(Bad) Glamourized “begging” and an insult to your capability.

Begging Hand

Early Sunday morning 5:00am mass.
Nobody was around except for few parishioners.
Vehicles parked at both sides of wide street…really wide that you can play soccer in the middle.
After the mass street was already swarmed by people, young, old, PWDs, apparently strong ones etc.
“Pupungas-pungas pa. Yung iba may MUTA pa sa mata”
As if meeting among them was held as each one tries to assist (kuno)
assigned vehicle to swerve right or left out of parking and go straight.
First, they were not even awake when you parked there.
Second, why all of a sudden they appear from nowhere.
Third, do you really need them to assist you?
Fourth, the street was wide open that even a newby student driver can proceed smoothly.
Fifth, ISN’T IT AN INSULT TO MY CAPABILITY to be assisted?
Sixth, am super senior and driving for 48 years already.
Seventh, how can they assist when they do not even know how to drive?
Eight, YES, giving them few coins is VOLUNTARY…but don’t you feel obliged when they start assisting you?
Next, they will ask that they make “bantay” your vehicle while parked-question: what can they do if “bukas kotse gang” or carnappers start ransacking and tagging out your vehicle?
Lastly, some of them throw invectives when not given anything.

This is the usual scenario in almost all public parking.
Worst, when you encounter the habit in an enclosed private-well guarded parking area.
Why the heck are they there?
…and mind you most have body built fitted to be a construction mason…then beg?

I don’t feel obliged.
In fact our spiritual counselor, well known Archbishop, prodded us NOT to give as it is “begging”
Do you?

Engine-Oil-Driver liken to Couple-Communication-Prayer

I have read a Twitter post that likens “oil” of an engine to “prayer” in a marriage.
I completely dis-agree.
“Oil” is an active need for the engine to run.
“Prayer” is passive approach to a marriage…always seeking…always requesting…always asking…always petitioning.
Due to “prayers” the concrete points of both spouses are more often delegated to “pasensiya”
(blindfolfed-outright undertanding) that they root out again & again in future “discussions” of same spouses.
Why not liken “oil” to “constant communication” in marriage…
then liken “Prayer” in marriage to the “Driver” of oil & engine.
Isn’t it more fitting?
A couple (engine) needs constant communication (oil)
with “prayer” (driver) leading the way through.
Let’s dive into side-by-side analogy.
In video above (thank you YouTube), “couple” can be represented by the “engine” with “pistons”
the 4 round things going up & down (2 on both sides will be the man & 2 inside will be the wife).
They keep on moving that they need “oil” (“communication”) to perform smoothly.
Notice that NEVER do the 4 ALL GO UP at the same time.
When  the 2 on both sides are UP-the 2 in the middle are DOWN…then vice versa.
Meaning…while “oil” or “communication” lubricates the “couple” (“engine”),
this “oil”/”communication” dictates that when the man (the 2 pistons on sides) are UP (in anger or argument),
the wife (the 2 pistons in the middle) MUST BE DOWN…and, again, vice versa.
The process cools the otherwise heated discussion(s)…this is understanding, forgiveness…acceptance.
Now, when the “engine” is fully “oiled”, it makes the “whole vehicle” (“the life of the couple”)
to run very smoothly.
The only thing absent is…the DRIVER…which I liken to PRAYER for the “vehicle”
to be MANEUVERED: forward, backward, left or right.
Your religion, sect or belief will be the DRIVER to STEER “engine’s”/”couple’s”
life to fulfillment.
THE BIG QUESTION:
What now if the couple does not believe in any religion, sect or belief?
ANSWER:
At least, for sure, they have “faith” in a HE, SHE or IT,
the “faith” that leads them to seek said HE, SHE or IT
each time they feel the need to.
And such will be their DRIVER or PRAYER.
For if they, all, subscribe to this analogy…

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Happy will you be.

Few things about recipes

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HEAVENLY CRISPY.

NO DOUBLE FRYING…Ultra crispy outside heavenly tender and juicy inside.     Indulge in the “marinade mix” that catapulted  this ChiQ-Juan to its ultra crunchy creation.

No mega dusting of flour or starch. Just the right amount incorporated into its breading blend applied post marination. The blend of ingredients in its breading made possible the crispness despite single frying.


