horn at center of the head. The lion dance also symbolises the myth of the Chinese new year. The Lion dance is often confused with the Chinese Dragon Dance, which features a team of around ten or more dancers. The Lion Dance usually consists of two people."






The Philippine Ling Nam troupe is well-known and they make sure to adhere to the old customs. For instance, lion dancers would first visit the temple before they make their way to the store front of businesses. The business would tie a red envelope filled with money (ang pao) to a head of lettuce and hang it high above the front door.



The lion will approach the lettuce like a curious cat, consume the lettuce and spit out the leaves but not the money.




The lion dance is supposed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the dancers receive the money as reward. The tradition becomes a mutual transaction. At the Shang (and in our office) we saw that lettuce/pechay and oranges tied in the ang pao. These were used to create pseudo barriers and challenges.




The Philippine Ling Nam troupe is composed of young boys and girls, who interchangeably beat the drums and do the dance, presumably ranked according to their performance and experience. Each lion is guided by one student,as the lion makes its way across the narrow halls, in between tables and maneuvering amongst the sea of people who wanted to have their picture taken with them.



The lion dancers, the white and pink lions were playfully eating the oranges, and after they spit out orange peels, re-arranged the stack of oranges to form the symbol of gold, signifying that in exchange for the ang pao given by the Shang, more wealth will come their way.










Of course, while at Summer Palace, one can only expect the best Chinese dishes.








Can I just tell you what the menu was?




Fried shanghai dumplings
Steamed pork siomai with shrimps
Fried mango shrimp rolls
Whole suckling pig







Shark's fin soup with crabmeat
Fried king prawn balls coated with cornflakes





Braised fookien rice
Beef tenderloin with black pepper sauce
Chopped piglets
Fried efu noodles with straw mushrooms, kuchay and scallops
Soft shell crabs with oatmeals




And for dessert--


Chilled lemon grass jelly with sherbet
Fried tikoy with taro potatoes
Sweet potato pastries




I kid you not. Here is the menu as proof.


























But then again, I know you believe me.

XOXO,

A


Thanks S1! That was indeed, a meal to remember.

La Cocina de Tita Moning

The evening is surreal, starting with the directions, "Let's go to Malacanang." I don't get to say this often, that I'm going to the presidential palace, but that is indeed the only way to get to our destination. Within the grounds and after two checkpoints, we locate San Rafael Street, the street that was once occupied by Manila's old rich, the Prietos, Valdezes and the Legardas. Tonight we dine at the house of Dr. Alejandro Roces Legarda and his wife Ramona (Tita Moning). Now both deceased, their granddaughter Suzette Montinola worked 8 months after her grandmother's death in 1999 to preserve the legacy of food and entertainment of her beloved family. Her family worked on sprucing up the house, with aunts coming home from the US and Australia to help clean up, her brother designing and printing brochures and calling cards, and Suzette herself using her hotel experience and education for the business in order to retain the staff of cooks, helpers and drivers. From selling pre-booked Christmas goodies from the kitchen, they have now successfully converted the ancestral art deco home to a restaurant, combining fine dining with the experience of history, art and culture.

We begin the night with cocktails- iced lemongrass tea with queso de bola fingers, a pastry topped with the in-house famous queso de bola. I take one, and another, because our server, dressed in blue uniform with white lace pipings, go around the patio, serving the pastries on a silver tray, offering until you say no.

We stand at the footsteps of the home, with a grand chandelier at the background and family photographs lining up the walls. Here Edel, like a museum docent, explains the history of the street, the house, the family. We enter the house starting at the library, then off to the clinic, the camera room and the train room all located at the ground floor. I catch a drift every time I enter a room; I don't know if it's just me or our own ghost stories exchanged at the patio, or the walls that line up photograph after photograph, invoking memories of the past. After all, we were walking inside another person's home and it is teeming with family and old Manila history. My favorite area is their living room at the second floor, lined with two sets of couches, family photographs a crystal collection and paintings on the wall. We see a Zalameda at the foyer, a Hidalgo and Luna in the living room, plus numerous photographs taken and developed by the late doctor.



