Spring Fever

Women may be drama queens in their homes  but when the man of the house gets sick,   they are the worst patients.  They even out do their children in terms of complaining and whining.

It is a weekend, and as usual I look forward to exploring the first few weeks of spring out in New York City, but no sooner was I thinking when I saw my hubby in his favorite chair looking very pensive.  At first I thought he was mad because of something I did, but when i saw him squirming and saying “aray! aray!” while moving his body, I knew there was something wrong.

I guess the band tour with my son just took its toll on him. Maybe.  But then again, you know that your physical body is not as vibrant as it once was.  And the confirmation is manifested when you hear about your friend’s parents dying or that your contemporaries children are getting married and having children of their own.  Now that is some verification that you are  approaching  middle age or if not in it .

Recently I have been an advocate for natural remedies when it comes to the regular viruses.  Especially now that spring showers of pollen are causing allergies and the bipolar weather of sunshine mixing with wintry chills is the purpose of many fevers and chills.  Drinking lots of water, vitamin C from fruits - lemons, oranges and tons of ginger in soups or juices are but just a few of the remedies.  But when hubby says it’s not working, he then asks for  a quick fix,--an  instant gratification of ‘white man’s medicine’ in the form of ibuprofen or acetaminophen tabs.

Our bodies are our temples, and unless we take care of it, it cannot take care of us.  Being conscious of our eating habits is a form of control that we can adapt in our everyday lives.  I am saddened by the fact that the eastern world (especially where I come from) has been so influenced by the western world.  The fast food generation is taking the lives of our children and sooner it will be manifested in their health in the forms of obesity and man made diseases.

Food is the cause of many forms of diseases and unless we re-educate ourselves about what comes into our mouth, food will also be the solution for it.

Okay......so I guess my husband is awake and whining again about the typing noise I’m making...have to go.  And if all the white man’s medicine, natural remedies doesn’t work, maybe tons of  cuddle will help..now that’s a woman’s medicine for her man!

actually, this is what my hubby tells me all the time! but i beat him to it by writing about it...hahahah!!!!

NY Beer Festival

Beer is beer is beer as always and I’ve never liked it for its bitter taste.  However, as my knowledge increased, so is my appreciation for the beverage.  Initially, I was contemplating whether I was going to volunteer just to put my foot on the door but wasn’t so sure whether I would show up or not, after all beer is a beverage and part of the food industry.

The organizers have strict rules in these events for volunteers.  You must have a government issued i.d.  which will show proof of legal drinking age plus a valid credit card which they will credit a fee once they find out that you’ve been ‘drinking on the job’, thus charge you a fee of $65 which is the entrance amount for the festival. After all, volunteers don’t get paid for the job but can enjoy the festival after their shift.

I was assigned booth no. 10 with a  brewery called the 21st Ammendment.  The exhibitor said, “If they ask you what the name stands for, just say that it was because of the ‘prohibition’ issued known as the 18th Ammendment prohibiting the sale and use of liquor, and that the 21st ammendment repealed that prohibition.”......Okay, so I said, that’s some American history there..

Our booth had a table with a cooler that contained a tank inside which was covered in ice.  There were four holes each connected to tubes.  Two of the tubes were connected to the the two kegs that had the beers, while the other two were the tap handles where the beer comes out.  We had two black buckets which served as a waste receptacle while two clear ones we used to fill up with beer and pour to the guest’s shot glasses.

The exhibitor gave us a short explanation about the brews.  One was called , ‘Back in Black’ which was a dark colored beer, while the one assigned to me (regular yellowish) was called, “Brew Free OR DIE”.  Such a crazy name for a beer.  Anyway, the exhibitor rambled away, that ‘one was 6.7 percent that started with malt and ended with hops while the other was 7 percent and they are both IPA.  ”.....Deep inside me I had no idea what she was talking about, yet just like a robot, I did convey to the beer drinkers the information.  The only info I really understood was that the brewery was based in San Francisco.

