Cooking For A Non-Filipino

I confess to having modest cooking skills. Ask me to make a pasta dish and I can whip up one for you in a jiffy with even the simplest ingredients. Ask me to cook Filipino food and I would have to think long and hard about it. Suffice it to say that I am not confident when it comes to cooking Filipino food. Ironic but true.

Earlier this week, my friend Craig emailed saying he was free the whole week as his girlfriend was back home (I could feel my eyebrows starting to twitch - in a different time this would have sounded like an invitation to misbehave. Then again this is a different person we're talking about here so no, nothing malicious there.). We should have dinner, he says. He then broaches the idea of cooking Filipino food for him in exchange for hauling my boxes up the bunk bed. In the next sentence he says he will cook British food for me too. Sounds like a fair deal so I agreed, albeit with a bit of uncertainty.

The next few days were spent thinking about what to prepare. My criteria: 1) It has to be edible. 2) I wanted to offer something new for the tastebuds but nothing too exotic. 3) It has to be relatively easy to prepare and must not be too much of a challenge to my modest cooking skills. 4) It must give an idea of what Philippine cuisine is all about.

Adobo and sinigang would probably be the default answers to my query. I've done sinigang (this is my favorite) several times but I was not too sure if I could find the proper vegetables to go with it. I have also tried cooking several versions of adobo but none came out the way I have envisioned it to be (FYI, I almost burned the adobo in my last attempt. This was definitely not an option.).

I then thought it would be nice to let Craig experience the concept of dips. I had to think of a dish that would go well with different types of dips. I thought of putting marinated pork belly in my trusty Imarflex turbo broiler. Then I said it would be nice to have ensaladang mangga (a salad consisting of green mangoes, tomatoes and onions) with matching bagoong (sauteed shrimp paste) and itlog na maalat (salted eggs). Dalandan (Philippine orange) juice would be the perfect partner to quench our thirst. Thus the Filipino summer picnic theme was born.

Unfortunately, the Filipino ingredients can only be found in the older part of the city. Hence, I had to take a 30-minute train ride all the way to Karama (one of the little Manilas in Dubai) in the sweltering heat just to look for salted eggs and green mangoes. I reminded myself that I needed to represent my country well so it is worth the effort. Although feeling very patriotic, I felt like fainting already. (Hey it was almost noon and nobody in their right mind will visit the Karama Fish Market when the mercury is almost hitting 40 degrees - except maybe me.)

Philippine dessert is pretty tricky to make so I decided I would just do a Filipino twist to a regular recipe. I ended up bringing out my stock of fruit cocktail, condensed milk and all purpose cream to create a typical fruit salad. I decided to add little cubes of cheese to the mix for that Filipino twist.

At 7pm sharp, my guest arrived. I was still battling it out with the remnants of the green mango (I do not know how to peel with a knife. Being clumsy, it's most likely that the knife will slide and so will a slice of my skin or worse, a finger.). We talk about how our weekend went (Oh yeah, mine went fussing over what to prepare for you! haha!) and how he took the train to Deira to get his car. I prepare myself for the little speech of what Pinoy cuisine is like. Yikes. (To the uninitiated Pinoys, you might pick up a few tips here.)

I began by telling him that our cuisine is very simple - we season our food sparingly (just salt and pepper most of the time) compared to other Asian cuisines which use herbs and spices extensively. This is where the concept of dipping sauces comes in. As I explain, he sees me bringing out one strange bottle after another (Mang Tomas liver-based gravy, soy sauce, vinegar and bagoong. I give him a little background on the salted eggs (why they had a fuchsia color). I explain what was in the salad.

After setting the table, we pose for a few pics (surprise surprise) then we started eating. As customary, I serve him first. He then asks how to eat the food (Is it the salad first or do you eat everything all at once?). I explain that we all dump everything in the plate and eat freestyle - you can either eat with your hands or use the fork and the spoon. I mention that we do not use knives to cut the meat. I let him smell the bagoong and taste a small bit. I was surprised he didn't scrunch up his face in disgust (like they did with my blue margarita - see previous entry). He just said it smells and tastes a bit strong. Honey, it's okay to say it's smelly and salty. Haha. I then scoop half of the salted egg and he gets the other half. I told him to mix it with the salad. He said it was good. I then pick up my pork belly and use my hands to cut the meat. I told him to try it with the dipping sauces and tell me which one he likes. He thinks the soy sauce vinegar combo was good. We continue to talk about history, cuisine, accents, languages, politics and jobs. He leaves out the fatty portion of the belly but he sees me eating it and he follows suit. It was crunchy and started dipping it in the gravy. Out of the corner of my eye I can see him licking his fingers too. I smile. Success!