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Further…to attain “real crunchiness” (whether for chicken, pork & beef)
NOT DUSTING WITH STARCH OR FLOUR then frying. This is the height of
“simplistic approach” to cooking, a “no-brainer” system tantamount to “cheating” consumers.While depending on the meat raw mat to be used to come-up with “a masterpiece” with desired crunchiness, marinade mix (spices, food-grade cures or  phosphate binders, flavor enhancers, condiments and the liquid to be used) greatly contributes to crispy end product. Adding to such is the time table on how many “aging days” are actually needed for desired result. Shorter or longer will give negative outcome and/or “taste overshadow”.Equally important are: the type of oil to be used (kind plus its boiling and smoking points), temp when to fry, when to retrieve and rest and where to store post frying-bearing in mind how long MUST be the HOLDING period before serving. WHEW!!! It’s really a “thinking system”.  In my coming INGREDIENTS SPECIALIZATION INSTITUTE you will learn the right & proper ingredients mix to use in any recipe you desire plus the technologically-chronological system of processing or cooking exuding desired aroma, taste, texture at much lower cost than the “BARA-BARA approach” (blindfolded addition of whatever spices, herbs and ingredients that come into mind or  what our hands can instanly reach)

Cure & Phosphate
WRONG COOKING PROCEDURE.
Filipino cooks’/chefs’/housepeople’s (majority but NOT ALL) wrong way of salting fried red-up eggs.
They DUMP…literally dump…salt in any part of egg that their salt-laden fingers have aimed.
And so, that part becomes SOOOOOOOOO salty while other parts retain bland-ness. PWEH!
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Filipino Food Myth.
After resting for more hours than normal and usual, with wifey dashed to our favorite place,
Macapagal Avenue, to satisfy cravings for Filipino “inihaw” (grilled) and “sabaw”(soup recipe).
Pangs (my wife) marketed for “liempo” (pork belly) & “ulo ng maya-maya” (head of Red Snapper)
for plain salted & peppered grilling and “sinigang sa miso” (tamarind-flavored soya paste soup) respectively.
“Eh anak ng 74 na malanding tipaklong, yung “maya-maya” ay dehins tinanggalan ng “KALISKIS”.
Pag-subo mo, sasabit sa ngala-ngala mo kaliskis. Di mo tuloy ma-enjoy yung fish.
Tamaan kayo ng kidlat”
(In English, whew, the cooking establishment, to the hatred of 74 grasshopper whores, did not de-scale the fish that each time you bite into it…scales fill your palate & entire mouth).
You really won’t enjoy savoring the dish. May you be hit by angry lightning) Why? Ano dahilan nyo at kapag fish na “sinigang” o “inihaw” ay dapat may “kaliskis”?
What? What? Gagalitin ako eh.
(In English, again, whew, why is it that when you cook “sinigang” or grilled pork, scales are not removed. Why? What? You drive me angry)
Don’t you know a better grilling technique?
Just oil the grill bars and/or lay fish at griller ONLY when coal is fiery red.
But when it comes to “sinigang”, here, there is NO reason whatsoever. De-scale the fish… my God.

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               Re-Heating Food

Re-heating your favorite “sinigang” or “asim soup”, REFRAIN from engaging it via microwave oven. Check previous posts on what “sinigang” is – or which kids like to call “asim soup”.
Reasons:
1. Moisture of food is “absorbed till dried-up” by the microwave that the former tender meat becomes “rubbery” afterwards. Should you wish to pursue via this medium, sprinkle few drops of water or marinade or what have you before microwaving.
2.  Acid is absorbed by the system that after microwaving your “sinigang” or “paksiw” (vinegared fish), acidity is reduced to 1/3. To preserve original taste, reheat by suitable pan or use appropriate container then shelve unto oven toaster and reheat for few minutes at medium temp.


  SUMPTUOUS FOOD IS NOT PLAIN INVENTION.
It is the “accurate & proper harmony of ingredients and flavors used in precise technological production sequence
to come up with desired taste-not of the maker but that of the patrons”.
In short, you, your loved ones and friends are not your “clients”.
Fact of life is: they will not come to your restaurant, café, bar, joint etc. always. Most of the time, they are not the paying clients.
You will find real and comebacking customers if your concoctions are enjoyably approved by them.
Test your recipes with people you don’t know. Collate their comments sent through “anonymous emails” (and you know the reason why…)
If your batting average is high, chances are, your masterpiece will make it.

Surprising Health Benefits and Usages of ONION.

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SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS & USES OF ONION
I chanced upon “a rotting onion bulb” in our ref’s veggie cooler.
Examining closely, saw a tiny greenish chive still intact at bulb’s head.
Believing it’s still alive and can be resurrected, got a clear drinking glass,
poured in little tap water, peeled off browned skin and set onion on it.
Left it by the side of sink. No direct sunlight.
Traveled for days and when I came back 12 days thereafter…WOW!
Above shot tells it all.
Quantity may not be enough for my usual recipe-cooking issues particularly the chive.
But it now lies in my office working table as…
a conversation piece.
Read on…
1. Sore throats can be soothed by “onion tea”. Boil 300ml. tap water with 5-6 slices of medium onion.
Drain to remove boiled cloves, drink hot or cool via ref for while.
2. Besides flavor and nutrients, health-promoting phytochemicals in onions improve the Vitamin C in our body
thereby enhancing immunity levels. Read more here: http://www.mdidea.com/products/proper/proper02806.html
(thank you mdidea)
3.Onion chives (onion leaves without the bulb), like carrots, melon, mango, lettuce, red and green sweet bell peppers are
rich in Vitamin A.
4. Raw onion enhances production of good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers LDL (bad cholesterol) that our healthy hearts
become ready for healthy loving.
5. A bit painful burn(s)? Rubbing onions unto it(them) will mild the pain.
6. “The chromium in onions works to improve the cell’s response to insulin. Studies of diabetics show that onions lower
insulin levels and improve tolerance for glucose.” Read more here:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-onions.html