As the festival was going on, I tried to size up the people who graced these events.  Of course there where already those that had beer bellies,  some where bartenders wanting information about having good beer in their restaurants, and the aficionados who just want to have fun .  Time flew so fast that you kind of know when it was over because some of the people were starting to slur, or that they looked sunburnt even when they were indoors the whole time. Others were cheery and calling me ‘love, sweetheart or dear’.  I can only count with one hand how many guys thanked me by my name and one was an editor of a beer magazine who thought our beer was great.

These festivals often leave me in awe at how such a small beginning can turn into something big.  There are over 5,000 breweries across the U.S. and most started as backyard hobbies.  I did try some of the beers but just enough to circle my mouth , the rest I threw away.  I did get some distinctions with some that were earthy,  fruity, gingery, citrusy , peppery kind.  Oh and I did get some knowledge that there are so called session beers.  Anything that has a 5% alcohol content or lower is called a session beer because a beer drinker can have multiple beers within a given period of time before they can feel the alcohol in it.......

As for me, I think I’ll stick to my wine

The Lost Wallet

A few weeks ago,  hubby lost his wallet.  He thought he left it at the grocery store while buying some fresh vegetables that we were going to juice up that morning.  So he went back only to be told his wallet was not there.  He then retraced his steps and didn’t find it as well.

A few hours later, we were going to the city for some activity, I told hubby to retrace again his steps that morning.  If I would ever want a second job, it would probably be a private investigator because I would have success on my hunches (I do have interesting tales to relate on this one,  to the point that I was  almost sued for libel which  turned out I was right, but that’s another story)

Anyway, hubby said he did retrace his steps earlier but succumbed to my request of doing it all over.  While we were walking down the sidewalk, he was looking towards the street, while I was looking at the alleys and walkways.  Then somewhere between a door and an alleyway I saw a bunch of call card strewn.  It was probably one of those trash cards one throws on the streets, but i saw the name “Xango Shola” which happened to be a friend of ours.  This led me to believe that these cards were the contents of my hubby’s wallet.   I then  gathered the cards and gave them to hubby. which was indeed the contents of his wallets sans his i.d. and the money which had amounted to twice a daily’s wage.

The confirmation that hubby’s wallet was indeed picked up and weeded out of its contents had left me with a feeling of pitiness for my hubby who worked so hard for his keep only to be enjoyed by another.  But what surprised me was his calm reaction to the whole thing.  His only response was, “the guy who got my wallet must have needed the money more than me.  I’m just glad I got my cards back and I can always get a new atm card.”

It is not our action that determines our attitude, it is our reaction to the incident.  

Sometimes, what could be our misfortune can turn out good if we look at it a different way.   And I had to share this incident because of the story I read a few minutes ago:

Indeed one of the best eye opener message:

It was their anniversary, and Aisha was waiting for her husband Rajiv to show up.

Things had changed since their marriage, the once cute couple couldn't-live-without-each-other had turned bitter.

Fighting over every little things, both didn't like the way things had changed.

Aisha was waiting to see if Rajiv remembered it was their anniversary!

Just as the door bell rang she ran to find her husband wet and smiling with a bunch of flowers in his hand.

The two started re-living the old days. Making up for fights, then was d plan for champagne, light music And it was raining outside! It was perfect.

But the moment paused when the phone in the bedroom rang.

Aisha went to pick it up and it was a man. "Hello ma'am I'm calling from the police station. Is this Mr Rajiv Mehra's number?"

"Yes it is!"

"I'm sorry ma'am; but there was an accident and a man died. 

We got this number from his wallet; we need you to come and identify his body."

Aisha's heart sank.!!! She was shocked!

But my husband is here with me?"

"Sorry ma'am, but the incident took place at 2 pm, when he was boarding the train."

Aisha was about to lose her conscience.

How could this happen?!

She had heard about the soul of the person coming to meet a loved one before it leaves!

She ran into the other room.

He was not there. It was true! He had left her for good!!

Oh God she would have died for another chance to mend every little fight! She rolled on the floor in pain. She lost her chance! Forever!

Suddenly there was a noise from the bathroom, the door opened and Rajiv came out and said "Darling, I forgot to tell you my wallet got stolen today".

