Monthly Archives: August 2015

Keeping, Serving, Enjoying The Traditional Kare-Kare

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kare-kare overload

kare-kare overload

The Filipino cuisine is at its renaissance in the present generation.  And because of this global upwelling, it is frustrating to note that there have been lots of Filipino restaurants popping up in the metro that has gone modifying and fusing the tasty traditional Filipino dishes with the western or other Asian cuisines.

The grassroots and nature of the Filipino cuisine is about being economical.  Ingredients were based on what the environment offers.  Filipino dish is not about just taking, using and eating the best part of an edible fruit, plant or animal.  It is about the development of dishes utilizing every edible part of an edible element present in the environment may it be a fruit, a plant or an animal.  That is why western world would often perceive Filipino dishes to be bizarre and outright disgusting.

Because of this perception, to tweak Filipino dishes in terms of plating and visual presentation so as to not scare people and achieve global marketability is okay for me.  But the complex taste and palatal balance of the traditional recipe that Filipinos of the past has concocted and developed must remain.

the chosen one!!! the authentic good old kare-kare

the chosen one!!! the good old traditional  kare-kare (i obviously erased the labels…)

It is good to know then that the LJC Restaurant Group, a leading group of restaurants in the country continues to serve traditional Filipino dishes.  Though I am not the final authority regarding the taste of traditional Filipino dishes, I have been fortunate to be chosen as one of the lucky Filipinos to taste and determine which among their Kare-Kare is the best!  Aside from adopting the chosen best Kare-Kare for all their outlets, this project by the LJC Group in way ensures that the good old Kare-Kare (stewed oxtail in peanut-based sauce) is available for the present generation to enjoy.

This project only shows how the LJC Restaurant Group is serious is keeping the traditional Filipino cuisine.  No wonder the LJC Restaurant Group operates the leading and best Filipino restaurants in the country, i.e. Abe (which now has 6 branches) and Bistro Remedios located in Malate, Manila.

With the rousing global interest about the Filipino cuisine nowadays, it would be sad to know and would be hard to imagine in case the best Kare-Kare would not be found in the Philippines.  So, good job LJC Group!  At least for now, the best Kare-Kare is still found in the Philippines!

Yami parang ako!

The Superbook Knows That Love Always Wins

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A considerable amount of my time growing up during my pre and early teen years was spent by watching the original cartoon animation series The Superbook.  It is an anime series that chronicled the events in the Bible’s Old and New Testament.

joym chris and gizmo

joy, chris and gizmo

The Bible in its written form can be so intensely deep and enormously ornate in words, idiolect and terminologies.  Because of this, its thoughts, teachings and philosophies can be at times so difficult to understand.  Because of this, The Superbook then was my early basis and reference on how to understand the stories and teachings of the Bible.

And from among all episodes of this valuable anime series during the 1980s (including its re-runs dubbed in Filipino language), never did I saw Christian, Joy and their toy robot Gizmo encounter an episode that being gay and falling in love with a person of the same sex or gender is a sin.

Maybe it is because the creators of The Superbook series knows that it does not take a person to read, know and understand the Bible to realize that falling in love is not a sin.  I guess The Superbook creators knew that love is universal and that love is beautiful.  I guess The Superbook knows that there’s no book on “how” and there’s no book on “who” when in comes to love.

The same thought that this music conveys…

Ay lab Superbuk! Ang kumontra, Chaka!

At This Interesting Moment, It’s “Roxas Na, Oras Na”

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Living in the Philippines today has been very interesting.  In May 2016, the Philippine populace will exercise its right to suffrage so as to elect the next Chief Executive of the land.  As of this writing, there are two hot contenders who already expressed their interest, Mr. Jejomar Binay and Mr. Mar Roxas.  No other hot and interesting contender yet except for this two has stepped forward to express their intention of running.

Since Senator Alan Peter Cayetano seem not running, and if the election will be held at this very point in time, I would have to choose of course the “lesser evil”.  Honestly, I would vote anyone running for President except for Mr. Binay.   Mr. Binay’s character, reputation and even temperament has gone so interestingly shady.  And I would not lay my country’s chance, future and interest on those points and attributes.

mar roxas (photo grabbed from mar roxas' facebook page)

mar roxas
(photo grabbed from mar roxas’ facebook page)

Therefore, I would have to choose Mr. Mar Roxas at this point in time.  For me Mr. Roxas seem sincere yet misunderstood.  Unfortunately though, his deep sincerity and gentlemanly manners has twistedly been perceived by public as being a feeble, a limp and an inadequate.  Mr. Roxas for what I know has gone the rounds of various government posts.  So it can therefore be assumed that he knows the job.  In the eyes of a human resource practitioner (like me), he simply has gone through a lot of ‘cross-trainings’.

Mar Roxas actually gained lots of my respect when he forgo of his desire to become the President five years ago when he instead endorsed Pnoy Aquino to run.  And the rest of the last five years has been an interesting history.

Now, there are other contenders that the vehement public is still waiting to know if they would be running or not.  Two well-liked and interesting contenders are Senator Grace Poe Llamanzares and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

I personally believe in lots of political science personalities’ analyses that the more candidates there are, the more chances that Mr. Binay will win.  This is because the supposed solid anti-Binay vote from among all these camps of candidates will be dispersed.  But if there will only be one candidate going against Binay, the anti-Binay vote will remain robust, solid and sturdy.

working or candy crush? hahaha!

working or candy crush? hahaha!

This then will test the authenticity of Poe’s and Duterte’s desires for the country.  Besides, both admit that Mar Roxas is indeed qualified.  Would they be willing to forgo their personal cravings of becoming the President and let Roxas be their candidate so as to collapse an impending fraud, corruption and dynasty?  Would they be inclined to sacrifice their aspiration of heading the whole country like what Mar Roxas did five years ago?

The interesting answers to these interesting question will soon be answered. At present and at this very interesting hour of interesting Philippines, for me, the interesting slogan is “Oras Na, Roxas Na!”

Abangan and mga susunod na kabanata…