No Pay, No Delicious

Before I left for Vietnam in July, I already had a very clear picture of where I will go and what I shall eat. With four pages of kodigo from friends, I took to the streets of Ho Chi Minh with confidence that amazed my travelmates.

No Pay, No Delicious is a noodle house recommended by Dingdong and his wife – Saigon residents for five years. They said it was a charming and eclectic restaurant that serves really good Pho, among others. I did not particularly seek it out though, knowing too well that we'll never run out of interesting places to dine in.

And then one evening, while strolling leisurely near one end of Dong Khoi Street, we stumbled upon it. Giddy with excitement (with that name, who wouldn't be?) the six of us walked in. A Viet waiter was only too happy to see us, and guided us in. The ground floor is full, he said, so he led us to the second floor. But the second floor was packed, so he ushered us to the third. But the third floor was just as full, so we followed him to the fourth.

My excitement was rising with every step. To me, every flight of stairs we took sent us to another world of mystic orientalia that promised a once-in-a-lifetime exotic gourmet adventure. Our guide finally opened the door to a dark room filled with bulky wood furniture with heavy inlaid mother of pearl. He switched on the air-con and handed us the menu. We all sat down and gazed at it.

Unbeknownst to us, our friend Gigi was beginning to sweat heavily. Hers was a strange feeling that embraced her the moment we began climbing flight after flight of stairs, looming above and around her like a dark shadow. When we reached the topmost floor and sat down among the humongous dark furniture, she felt like she was running out of breath. We all noticed how uneasy she felt. Her smile was both nervous and polite, her demeanor strange and so unlike her. Sensitive yet always sensible, Gigi felt some unfriendly presence in the air, the heaviest of which was at the room we were in.

Knowing fully well that we wouldn't be able to enjoy the meal if one of us were unhappy, we all rose from our table, our heavy chairs creaking loudly, a bit grudgingly. Silently we trudged down the stairs, the pall of eerieness lifting from Gigi's shoulders one step at a time.

Out on the street, a blast of cool, fresh air blew at our faces. Walking away, it felt like leaving behind an old soul... and glorious gustatory moments we could have shared.

No Pay, No Delicious?

No Eat :-(

Elephant ears

These variegated elephant ears are immigrants from my Tita's backyard, transplanted to pots in our planters by the terrace. In the summer, they go into hibernation, either naturally – because they can't stand the heat; or forced – because we neglect to water them. But when the rainy season comes, they awaken from deep slumber. Like mushrooms in the night, they sprout excitedly from their beds. Soon enough, their leaves bloom like flowers, in russets and emeralds blended on a brilliant palette.

And then each leaf becomes a stage for dancing raindrops doing splits and pirouettes and magnifying the patterned veins and pores.

Imagine how lovely the elephants would be if they really had ears like these.

Monday Tea for Thought

Know that whatever you are doing
is the most beautiful thing.


White enamel teapot with tealight warmer found in Gourdo's.

Tea for thought

Green tea, according to The Kissa Yojoki (Book of Tea) written by Zen priest Eisai in 1191 (!), can have a positive effect on the five vital organs, especially the heart. It also eases the effects of alcohol, acts as a stimulant, cures blotchiness, quenches thirst, eliminates indigestion, cures beriberi disease, prevents fatigue, and improves urinary and brain function.
But this green tea does more. Each teabag is tagged with a lovely surprise that warms the heart as well, making me look forward to my cup of green tea everyday.
Yogi Tea
Simply Green Tea
Organic
16 teabags for less than P200
Found in: Rustan's Fresh
www.yogitea.com

Blogger come lately

Boo hoo... I was going to participate (for the first time) in a high-stake blogging activity sponsored by SM Hypermarket but I didn't make it to the deadline! I followed a link in one participant's blog that said the submission date was on or before August 21. Well, woe is me. Apparently, there had been a more recent post at the main site that changed the deadline to 6am of August 21, with another notice at 6:30am this morning officially closing the contest. Anyway, I'm posting my would-be entry here... sayang naman eh :-(


My S.O.P.A. and SM Hypermarket

You can tell the state of our pantry by the paper on which Yaya Nene writes her grocery list.
• size 4 or 1/4 sheet: “Ok naman, may konti lang kulang…”
• size 2 or 1/2 crosswise: “Yung mga kailangan ko lang.”
• size 3 or 1/2 lengthwise: “Wala nang makain ang mga bata!!!”
(No, she is NOT allowed to use a size 1 sheet or one WHOLE intermediate pad for its sheer capacity.)