LIFE MIGHT NOT GIVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE. SO NEVER WASTE A MOMENT WHEN YOU CAN STILL MAKE UP FOR YOUR WRONGS!!

at the rate we're going, we'll be so wrinkled up we wouldn't recognize each other...

My Encounter with Josh Groban

(notes by vanette on facebook)

“I love you” said Josh Groban after signing my CD of his latest album “All that Echoes”. So I am now declaring I am a cougar but only for Josh G.  But it’s not what you think it seems.  

Anyway, when I read about a book signing of J.G at a book store, I immediately planned my noon break just to grace the event.  After all I am a big fan after hearing him many years ago at an episode of Ally McBeal. 

My employer is very supportive of me when it comes to these events.  After all, she was the primary initiator of this action.  Many years ago, upon knowing that I had passion for anything culinary, she brought me to a mall and said, “Mario Batalli is doing book signings today. Go get his book and meet the man!”  And after that initial encounter,  every chance I get to meet a celebrity in person, I just go.

This is however, the first time that it is not culinary related but still my favorite.  The line of people outside the bookstore was already teaming with people when I arrived an hour early.  I surprised myself to brave the cold, wintry morning but nevertheless time flies so fast when the people around you just have endless chatter amidst laughter.  Those that were in line ahead of me were Canadian tourists and behind me were New York matrons.  And the stories they tell, whew! I could write a book!

An hour  or so later (but it seemed minutes), our batch queued up waiting for that  encounter with the celebrity.  As I was nearing the man seated behind a huge table, I held on to my undies thinking that they might fall off the minute I saw my ‘star’-- well didn’t they say that he has the charisma of ‘makataktak ug panty’? (panty drops)..Oh well!

We were not allowed to take pictures so the least I could do was to hold his hand longer and gripped it as best as I could.  He had the smile of a college kid that I just melted.  And as he was signing my CD, this was what we chatted about.

me:  I am such a hhhhhhuggge  fan!

JG ; thank you!

me:  and I’m from the PHilippines and I am so excited to meet you (my usual lines to every celebrity to know that as far away they are known)

JG:  Oh! great!  I’ve been to the PHilippines

me:   I know.  I read about it.

JG:   They are so good to me.  I hope to go back.

me:  You should...The filipinos really love you.

JG:  And I love you (pushing my cd to me and looking at me with a smile)

me:  thank you. (I smiled, took my cd, clasped my hand and made a ‘namaste’ bow)

And that my friend was how my encounter with Josh Groban happened.  I represented the Filipino people that he loves and I was very proud of it.  And as I left the book store the experience of that morning was all that echoes.

I stole a shot from the side as we were queuing up

my signed cd

Cuisine-nera looking for the 'Kusinerong Bakal ng Pinas' ....ikaw ba yan?

While the whole of America was busy watching Superbowl last Sunday,  I was doing apostolic work by watching over my ‘apos’ (grandkids).  After a game of junior monopoly and  that american version of ‘sunka’ with them,  my eldest grandchild then played with her mom’s  i-pad, while the other one was tinkering on her dad’s laptop.

As for me, I was watching the Filipino Channel with it’s various talk shows.  I was entertained by that immigration show wherein a lady kept on referring to the emcee as ‘ Attorney Gar-pang kehl‘ otherwise known as Mr. Garfinkel.  The show was very informative as well as amusing considering that many Filipnos would like to  hold on to the ‘American Dream’.  

The preceeding show  called the  Kulinarya tours  shocked me when the announcer said that the culinary capital of the philippines was Pampangga?...Where did that come from?...No offense to my sister in law who is a Pampangueno --but I don’t see how that came to be because all I know of their food are the unhealthy cured meats of tocino and longanisa.  Unless of course they might refer to specialties of bitute tugad which are frogs and the kamaru which are mole crickets.  But then again, it takes a strong stomach to take in the unknown.

But regardless, the cured meats of Pampangga can not even equal a small percentage of  the jamons (Iberrico or Serrano) of Spain or the Prosciutto and Pancetta of Italy.  However, let me remind you that Cebu lechon has been acclaimed as the ‘best pig ever’ by the renowned travelling chef Anthony Bourdain. ‘Anong say nyo?’