It was then time to go. I show him my room and jokingly tell him it looks like a hospital ward now that the partitions are in place. He effortlessly hauls the boxes up while I had to stand on a stool to clear some space. I knew I got the right man to do the job. Haha.

I'm just glad that I have survived another first. I realised it was tough answering questions from a foreigner. In effect, the dinner was not only an opportunity to showcase my country's cuisine but also a chance for me to tell people about my country and its rich history (the question about what the Philippines was called before the conquerors came was tough - must search for a clear answer on that one). It was also a good opportunity to show them how other people live and hope that they begin to appreciate the kind of lifestyle that they lead in Dubai.

On another note, it was fun having somebody over and just enjoy free-wheeling conversation. It's been a while since I've had conversations about culture, etc. Perhaps my time in Dubai is not yet done. There's still so much to learn about the world and if I have to cook for each and every single new expat friend I meet then I will. Just don't ask me to cook adobo. For now. :)

Blue Margarita

The other day, the office went for drinks after its very first team meeting. Everyone was already holding a beer or a glass of wine by the time Maria and I arrived so we ordered our own drinks as well. Mine came in a sexy glass, blue liquid swirling lazily while the lemon slice sat stoically on the rim. Someone exclaimed, "Ooohh, that's a fancy drink with sugar coating the edge of the glass!" It was salt actually. I smiled and sipped a little. The cool blue color was deceiving, it seemed, for the mixture left trails of heat in my throat. I loved it!

Soon, people began to notice and ask, "What's that you're drinking?" One of the directors asked if he could taste it. He must have probably regretted it as his smooth face crinkled like he tasted some acid poison. "What's in there?" "Oh, just two shots of tequila, one shot of gin, lime juice and blue curacao.", I replied coolly. Look of shock. Someone got the glass and sniffed it. "Oh, it's terrible!" She hands it to the next girl and she does the same. "How can you put such a terrible thing in your mouth?" I look at Maria and we exchange smiles. These people don't know how Filipinos drink.

Midway through my drink. Somebody comes over and asks if I'm tipsy yet. I say no. Another look of surprise. The talk then shifts to finding a boy for me. They ask if I found anyone cute in the pub. I say no. Someone points to a guy playing pool. "How about that?" No. "Why?" Cos he reminds me of Simon Cowell and he's got man boobs! They laugh. I return to watching the guys playing pool. The director pokes me and asks, "Are you talent spotting?" I say no (Hell no, there aren't good-looking men here except for you and a few of the guys from work - hahaha! Seriously, the place was filled with fat old fogeys and scrawny yuppies.). Someone prods me again for my type. I tell them I like guys who are tall, has broad shoulders and closely cropped hair. As if that wasn't specific enough, she asked which color I preferred. I said I like the fair-skinned and the brown ones. Another look of mild surprise. I silently wondered why. These people don't know that those are typical Pinoy preferences, tsktsktsk.

We revert to the topic of alcohol. Maria and I get a lesson on Drinking in the UK 101. I make notes in my head. Everybody seems to dislike tequila except for one who confessed that he was once a member of a tequila association in the UK. We tell them that we have Red Horse, a Philippine beer which tastes stronger than whatever it is they were drinking. We managed to convince one director to try it so Maria will bring him some next week. I wonder how he'll find the only beer that I seem to like. :)

Then it was time to say goodbye. The same director asked if I could still walk after drinking the blue margarita. I enthusiastically said, "Of course!" Subtitle: "Hello, that's just two shots of tequila...not enough to make me crawl! hahaha!"

On hindsight, I am amused at how they reacted strongly about drinking my margarita. These are people who enjoy a drink and end up drinking a tad too much most of the time. Perhaps it's just another cultural difference. I grew up in a nation which loves to drink too, only our alcohol is much more potent. We are a nation whose first taste of alcohol would either be Ginebra San Miguel (gin) or San Miguel Pale Pilsen (beer) or a local beer called lambanog, a type of wine made from fermented coconut. I am definitely sure those have higher than 5% alcohol content. Perhaps it is another facet of our macho culture. The girls I know are also mostly hard drinkers, preferring tequila and vodka over beer. Being a third world country with no extra cash for fancy stuff to spare, drinking is kept very simple. Sometimes we only have water as a chaser, soda or powdered juice mix if you have a little more money, hehe. The blue margarita is already too posh for this girl's tastes but one glass of it is hardly enough to make her even tipsy just the same. As for me, I'm always just happy to have a drink. After all, the goal is not to get drunk but to chill out. That is exactly what happened last Thursday night.