Today’s State-Of-the-Pantry-Address (S.O.P.A.) is written on a size 3 – a declaration of a state of emergency. The kids stayed home over the long and wet weekend, milking the shelves La Niña-dry and pestering Yaya constantly for snacks. The urgency to replenish our supplies is obvious in the way Yaya composes her list: some letters are missing, and you’d have to live with her for eighteen years to understand what she means when she writes the names of some items.

I dress quickly and am out of the house in a flash. Destination: SM Hypermarket at the SM Pasig Supercenter. I get there fast, and in very good shape.

I glide to an empty parking slot and take the stairs as the elevator is under repair. I loosen my leg muscles by walking around. I take in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm bread. A few more steps and I smell the roast chicken and the donuts. And then whiff upon whiff of curry, rosemary, mint, and other flavors from Taste Asia.

Fully warmed up, I grab a cart and unfurl the S.O.P.A.

Surf Powder Pink
Surf Bar
Smart Dishwasing
Baygon
Dutch Cleaser

I take out my pen and tick off each item that I pick from the shelf.

Oyster Sauce
Patis
Tuyo - Silver Swan
Del Monte Venigar
Cambell’s Mushroom Soup
Coffee Coffe Cofee
Cooking Oil
Knorr Seasoning
Tomato Sauce

My cart begins to get heavy. I like it that way. Weight steadies it. The wheels roll better.

Mc KCormick Spicy Spare Ribs
Mc KCormick Beef Stew

I take a detour to the dry goods section.

Hangers
Toilet Brush
Walis Tambo
Walis Tengteng

I breeze through the wide aisles and easily spot what else I need.

Eggs
Qual Quail Eggs
White Sugar
Brown Sugar
Nodles

I turn at a corner and see more items not on the list.

Watermelon
Mangoes
Grapes
Chico

I am more than halfway done with the list. But I go on.

Asparagus
Baguio Beans
Broccolli Broccoli
Bananana

I park my cart and pick goods from the chilled and fresh meat sections.

Hot Dog
Bacon
Ground Pork
Pork Chop
Beeef Ribs

Chiken
Chiken Nuggets
Chicken Wings
Chiken Legs
(Ang kuleeeet!)

I find more “chiken” to add to the list.

Chiken Balls
Chiken Teriyaki
Chiken Tocino
Chiken wrapped in pandan leaves

As I begin to maneuver my cart towards the payment counter, I get a message on my cell phone.

From Yaya
Pabili din ng Food Dog para kay Boots

Ano daw? Oh, but I understand her perfectly. I swing to the next aisle and grab a can of Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy.

I get in a very short line at the counter. Pay quickly. Take the walkalator to the parking area. Drive home happily.

State-Of-the-Pantry-Address over. Addressed perfectly at SM Hypermarket.☺

Hey, Dragonfruit

It seems that not many people know you. To some, you seem aloof, strange and unfamiliar. To others, you look too funky in screaming fuchsia and oh, those spikes! A few think you are intimidating and unconquerable. And maybe some have just never seen you at all.

I first met you on a side street in Causeway Bay, way back when I was still a single woman who had eyes only for lychees and grapes. Dragonfruit, your nameplate said, sort of introducing yourself. But I gave you the cold shoulder.

Our next meetings were fleeting. In supermarket shelves. In hotel buffets. In trade fairs. You called but I didn't give you a second look.

And then one day, you came to my table and served your bare, naked self. After a hearty meal. At Amici. Sent by Fr. Colombo. On the house.

My first dragonfruit. Face-to-face. Eye-to-eye. Mouth-to-flesh.
Oh, lovely. Sliced crosswise, black-dotted orbs of white flesh held together by a bright pink ring. Cold and succulent, firm and juicy, vaguely crunchy. Like biting into a watermelon without the mess, like chewing a kiwi without the grimace. Seeds like strawberry, flesh like soft apple. I like. I genuinely like.

Years later, I introduced you to my family. They eyed you from a distance. They didn't seem too thrilled. I led you to my friends. I was right. They've never met you, much less enjoyed you. Not everyone took notice. But the few who did were only too happy to meet you.

And now I consider you part of my circle. One that I'd love to spend lazy summer days with.
Hello, dragonfruit. It's my pleasure to meet you. Looking forward to enjoying your company again. And again.

My GREEN Bag

Wanna seriously help save the earth by not accepting plastic bags with your purchases every time you shop?

DON'T buy a "green" bag.