If not for that acclamation , our filipino cuisine is as mixed as it’s asean neighbors. And unless we reinvent, develop or recreate our gustatory palate into a healthier yet appealing one, then we are what we eat.  The adobos for instance is either dried and oily (known as pina-uga)  or too salty because it is swimming in its soy (with sauce). And as far as those noodle dishes are concerned, every Filipino family has it’s own version.  From the famous Cebuano Bam-i to the orange Pancit Palabok.

So.......am wondering, if we ever have a food challenge among the different foods in the Philippines, what region will reign supreme?  I’m up for that challenge as a Cebuano, any takers?

2

My R R (Restaurant Review)

I have got to see a Filipno restaurant that is close enough to competing with Asian counterparts in terms of presentation and ambience of fine dining.  Let’s face it.  Conditioning has cause many filipinos to salivate when they see a golden lechon sitting on a wooden tray beautifully adorned.  But show that to a 7 year old caucasian and you’d get a reaction of, “is that a dog? why do they eat that?”

Nothing comes close to the freshness of Vietnamese spring rolls or the savory crispness of the Pad Thais’.  I have concluded that most of the food that we have are cooked.  Even the ‘fresh lumpia’ we crave with it’s garlicky gravy and peanut garnishes are cooked on the inside before being wrapped by a covering made out of cooked batter.

About two weeks ago, we went to a resto called ‘Kuma Inn’ which was suggested as close to a Filipino fine dining.  I was disappointed.  The place was dim, therefore I only saw a glimpse of a nice presentation of a dish.  I am suspect to dim places because I would never really know what they put in my food.  Tastewise, it had more of the chinese flavor than that of  filipino.  The service needs improvement as there was only one waitress in the place that served a seating capacity of roughly 30 people.  I wouldn’t go back unless I was invited.

Last weekend, hubby and I were on a ‘ramen rage’.  Not intentionally, but because the weather just pushed us to eat something warm, we had to look for some Asian flare.  We were tired of having spicy Korean chigaes or gook soups, that we decided to try the Japanese Ramen House near Union Square.  We were not disappointed.  Very simple, flavorful and reasonable on the pocket.

It was the next day , when my hubby and I attended  a drum circle where we beat our drums with other percussion enthusiasts.  Hubby has a doumbek while I have a djembe.  Believe me, it was my first time to join and I didn’t care if I had the wrong beat because my sound was overpowered by my playmates who had bigger drums compared to my tiny baby one.

Anyway, after the play date,  we ended up in Momofuku, one of the busiest and most talked about ramen restaurant.  Owned by Dave Chang, a famous celebrity chef/restaurateur, his restaurant is simple and has that homey ambience.  Because there is a constant flow of clients waiting to be seated, his staff is always on the move ( front of as well as back of the house).  His dishes are simply presented, having that  savory taste  but bordering on saltiness.  The prices  are overrated for the food portions.  Maybe he has no choice considering his high overhead-  numerous expansions and high skilled personnel. But that’s another story.  But between Momofuku and Ippudo (another ramen place), the latter is still my choice.  The only problem is, I don’t like waiting 2 hours to be seated---that’s how good Ippudo is! And that’s a New York secret place!

 what my hubby ordered..a lemon grass panna cotta with an apple slice for garnish (Kuma Inn)

 see! even the entrance of Kuma Inn with it's accolades was dark-- no like

 really yummy...and check out the poached egg (momofuku)

 this was my ramen dish....it was kind of a salad mix...no soup (momofuku)

 this was my next seatmate's dish...they were koreans so they ordered kimchi (momofuku)

 the back of the house which was visible--momofuku

it was like eating in your own kitchen with your own cook....momofuku

A Bedroom Christmas

I love watching the pictures and status updates in facebook.  If there’s one thing that we didn’t do  as a family was to take pictures of everyone at our very own noche buena gathering at my son’s house.  Why? because we were amused at the only two beautiful little  kids in the room who was screaming to their hearts content while opening their gifts.