The house itself reminds us of our own ancestral houses, the kind that is made is of wood, with tall windows (bintana), and walls of long wooden planks. The floors are of wood that are not laminated, but by the daily grind of the housekeeper, waxed by bunot (dried coconut husk) at the crack of dawn, it gleams and glows.





That is all the similarity, because the house constantly reminds you that the family who lived here is of the old rich, with Murano Bird crystals adorning the dining table, blue Meissen plates lined with gold that the servants were not allowed to wash, the fine China, glassware and silverware dining pieces from an inheritance and collection of the family, and a bell on your table to call on the servers for any of your needs. I said it was surreal, right?






That is not just what makes the dining experience memorable. The food, served course by course, by at least 3 servers who go around for a second or third serving each time a dish is served; silver trays on their arms while you get a helping of their potato and leek soup, gambas and kangkong salad with walnut vinegrette, paella valenciana, lengua cooked in white wine sauce, mixed fruits and cheese collection, bread pudding, tarragon tea or barako coffee. Instead of leaving it on the table, they go to one person at a time, making one feel indulgent. It actually enhances the appreciation of the food, not because of the servants, but because it is slow food, meant to be savored with each bite, with one flavor right after another, and a mixed texture that melts in the mouth. By the time my red wine is finished and the famous bread pudding is served, I take this soft, moist rich pudding with tarragon tea and I am in ecstasy, quietly relishing this remarkable experience.






La Cocina de Tita Moning
315 San Rafael St. San Miguel, Manila
Philippines
632- 734-2146/734-2141.


Merry Christmas to all!

Cafe Juanita

Sitting across the corner of Pioneer Street is a home that is also a restaurant and a selling establishment, present for over 17 years. It is called Cafe Juanita, serving Filipino, Mediterranean, even Japanese food. It is quaint, quirky and flamboyant at the same time. Something a designer called Bobby in LA is known for, combining Asian craft finds with antiques and boa feathers, colorful crystal chandeliers with European tea cups. It looks like an old ancestral house during the day, but morphs into something else at night, when all the chandeliers are lit up. The place is almost always filled, with couples out on dates, friends, families, businessmen/women. I went out with my friend Cie, together with the ya-ya sisterhood. This is a girl moment, which rarely happens, but when we do meet up, it is nothing about business but everything about life.

On Thursdays and Fridays, the place is complemented by classic tunes played by a pianist.



I wear my new Warehouse mini-dress which silhouettes every curve (my staff called me sexy on this one with the front and back, even including the side curves-ha-ha) with a multi-colored necklace I bought ages ago. I don't care. I have a mini-dress.

P. S. The arms, though, I don't know how to trim the arms.Lost 10 lbs already but I don't know how I will keep the weight off!

