Gastronomical imprints in our minds

Some tastes you just don’t forget, and somehow, the older you get, the sensory imprints of certain foods get even more vivid in your mind. 

Just last week, we had to get a cake for a friend’s birthday, and since Red Ribbon was the nearest cake shop to the office which is located in the Pasig area, we decided not only to get it from there but to sit down and relish a plate of their Pansit Palabok as well. Red Ribbon’s palabok has a distinct taste all its own, quite different from other establishments’ version, and believe me there are quite a few versions of this decidedly favorite Filipino dish in the country. I have not had this famous merienda treat of theirs for several years now, maybe even close to a decade even, but my memories of this dish are clear as sunlight.

Theirs, as I remember it before I sat down to order last week, had a richer, more vivid orange food coloring while most others had a paler, yellowish hue. The taste was more strong than bland, the sauce thicker and not runny. When one mixed the noodles and sauce altogether, the dish was a thick heap of flavorful noodles, not soggy at all.

Well, the plateful set before me was so different from my mindset that afternoon — the sauce was not reddish but tended towards pale yellow like most versions. The distinct taste has not changed basically, but I thought it was not as strong and defined as I remember it. And the whole dish tended to be runny, maybe in part because the noodles were a bit soggy which rendered the whole plate watery.

When established favorites such as the Red Ribbon palabok fail to come up to expectations, foodies like me get quite disappointed. Like iconic brands, there are iconic versions of good old Filipino favorites, and the Red Ribbon palabok is one of them, along with their luscious cakes and their empanadas which, though small, are packed with flavor and have good crispy crusts. Oh well, maybe the cooks had a bad hair day. I guess I’ll try another plate next time a friend celebrates another birthday and see if it’s the specific restaurant, or an overactive, hyberbolic imagination that tends to glorify my good old favorites of yore.

Yet another favorite palabok version is the one from Little Quiapo which has not changed in taste or size over the years, though now a plate costs around P65. Both versions have the finer noodles, which differentiates palabok from Pansit Malabon. The latter uses the thicker noodles and tastes of pork fat and chicharon. Eateries in public markets prepared this so well in my younger years so that I didn’t mind going with my mother on her marketing days just so I could enjoy a plate of this, sprinkled with chicharon bits and with inky black squid on top.

Another favorite that is not quite the same is the equally iconic Aristocrat Restaurant spare ribs. Oh, the signature taste is definitely the same, but the size has shrunk so much, and the ribs when served are not laden thick with barbecue sauce like they used to. I remember there were only a few choices for me spare ribs served with java rice, my idea of heaven on earth then. Even now, actually, except that one order of the shortened ribs is not quite enough for a hungry tummy, and the ribs are not as generously slathered with the sweet, spicy, tangy barbecue sauce. Maybe it all boils down to economics, but no matter, the taste still spells heaven on earth for this certified pork lover.

Their dinuguan paired with puto, and their lumpiang ubod, fat and packed full with ubod and shrimps, with a sweetish sauce on top, sprinkled with crushed peanuts and fresh garlic are ultimate snack favorites which could stand on their own as light meals already. The dinuguan is thick with a hint of vinegar and the pork bits are a merry mix of fat and lean meat. These two dishes have stood the test of time through generations of Pinoy eaters, so I hope Aristocrat will not entertain the idea of even tweaking these dishes a bit, not even for economic reasons. Discerning palates just have to bite the bullet and pay through their noses if they want quality food.     

There is a small stall of vegetables and fruits across the BF market that also sells cooked food. This one makes a fresh large pot of dinuguan every morning which they sell for P100/bowl, good enough for two persons. Their version approximates the legendary Aristocrat dinuguan, and for P500, one can bring a treat for a whole office barkada. Try it some time.

And there is also Goldilock’s dinuguan now which runs along the same line of taste as these two eateries — a hint of the sourness of vinegar and chili fingers, the sauce thick and dark. Most people prefer them as merienda fare, paired with small round puto. Me — I prefer to eat dinuguan poured on top of a mound of hot fluffy soft rice, mixed well so that not a white grain of rice stands out! Their dinuguan has become so popular with balikbayans that they came out with tetrapacks — an excellent marketing/packaging strategy that has Pinoys bringing them to the US and Canada, and even Europe, as eagerly awaited pasalubong from the Philippines to their families and friends. The packs freeze well, so they keep well, and are very easy to store and to re-heat. Simply plunk the whole pack in hot water for a few minutes, remove and cut open into a bowl. A quick, flavorful Pinoy meal with no hassles.

The ‘nerds’ give back to Alma Mater

Congratulations to the Philippine Science High School batch 1985 on its 25th anniversary. The batch decided to celebrate with milestone with the theme “Sustainable Change”.

What better way to celebrate your batch’s quarter century anniversary than with laudable projects that enrich and empower communities. Kudos to this group, not just your typical nerds (as can be expected, being products of the Philippine Science High School) but a bunch of socially responsive professionals who has undertaken the following projects for this year:

1. Participation in the All85 Gawad Kalinga Village, a GK village in Quezon City put up be several Batch 85 grads from various high schools across the country;

2. Out-patient health plan for PSHS Faculty and Administrative Staff;

3. Solar-powered lighting for the PSHS Main Campus (in partnership with Brightbox, Inc. and the Wilfred & Bonnie Uytengsu Foundation.

The celebration’s culmination is the Grand Alumni Homecoming which Batch 85 will sponsor on Sat., Sept. 4, 2010, adopting the theme of “Pisayvivor”.

If you’re wondering what that is, it means learning lessons from the past and using innovations today to face the future more responsibly.

Kudos!

The first of 10 for 2010

Have you, as an individual or your company, as a corporate citizen ever been involved in any endeavor or undertaking to promote road safety? If not, it’s about time you do.

Socio Com Foundation for Asia and Sunshine Television (STV) are in the thick of preparations to conduct a series of free seminars/workshops for students to mold their minds and prepare them to become safe and responsible road users. For this year 10 schools are presently being listed to benefit from these seminar/workshops with the Lourdes School of Mandaluyong being first in the line for being the first to express their interest and willingness to host one. With nine more schools to go this year and a lot more for 2011 and for the many years to come, a plea to the sense of “corporate social responsibility” of the country’s corporate citizens is being made to support this project.  

 This advocacy to promote road safety education was foremost in the conceptualization of the public-service oriented developmental TV program, Motoring Today more than two decades ago. Focus on youth education started this year with the creation of the weekly ‘Young Street Smarts Club’ segment being hosted by DJ Suzy of Magic 89.9, top FM radio music station. Presently, the portion centers on the meaning of common “traffic signs and road markings”. This topic shall be followed by the basics of “right of way” and then “road courtesy”.

Initial corporate supporters of the project include Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC). Considering the mean logistical requirements of the project, the Socio Com Foundation for Asia calls on other companies to also be involved in the advocacy and in the project — after all the safety of children and everyone else on the road is everybody’s concern. Let’s all work together to promote road safety — support the Young Street Smarts Club School Tour.    

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino. 

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