I am not sure if I ever heard of any gift given to them by Santa.  They had asked for an American girl doll (gosh, these dolls cost an arm and a leg) and although their parents could very well get each of them, practicality just had to set in. The two little girls got similar ones yet not as expensive but still very close. But I love the way my grand daughters reacted and told their parents, “it’s okay dad and mom, we know we’re not rich and we love it just as well.  Thank you soooo much” 

But the one and only gift, which I was very entertained by my grandkid’s reaction was when my 8 year old granddaughter was given a poster----yes, a POSTER-- of the band ‘One Direction’---who the heck are these ‘puti’ juveniles?...She screamed and couldn’t contain herself, like some love crazed child.  I never did any screaming even as a teenager when i’d see a heart throb, and my grandkid is only 8 years old.  She wouldn’t even trade her poster with the child oven that could cook real cupcakes.

Anyway, and talking about having senior moments, I sent my son in law a golf score digital thingy which my daughter said I had already sent in the first package.  Now he has two of the same kind.  Oh heck! this is what christmas does to me. I get to send doubles, gave my sister in law an unwrapped gift (how do you wrap a rolling pin and a pie plate without a box)  and gave my boss a vegetable spinner hoping she’d eat veggies (is that crazy or not?)

Oh well, everything worked out well.  Sumptuous food, overflowing wine and lots of laughter at the dinner table just completed the evening.  And what did I do on Christmas day itself?  Nurtured some chills and a slight fever and stayed in bed the whole day! Seriously!  That’s what I did.  And the only entertainment I got was watched the DVD’s I got from the library ,occasionally looked into facebook to see friends spend their holidays and eating leftovers, cuddling with hubby and sleep,sleep and sleep!  Thanks for the feeds and Merry Christmas----now let’s see how the New Year events turnout will be!

okay, so who can relate to this???????

okay, so what you see on my body are all gifts! from the checkered to the orange overblouse etc... why the scarf on the forehead--for accessories! I'm a wife of an aspiring shaman (just kidding)....

Just Random Thoughts

We live in an age of fantasy, where the unreal becomes real and the untrue becomes true.  That is because we created it.  We are artistic beings envisioning our own dreams and turning them into reality.  And sometimes, what we create becomes a tenet of our own making which we hold onto as reality, when actually it is just a cloud of dreams.

It may come as harmless but in due time it forms into a magma of erring traditions and unhealthy conditioning.  What was once believed to be just a shot in the arm to while away questionable minds and give plausible answers, may turn into something which is outrageously ridiculous.

What am I trying to say?  Last night, hubby came home with a small white box tied in a cute red ribbon.  It contained mini nibbles of assorted cookies, merengues and sweets.  But what intrigued me was a tiny writing on the white box (written by a friend)  the word ‘SANTA’  and below it another scribble that said, “SATAN’.  It was implied that when you scribble those letters, indeed it will read that way.

Which sent me to thinking? Who is SANTA?  Is he Satan in disguise of materialism, creating what is now the biggest money making holiday of the year.  (Mother’s Day and Valentines are close competitors).  It’s the time of the year when we instill fear in our kids to be good lest there won’t be any presents for him.  Oh, and another thing, fat Santa in a red suit is a thing of the past.  Yesterday, I saw a lady behind a Santa red suit, donning a fake beard and sitting in front a mom and pop Hispanic grocery store.  Apparently, it was one way of enticing customers to shop.  The ‘Santita’ communicated  in Spanish to the little kids, who was engaging in the conversation.  To top it all, even the parents wanted pictures with Santita.

Do kids love Santa more than the spirit of the season? Should we continue to engage in this shenanigan until the ‘age of awakening’ has bloomed from the minds of babes? I asked a friend on this and he said, “ I say delay...it is a sweet loss of innocence.’  So in the meantime, let us feed our kids with so many untruths....and we wonder why there are so many messed up people in this world!!!!!!!....just my wandering thoughts....

Be Do Be Do to You too!!!

When Jim Paredes posted in twitter that the film “Idobidobidoo” was going to show in New York, I immediately knew that I had to see it but not without it’s obstacles. (tagalog isn’t my language)  And I knew that hubby will definitely decline an invitation to watch any  tagalog movie unless it was a Rosanna Roces film.  Because even if some deep pinoy words are incomprehensible at least he will have his show of butts and boobs.