Cheers!

A Breath of Fresh Air

My relationship with boys is always hit-and-miss. There have been jerks, yes, but I have also found gems. I find that boys make good (if not sometimes better) friends than girls. They listen to you sans the drama and can be very brutally frank. You can ask them to drive you around, treat you to dinner, etc. They are fun to have around and may sometimes treat you roughly like you were one of his crew. But when you cry or feel down, they will do everything in their power to cheer you up. This entry is dedicated to my unexpected "heroes" who have been a constant presence in my oftentimes chaotic life in Dubai. *Names were changed to protect the privacy of the individual.

Meet Nate. The boy who always greets me when he passes by reception. The boy who would not let a moment pass without making his observations known. "You look nice, Roma." "Smile, Roma. What's wrong?" "You're wearing your hair up today, Roma." The boy who likes to learn a Filipino word or two and would surprise me by getting the accent spot on. The boy who likes to say "Kumusta ka?" when he calls. The boy who enjoys eating Piattos, Tortillos, Skyflakes and even pancit. I call him pseudo-Filipino. The boy who likes to feel like he is my protective older brother when in fact he can be considered my little brother. Once, when he learned that I was going out with a guy I hardly knew, he said "Call me if he's a bad man. I will come and save you." "You should always tell someone where you are, who you're going out with, what time you're supposed to be back, etc." Geez!

Meet Spartacus. Married to one of my closest friends. Has a naughty mind that only gets challenged further when I am with them. Every scene we watch gets attacked by his twisted humor. At times, we would even say the same thing. We like to annotate each scene and would dissolve in laughter after giving the most innocent dialogue the dirtiest meaning. He does not have qualms posing for the camera and I have no qualms ordering him around. The result? The silliest pics in the world! The man who can easily beat me when it comes to talking. The man whose idea of happiness is drinking Red Horse while strumming his guitar, or sitting down and having the most passionate of arguments. The man who would willingly answer my questions about hmmm... and share his stash of hmmm videos for the purpose of educating me and getting me out of the rut I was in (a twisted form of therapy don't you think, a therapy that only rivals that of my brother...bwahaha!). The man who willingly shared series after series, movie after movie because he did not want me to stay alone in my room crying like crazy.

Meet Chuck, the chill out dude. Nothing fazes him and just welcomes everything with a smile. Likes to ask how I am, writes me long emails and has the patience to read my even longer replies. Is very open-minded about other cultures. Thinks there is nothing wrong with watching a movie alone. Cool about everything - from asking him to have coffee with me, planning to help me finish my booze stash, have dinner and even watch a movie. Also cool about giving a hug and receiving a buss on the cheek. Likes to put Xs on his messages and I do the same because it's not a big deal. Other guys would have probably thought I was into them or something. Today, I was taken aback when he said that since he will be free the whole week, we should have dinner and I have to explain the Filipino words in Facebook. Drives a hard bargain too - he will haul my boxes up for me if I give him a taste of Filipino food. I have already agreed to his terms and in turn, he has promised to let me have a sample of proper British food.

The common denominator among these three? They are all committed to the women they love. What I appreciate the most though is that they are able to carry on with having female friends. I think life is telling me that not everyone is like the jerks I have known previously and that I just have to open myself to the possibility of enjoying the company of people - single or married. Having these three around is indeed a refreshing change and thanks to them, I am starting to have faith in people again.

Of High Heels, Makeup and Other Girly Stuff

I am not your typical kikay (someone who is girly-girly) girl. I cannot be bothered to wear sophisticated makeup everyday. I shun from wearing high heels because I don't want to get more calluses and would like to walk briskly sans the hassles. I am lucky to have what I call "sexy hair", meaning it perpetually looks like I just tumbled out of bed. I never have to comb it all the time (I only do it once - after taking a bath) to keep it in place because it looks prettier messed up (I can comb it using my hands and you would not notice the difference, haha!). Suits the messed up, highly irrational, low maintenance owner well, if you ask me.

However, as part of my Scorpio nature to transform, I occasionally heed the call to beauty - and try to stick to the routine for as long as I can. As some of you may know, I have just gone through a rough patch in my life - no thanks for trying to upset the balance of almost every aspect of my life all at the same time (moving house, getting crap at work, cutting ties with someone dear, wanting to give up and go home, etc.). I knew that the time will come when I will get tired of crying and fretting over things beyond my control.