20 Years Later: A Reunion with my Elementary Classmates

A wonderful thing happened last Friday. After our strategic planning session in Tagaytay, I arrived in Manila at around 5 PM, rested a bit and showered before meeting Riel and my other elementary classmates.
I have not seen Marites, Melissa, Riel or Alan in 20 years. All of us graduated in 1986, and most of us have not seen each other since. This year however, Riel brought us all together when she tried to locate each one of us through, what else- Friendster. Little by little we saw each other, remarked at how we looked the same, maybe better after all these years. Most of us were only 11 years old when we graduated in elementary. We were a part of the accelerated class of P.Burgos Elementary School in Manila. We had full day classes in our last 2 years of elementary, and we were exposed in art, drama, science, debate, math competitions from other schools in the region. Some of us were featured on TV, had an exhibit at the children's museum, and had to speak in English at all times otherwise we get fined. I was student number 12, according to Tetch ,who now works as a marketing-ops manager at a retail store in Dubai, and she remembered most of the names of our classmates. There were 9 boys and 19 girls. Riel was our valedictorian, Marites our salutatorian, Alan our 1st honorable mention, Raffy (where is Raffy?) 2nd honorable, and moi, 3rd honorable mention.
Exhibit A- our recognition day newsletter, and compare with how each one of us looks now. This picture is a blast, and although I run the risk of losing my 200+ blog readers (mostly my friends of course) because of an unglamourous mug shot, there is a reason why Riel kept the old newsletter clipping, scanned it and sent it via YM. Of course, if I was valedictorian, and lost all those baby fats, and the pigtails,i'd scan the newsletter too.
In less than 20 minutes before I arrived, Riel and Tes have covered the essentials- Tes' lovelife and even a bit of mine. When I said my hellos and started talking, Mel was pleasantly surprised to remember my (teeny, weeny) voice. Except I am much more talkative these days. Case in point, I talked them over to eating at Pagliacci (silent g) if they wanted great pasta. They did, and ended up chatting with the italian owner and Chef Maurizio Gibillini. But Tes is the most daring, she had more gumption than me, asking all sorts of personal questions and then asking for a vinaigrette to accompany our ciabatta. Chef Maurizio tells us, "That is not real Italian. That is American- Italian. Like Italiannis, you know? They go to Italy and copy our food, and what do you get? Pizza Hut! Taste this, this is better. Eggplant, crushed and blended with spices, and a tomato salsa with olive oil."
Chef Maurizio gives us a website if we wanted to get the real vinaigrette, which he says, would cost us US$50 dollars per 500ml bottle. He would, every now and then interrupt our animated conversation, but only to remind us to eat before our pasta gets cold and the cheeses would make the linguine to stick to each other, or to eat our gelato before it melts.
We find ourselves eating our mixed greens with anchovies as Riel talks about her numerous jobs to her 3 boys, a theatre director husband and 2 loving sons, and her current work as a sponsorship and communications manager for SAVE THE CHILDREN. She is 6 months pregnant on their first baby girl, and she looks stunning for a pregnant woman. Thoughout our 4-cheese and tavolara pasta (pasta in crab fat, tomato sauce and olive oil), Tes regales us with a story on why she is still single, and recounts what its like to date European men, while I tell the story of my life (and remark at how bad my memory is, compared to Tes' at least). Melissa works at Crowne Plaza, so I tell her do friends get discounts on their renowned buffet meals? Mel winks as she hands each of us her card and tells us to call her. By then, we thought Alam would stand us up, but he makes it in time for our pistacchio/hazelnut and mango ice cream. All of us did not recognize Alan as he has gained weight (he was really skinny in elementary), but the familiarity of his wit and intellect is still there, now with street smarts, or as he calls it,"buguy-bugoy". Mel and Alan (who now goes by the name of Milan) each have a son. Alan is an electrical engineer and now works for a Japanese firm. Tes, Alan and Raffy all went to Manila Science High School where I was also supposed to attend, but Mama wanted me to study with the sisters at Imma, so anyway, I wondered if I would have been a different person had I studied in MaSci and then off to UP. It is only sometimes that I wonder, because here and now, looking at my former classmates,achievers all, I remember how I really enjoyed school (not in a nerdy way).
We were a select few, who passed through rigorous exams, all coming from different schools, to be a part of that accelerated class. School was competitive, and most of were poor, but that didn't affect how we treated each other at school. Now, there are classmates like Marcus and Bernadette who are nurses in the US, and UK, respectively. We marvel at how good our teachers were then. In fact, we attribute our habits to these teachers who instilled discipline and taught us we can be anyone we'd like to be.
Has it been 20 years? Chef Maurizio told us we looked like we were in our 20s, and that is believable, actually. He caps our dinner when he talked about his married life.
"What do you like about your Filipina wife?," Riel asks.
"I like her when she zips her mouth," replied Chef.
We laugh as we make our way out of Pagliacci.

The Secret Wine Buddies

Friday night. BM1. Embassy. Robert and Cie.