But when  hubby said he was going to this ‘galactic’ lecture by an author somewhere in mid-Manhattan, I took the chance to say that I too had some happening going on.

The  venue of the movie was a kind of an off broadway complex that had several mini  theatres in it.  Even the hallways were narrow and cramped.  And each theatre had a capacity of about 30-40 people.At one time while we were watching the movie, we could hear jumping and running feet above us which was rather irritating.  Anyway I called the day before and asked for the screening hours so I could plan my early evening.

However, upon arriving I was told that screening was still an hour.  Earlier, hubby and I had some cocktails at home before heading out.  We downed a bottle of wine with some homemade artichoke dip with chips and I was feeling a little light headed.  So without a moment  to loose, I headed to a Starbucks cafe to get myself a cafe mocha and while the time.

Times Square is just two blocks from the theatre and was buzzling with tourists on a cold winter night.  After getting my coffee, I headed back to the theatre while bumping into so many out of towners wanting to take pictures with Cookie Monster, Elmo, Smurf Batman or Miss Kitty, who were roaming the streets.

 BAck at the theatre, and  waiting at the bar lounge an American born Filipina came in.  I was relieved at the thought that I wasn’t going to be alone.  But when I struck a conversation with her, she was part of a play that was showing in one of the studios in the complex.  It was 10 minutes before screening time, and I was feeling jittery as I didn’t see any signs of other Filipinos.  So I went up to the bartender and asked  where I could get tickets for the show.  She pointed me to someone who was seated adjacent to the bar.

A Filipina with an envelope on hand was selling the tickets and escorted me as well.  

Two other Filipinos were already seated and I took the seat on the opposite aisle.  Later on, I learned that they were from the Philippine Consulate, who do blast e-mails on Filipino activities around the states. A few minutes later, an American couple came in and took the seats behind me.  I befriended Marlyn and John , who told me that the latter worked in Surigao for a year in the 70’s and was curious about the film, which was featured at the New YOrk Times Review that morning.

For awhile, I was worried for them but when the movie started with having subtitles, I leaned back and relaxed. 

The movie is typical Filipino.  And if my new friends get the hint, America is the land of refuge for unwanted pregnancies and disgruntled people (that’s what the movie depicted--sort of)

It was entertaining, and the audience (a few more Pinoys came though) sang with the movie when the tune was familiar to them. The cast was superb and talented. Towards the end, I had a feeling of repetitiveness, but the element of surprise was the bedroom scene, which was hilarious---so characteristic!

my new friends.. Marlyn is an editor  of a well known company here in New York and I'm an aspiring writer, could this be fate?......just kidding...

this was what greeted me when i went up the stairs to check on the movie

cookie monster with some tourists

smurf turning blue with the cold...heheheh!

I was entertained, all right!  And I do hope that even non-Filipinos should watch it as well.  Kudos to the Apo for the songs and hats off to the cast of I dobidoobidoo!!! Well done!

Amazing Turkey Recipe

Thanksgiving is next week already, and if you can’t find the recipe of how to make a turkey dinner, here is one.....

AMAZING Turkey Recipe

Ingredients:

1 whole turkey

1 large lemon, cut into halves

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer.

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Rub butter or oil over the skin of the turkey until it is completely coated.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you prefer.

Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat;

Slide lemon halves under the skin with the peel side up, one on

Each side. This way the juice from the lemon will release into the breasts.

Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes. Remove cover and continue To roast until juices run clear, basting every 15-20 minutes.

If you've followed these steps correctly, your turkey should look like the one in the picture below.

Watch ya say?

Should a mistake be forgiven as easily as it is made?  This has been a very rhetoric question that probably needs a lot of explanation to tackle. (I am begininng to sound like a counselor)

A friend of mine once asked my opinion whether she should forgive her husband who had a one night affair which was not intended to happen, but it just did.  Many scenarios of businessmen going on trips without wives have led to compromising situations of being at the right time, in the right place with the ‘right’ person ending up in illicit passions.

My friend had full trust on her husband but the revelation of this one night affair devastated her to pieces and so what was I to say?

