Resto Favorite #1

Im all the rave for Cibo's Stewed Lamb Salad. Had it last month and I could not get my mind off of it. I've been trying to recreate the sensation by using "alternative" ingredients (meaning cheap!) but nothing beats the real stuff. It has stewed lamb (duh!), fontina cheese, pine nuts and salad greens dressed with a kiss of lemon. I could have this with every meal and not get tired. I bet this would go very well with a simple tomato-based sauce over pasta and a glass of red wine... don't forget the bruschetta!!! Now that's living the life.

Darn DSL...

I've never missed the net more than ever. These past few weeks left me with a monstrous headache caused by inefficient tech support agents (I wonder who hired them? hmmm....). This is not a hate blog or a propaganda against a certain telephone company to which Gretchen Barreto was inderectly connected to. I just want to express my long agonizing dismay to that telephone company that did so little to ease my internet craving. You see, my dsl connection was down for about 10 days due to "low signal" as per that a**h*** agent. The first night I noticed the problem, I called tech support immediately and made a report and that a**h*** agent said that he sent a notice to an a**h*** department and mentioned that technicians are for dispatch. A week passed and no a**h*** technician came to fix the glitch. Furious Me called the trunkline again and spoke to another a**h*** agent and said the same thing. Frustrated, I thought of a plan to annoy (and hopefully scare) all the a**h*** agents working for that a**h*** company! I called every hour for 2 days straight and I said that I'm closely monitoring the progress of my complaint. Every hour I hear the same thing, "Yes ma'am, na-i-porward na po namin to sa teknikal. Por dispats na po ang mga teknicians na aayos nang connection nyo. Pki-intay nalang po ma'am. Salamat po." If I did'nt have work that monday, I could have continued calling. And since I can't carry out my mischievous plan, I made my mom do it at the convenience of her office desk. But what amazes me is that she only made 1 call and the problem was fixed. Now I realize, no amount of irate calls can sum up to my mom's flowery vocabulary. I'll make her do my calls from now on. It's mean but it seems to get things done... hmmmm....

Thou shall not look at other people's order...

I went to a restaurant one unexpecting tuesday where fusion dining was the main thing. I looked through the menu and everything seemed appetizing. I was about to order a hot spanish paella dish when I got a glimpse of what the other table was having. Theirs was a selection of chinese coldcuts and dumplings. Platters of braised beef and duck wraps were laid down for the guests to enjoy. Afterwhich, ladle after ladle of steaming bird's nest soup came pouring to accompany the bounty. I couldn't help but gawk and drool over the other table's feast. In my mind I was already smothering myself with hoisin sauce and devouring every siumai I could lay my chopsticks on. The sight was so majestic that I swear I caught myself wanting to be in that other table and be in dimsum heaven. The image made me feel so comforted and nourished. Like how a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup warms my toes on a cold stormy evening.

In came the maitre d', asking for my dish. I have to come up with a decision or else I'll lose my seat. I came here for paella but I met siumai along the way. WHAT NOW!!! Well, paella has its beauty also you see. It's rice and ulam, just what I need to fill me up. Flavorful, savoury and rich. The chicken, chorizo and seafood are enough to pump me up for the following day's adventures. But I can't have too much paella though. It will clog my arteries and slow me down with all that starch. Its richness can leave a bad taste in my mouth and I don't want that. All the indecision made me hungry that I was about to pass out in waiting. Time is ticking and my stomach is growling. I needed an answer fast. I ended up ordering sushi instead..... TO GO!!!

The Red Kiamoy, Personified!

*Because of some unforeseen events, like suddenly becoming technophobic, my blog's (5th) debut will be NOW instead of June 6th.*

Everybody who knows me well enough would probably describe me as ambivalent. I end up not going to events that I have planned with my friends(duh!). Or when I confirm not going, I would just appear out of the blue. Bwahahahaha! By inspecting my cd rack or mp3 file, one can say that I am a very confused individual. I'll be listening to Ja Rule one minute, then Nickleback the second and would finish with some Milky (or BeeGees if I'm having a bad day!). That's me!

To foodstuff, I am pretty much like a Red Kiamoy - sweet, sour and salty (Nano! Nano!) all at the same time. All flavors intense and in your face! There's no gray me, all is black or white.. love it or hate it.. like the kiamoy.

That's why I enjoy those darn things. Everytime I place a morsel in between my lips, I know that I'll be in indecision in a few minutes until it reaches my tongue. Is it salty? sweet? or sour? (the heck!) I marvel at the perplexity of the sensations. They can't seem to bore my tastebuds. Well, that's one thing I am not - BORING! Though I must admit that I can be a handful at times. I'm not really sure if being like this is healthy although I do think that it is (woah! I just contradicted myself there!). I'll probably just chill with the moment until I get my mind straight.

*Belchings*

Yet again another attempt to stir the blogworld! 'Tis I, Chika, the Queen of Belch! This is my 5th blog account to date (all else still active...until I gain access to my memory and actually recall the passwords!) Feel free to visit me anytime for my *ehemm* DAILY Belching inspirationals on modern cookery and classic cuisine.

My Belchings would be on hold momentarily (around 8 days!*grin*) for a little blog tweaking! Belchings Pilot Run will be on June 6 (or 7).. Come join the fiasco! :)