High Heels

The whole process started when the decorative strap of my favorite pair of shoes snapped. Digging through my pile of unpacked stuff, I found my pair of Charles & Keith "sexy heels" which I specifically bought for the staff party last year. I eyed them tentatively because I know these will kill my feet if I stood on them for long hours. Unfortunately, there wasn't any working pair that I could wear to work. It took time before I got used to the heels but I also began to understand why lots of women wear them. Aside from the obvious increase in height, heels make you stand more straight, make your legs look longer (thankfully I've got shapely legs) and make your butt look bigger (which I unfortunately do not have! hahaha!). Of course a little visualization helps. I always have a mental picture of a beauty queen parading in her evening gown & swimwear or a model gliding down the runway. And so it is like this for me everyday - swaying my hips gracefully in an effort to keep my balance - I can see my mother laughing at me now. :)

Blue Eyeshadow

I must confess that among all the articles of makeup, the eyeshadow is my favorite. It highlights and gives character to my best asset - my peepers. After experimenting with metallic hues, natural colors and different shades of blue, green and purple eyeliner pencils, I decided to go after the blue eyeshadow I've been pining after for a long time. The eyeshadow palette comes in six different shades - from the metallic bluish white color to a smoky dark blue. Each day brings a new set of possibilities and the combination I pick depends on my mood. I love, love blue! :)

Eyebrow Threading

Again, I am blessed with having tamable eyebrows - not too thick that it needs massive reshaping and not too thin that I need an eyebrow pencil to actually draw an eyebrow. The process was quick but not altogether pain-free. I could feel a tear threatening to fall. I fought hard while keeping my eyelid relaxed as the lady threaded my eyebrows, little snip-snips echoing in the background. When it was time to open my eyes, I felt a sense of relief - eyebrows came out very nicely, thank you very much. Neater eyebrows really open up the face. I immediately raise one eyebrow and project. Perfect!

Manicure, Pedicure, Footspa

I made a second trip to the salon the following week. I must have missed my monthly treats back in Manila (FYI, for these three services, I paid four times the amount I would pay back home. It then makes more sense to just do these at home, although much remains to be said about how I do my nails - haha!) that I decided to close my eyes and treat myself for more pampering. One Filipina attended to my feet and another one attended to my hands. I felt like a princess.

While waiting for their work to be finished, I asked them how long they have been in Dubai. The pedicure lady answered seventeen years and the manicure lady proudly said she has been in Dubai for twenty-five years! I was floored - how can somebody stay in a foreign place doing something that does not earn much for such a long time? I wondered aloud how long I will be staying in this crazy city. They both said they liked Dubai and that the city has been good to them. We then launch into a long discussion about our country's current state of affairs and both of them have expressed dismay and hopelessness about the Philippines. In the same breath however, they said that they would also like to go home, if only for a visit. The ladies also expressed frustration about Pinoys back home who think that just because you are living abroad, you live comfortably and have lots of money. These girls just gave me a lot to think about!!!

The mani-pedi-footspa treat went very smoothly if only for the pedicure lady's "attack" on my nails: "Bakit ba ganoon, malaki ka namang babae, napakaliliit ng mga kuko mo?!?" (Why is it that for a big woman you have the smallest nails?). I just said, "Well don't you like that, at least you can paint my nails in no time!" The manicure lady agreed, saying she had a customer with the largest nails that she would pay extra because one bottle would not be enough to paint her nails and feet. Ah well, you can't really tell what strange remark would come next so I decided to pay and say thank you.

Haircut

It was more of a trim actually. Seven months after having my long locks chopped in Manila, it was time for my bi-annual (Yes, I only have my tresses cut twice a year. Thanks to a round face and wavy hair, I can never wear my hair very short.) meet with the salon scissors. The lady just fixed my layers and blow-dried my hair expertly to give it a much-needed body. I must have been pretty pleased with the outcome that I decided to take pictures when I got home. (See Facebook album "Roma Version May 2010"). One picture ended up looking very flirty - I like! hahaha! I guess it's back to the blow-dry - leave on conditioner routine in the morning, argh! Ah, the price one pays for vanity and its upkeep!

The makeover seems to be working its magic. The girl with the mischievous eyes and smile is back - and people are starting to notice that. (Or maybe they just pay more attention now because they all have to pass by reception and I am the only one sitting there now. Haha.) It must have done wonders to my confidence as well, especially now that I am starting to say hello to the world again (but the heels are just strictly for work - I don't want to punish myself too much!). To the people who were generous with the compliments - thank you for noticing. For the rest of you, watch out as the process of transformation continues! ;)