My take on this is that “Forgiveness is not an option, it is a requirement.  But to be able to go back to the same ‘beautiful relationship’ as what my friend insinuated they had, is a total misconception.   The stigma of a betrayal is harder to bear for the offended party especially when there was never any cause to create it.

  And for the husband to say there was no intention in the first place but because he was at the right time, in the right place at the right moment was just too intolerable to resist.  This may be true for the moment, but to say it was with the ‘right person’ is questionable to my mind when one is in a beautiful relationship.

And to be with all of those requirements above as regarding  to  time, moment and place could be a perfect description for a blissful encounter.  So, if indeed you have been in a beautiful relationship all these years, it should have been  with the ‘right person’.....and unless this has been replaced by some other one  even ‘for the moment’, then that ‘beautiful relationship’ has had it’s toll .  For if indeed, you were with the right person, then everything would be all fine, after the ecstasy and fulfillment  shall  have played its course instead of guilt and shame.

We can never make mistakes, we can only suffer the consequences of our actions. Because if it was a mistake, why make it in the first place and say it was never intentional.  Oh how we love to play with fire and end up scorched to pieces just to taste the moment of orgasmic pleasure.

Time will heal all wounds and it always does.  But between the moment of decision to forgive,  until the moment of total healing will really depend on the person.  Whether she will hold on to that mistake and place it on her husband as a sign of his infidelity, it is also up to the husband to win back that trust he so ruined. 

So who is now  the weaker sex?  the offended party who cannot easily forgive and must carry it for a time, or the guilty offender, who needed a moment of passion?  Should a relationship be ruined for a single mistake?

As for me, I wouldn’t know because I am not there, and pray that I never will be!!!!

Me Eat Mock Meat

 Give it to the cenobites of ancient Europe to concoct some kind of creative culinary prowess and you either get wine or beer.  And they have them secretly in their cellars or brewing in their basements away from the public eye.  That’s how our alcohol industry was created many centuries ago. (and you think they were saints!!!)

On the other side of the globe, trust the Buddhist monks to be equally imaginative when they have vowed to a life of poverty which included not eating animal flesh....and you either have the tofu,  the tempeh (a more sophisticated kind of tofu)  and finally the mock meat known as SEITAN.

So yesterday, to quell my curiosity about this talked about substitute, I enrolled in the class by Peter Berley  ( http://peterberley.com/about/ ) .

My cousin always asks me why I  take classes when I can get tons of information out of google search.  True, but nothing comes better than meeting new friends and learning more than just reading into it.  Besides, hands-on is so much fun, and we really wouldn’t know if we are doing the process right.

So with about a dozen students and four assistants, the  kitchen area assigned to us at the Natural Gourmet Institute was buzzing with activity.  

Upon arrival, we were  asked  to hang our coats at the closet provided, then we were given aprons, a rag and some notes that we would use in class.  While waiting for all the students to arrive, we could partake of some snacks set on a table that consisted of crackers, hummus, and olives.  Tea and lemon flavored water were also provided.

Peter , our teacher went right into demonstrating how we should make seitan and then we had a hands-on follow up.  Resting the dough is one of the key factor in making seitan.  While our ‘mock meat’ was resting, Peter then started the lecture and continued on until we were ready to do the proper recipes.  Each recipe had at least 2 students working on it. And by the end of the evening, we had completed a buffet of :  seitan wrapped burdock, leek and carrot rolls ; braised chickpea stew with seitan chorizo and fennel; pan seared seitan steak with chimichurri, savory seitan-stuffed summer squash provencal, eggplant and seitan falafel and gluten puffs with sweet and sour sauce.

After taking this class, I had dispelled my skepticism on substituting the real meat.  Instead, it had challenged me to be more creative and take this gustatory knowledge into a new level of awareness. After  2 glasses of wine and a sumptuous vegetarian meal, I went home excited, eager  to test my  new found culinary knowledge---and my first victim for a taste test----my hubby.

My teacher (Peter Berley) and moi

our snack table

braised chickpea stew with seitan chorizo

my partner Andy...after making the falafel time to drink

our buffet--pan seared steak with chimichuri sauce 

   chatting over dinner

savory seitan stuffed summer squash provencal