(thank you FITDAY)
7. Centuries ago, onions were utilized to reduce inflammation and heal infections.
8. Onions thrive on consuming free radicals that your risk of developing gastric ulcers is reduced
9. For honeybee bites, rub onion juice on affected area for immediate relief from pain and “heat” sensation.
As bug-repellant, rubbing onion on your skin aids in your walking freely-unmindful of them. Had been bitten?
Still, rubbing onion on area will ease the pain.
10. Crushed onion slices in water will clean metal surfaces. Just rub with the use of cloth.
11. I use water with sliced onion to get rid of our home’s unhealthy odors emitted by chemicals in paints.
12. The most important which, also, I do firmly believe to be so,
     is this:
                 onions attract and collect air born bacteria and viruses thereby purifying your home thereat”
Read more here:   http://www.snopes.com/medical/swineflu/onion.asp
(thank you Snopes)

My new “Buddy”…in car amidst traffic, while watching movies and every sudden rumbling of tummy.

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A bit break from recipe issues while I prep for the next poultry serving that will be posted following this.
Next EAT.LEARN.DISCOVER “chicken” recipe issuance
will surely entice you to go into fried chicken biz and compete with stalwarts like:
Bon Chon, KFC, Jollibee’s Chicken Joy or Shakey’s Chicken Packs (Solo, Buddy).
Pardon for not mentioning the “others” as I feel
some, NOT ALL, were just launched to pre-empt entry
of internationally known brands and/or “blindfolded ingredients’ magic” was utilized
into the production of said “crispoultry”.
Do check my next recipe post.
But why feature this SKY FLAKES?
37 years of ingredients, food chemicals/seasonings and consumer products blending
instilled in my being the normal & usual urge of
fully “smelling”, “tasting”, “analyzing” the ingredients used thereat
and judging the way(s) of cooking applied to the food I eat.
That’s every time. Each time. All the time.Very few, I mean very very few, pass Marilyn’s (Pangs my spouse) and  my liking, which is why
we only have 9 yum-hangouts
we alternately take time to partake our favorite food in a month:
1.  Chinese (mid-price): Luk Foo
(Commonwealth & Mindanao Avenue)
2.  Chinese (bit pricey): Gloriamaris-Greenhills
3.  Pizza, their new breaded chix formulation + beer: Any Shakey’s
4.  Filipino Carenderia Type: Countryside-Katipunan
5.  Pork, Chicken BBQs: Negros Inasal Express-Timog
6.  Salad, Pasta, Beer & Finger Food: Flaming Wings
(Katipunan & White Plains)
7.  Breaded Chicken: Still KFC (Any)
8.  Seafood “Paluto”: Hong Kong Master Cook-Macapagal Ave.
In view, each time we encounter a passer, instantaneously it sinks into our liking and we continuously patronize.
Above experience equips me with familiarity to the types of dusted, dough incorporated
or oil-added spray food seasoning or flavor that are applied into our food
more particularly, but not limited to, snack items.Been masticating SKY FLAKES all my life.
This Cheese-Flavored presentation really hooks me up.
I’ve formulated various cheese flavored mixes and seasonings
for some snack firms in the early days of my Griffith Laboratories’
(the pioneer flavor blending company in the country) stint
and a lot in my own blending company circa 1983
but this one is a “masterpiece”.Close your eyes and sniff a cracker.
Undoubtedly, you will note the aroma of queso de bola” (Edam cheese),
the quite hard-cheese ball-Netherlands origin kind
we love to have in our center table on yuletide season.
Remember “pato” and “marca piña” brands?Crackers evoke creamy-milky taste when crunchily bitten
while ecstasy of “queso de bola” flavor
melts in your palate as you continuously enjoy bite after bite.
Dusted cheese flavor is perfectly even in the entirety of each cracker.
Really good.

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I don’t work for Monde M.Y. San, producer of Fita & Sky Flakes biscuits’ brands, nor paid to write this.
I just want to post an experience, a statement of fact
and propel my desire of letting foodies be aware of what’s real food.My dear readers…THIS IS TRUE INGREDIENTS’ MIX/BLEND.
You won’t go wrong biting this Cheese Flavor Sky Flakes yourself and/or offer them to your kids
My hat’s off as I bow…proudly exhaling
CONGRATULATIONS
Monde M.Y. San R&D Team
(if you’re the one who developed the flavor)
or
the food blending firm/supplier
(which might have supplied you with the complete blend).

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