Find one in your closet instead. For sure, among your hand bags, shoulder bags and kili-kili bags, you will find a large and light tote bag that's big enough for six heads of cabbage and sturdy enough for four kilos of organic rice. Or three pairs of shoes. Or even twenty five pocket books.

This is my own literally green bag which snuggles my plastic supot-less beads from Quiapo, bread from Megamall, t-shirts from Greenhills, and goodies from Shopwise. Just always remember to bring it with you each time you go out to shop. Or better yet, keep one in the trunk of your car. Being environment-friendly doesn't mean it has to be made of katsa or printed with a catchy slogan. It just needs to serve its simple purpose.

Execution matters, yes, but as always, it's the thought that counts :-)

Rabies scare and the PCP Animal Bite Center

What does a non-animal loving praning mother do when her only son tells her that he was bitten on the thumb by his pet dog two days ago?
a) Panic
b) Pray
c) Research about rabies
d) Seek medical help
e) all of the above

Praning being the operative word, I obviously did all of the above, and not necessarily in that order. What pushed my praningness to the max is that Josh has been nursing a 37.8 degree fever for the past two days. And so, despite his assurance that
a) He'll be fine because the dog just got an anti-rabies shot in march and it's effective for a year
b) He's had his Tetanus shot
c) Rabies is neurological while flu is a respiratory disease
...we sought his pediatrician's guidance on both the fever and the dog bite.

The fever was easy to address with paracetamol and antibiotics to attack the colds and cough that were causing it. But the dog bite was another story.

Luckily, Dr. Cynthia Balza-Gomez is part of a 10-doctor team that trained and now specializes in animal bites, and Wednesday afternoons are her duty days at the PCP Animal Bite Center at the Pioneer Center Complex in Pasig City. Dr. Gomez calmly explained to us that Josh's injury, while small and shallow, belonged to category 3 (punctured and bleeding), which meant that he needed to receive the maximum treatment.

She patiently outlined the steps we need to take and the options we had, while firmly stating that rabies IS fatal, and that cost should never be an issue when it comes to safety.

She also recounted to us the reason why pet lovers who constantly hug and kiss their dogs and cats should receive pre-exposure immunity to rabies; that dogs, despite anti-rabies shots, are only 50% safe from rabies; that dogs normally get rabies from rabies-infected cat poop they encounter on the streets; that only one rabies victim in the world has survived and is recovering; and that Japan was declared rabies-free for a very long time until two Japanese tourists got infected while visiting the Philippines, and brought it back home with them.

And that the PCP Animal Bite Center was set up to be a patient-friendly clinic for children traumatized by an encounter with a beloved pet. In the past, the ordeal began with the long trek through Manila traffic to the San Lazaro Hospital where one had to fall in line, sweat it out (literally), compete for medical attention and wait for another victim to split the vaccine dosage with. At the PCP Animal Bite Center, we had free doorstep parking, an air-conditioned waiting area, a supermarket with fast food outlets right beside it, and the full attention of a doctor who genuinely dedicated 100% of her time to my child.

All in all, Josh received four treatments:
1. Tetanus toxoid
2. Tetanus vaccine
3. Anti-rabies vaccine that will attack the possible rabies in his system (three doses in a week)
4. Anti-rabies vaccine that will render him immune from rabies for the next two-three years

All these, including a skin sensitivity test, plus vaccine number 4 administered in full dose to the dog bite and other parts of his body, totaled nine shots for Josh, and seven thousand shots to my wallet.

The peaceful sleep my entire family will have tonight knowing that all is well with Josh? Priceless.


PCP Animal Bite Center is at the Pioneer Center Complex, Pioneer St., Pasig City. Tel nos. 09266734220 and 396-5372.

Flower or Veggie?

Artichokes are probably the prettiest veggies...with fat and fleshy petals in bloom...and a good heart hidden deep inside.

Found at Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Ben Thanh Market

At the west end of Le Loi Street and about a seven minute walk from our hotel is Ben Thanh Market, where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were once spotted.
Ben Thanh is a humongous market much like Chatuchak with wider aisles and more organized merchandise. It has close to twenty gates or entrances, each one leading to an aisle where stalls crammed with goods will take your breath away for their detail (embroidered linen), variety (bags), freshness (fruits), aroma (coffee), flavors (food), craftsmanship (lacquered goods) and so much more.Ben Thanh is a Saigon must, a monument to a country's spectacular produce borne of its people's hard work, vision and love for the earth.