Of curtains, pots and pans

Oh, the new curtains are lovely. Gari did a really good job. I had chosen pale-blue cotton with embroidered white flowers for the kitchen and they look so pretty and fresh. Mabango. The fabric looks like it came straight from Pottery Barn. But it is decidedly cheaper because it is from Gari. In the guestroom, the curtains are a striped fabric in three tones of yellow and in the den, Roman shades in bright blue with strips that crisscross as a border in yellow ochre and a strange but nice shade of red. I am happy. The rooms are happy.

The electrician is done with his job. What a neat guy. He swiftly worked with his assistants and they just as swiftly cleaned up as they finished. If not for a brighter house, literally, I would never even have suspected they had dropped by.

Neatness is a sneaky thing, especially for a housewife. She makes one area of the house as neat and pretty as can be and before she even realizes it she is working on making the rest of the house that way, too. Well, for this housewife it is so. This whole beautification thing has a domino effect that creeps into the house innocently enough. And stays, whether it is still welcome or not. And the real challenge lies in achieving neatness, beauty and tangible order at the least cost possible. Wise choices always have to be made.

So there I was in the kitchen, smiling at the new curtains, and I suddenly felt a need to check on the pots and pans. I had just read an article about how dangerous it is to keep on using Teflon-covered pots and pans that have been scratched. When used irresponsibly, Teflon can cause serious illness. The same holds true for aluminum, kitchen-wise, at least. The use of aluminum in the preparation of food and food products, says Dr. H. Tomlinson, M.B., Ch. B., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.S., in his booklet Aluminum Utensils and Disease, is "one of the most harmful factors in modern civilization." Misgivings were expressed about "the softness of the metal, how easily it is corroded by acids and alkalines, and irritating and astringent qualities of aluminum that especially affect the digestive system."

Whew! Now, what is a housewife to do? At every turn, a bunch of intelligent guys discover something harmful about a household staple. But of course, it is wise to take heed. What is the use of healthy cooking without oil anyway if the pan you are using is already harmful on its own? Thankfully, most everyone agrees stainless steel is safe, and foolproof. And it is easy to get stainless steel so I am in the process of slowly but surely weeding out the "bad stuff" from the kitchen. Before the week is over I will have said goodbye to the scratched Teflon-coated pots and pans, and as soon as I find all of the different kinds of utensils needed I will have likewise replaced the aluminum ones used in the kitchen.

Next problem: Is there a way to go about healthy cooking (read: using little or no oil) while using stainless steel when it is in fact not known to distribute heat evenly? Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ms. Hueling Uyliapco. I met her in the beauty parlor of all places and while having my tresses shampooed and my scalp massaged, Hueling was telling me about her line of pots and pans, in very safe stainless steel, and get this: they boast superior-quality five-ply construction to offer the ultimate in heat conduction for predictable and even heating. Sounds wonderful to a non-cook like me; heavenly, probably, to my direct opposite. Plus, Hueling promises she has unbeatable prices. She has a wealth of interesting information worth looking into so it might be a good idea to visit her shop in Binondo. I will probably see you there sometime because I plan to go, too.

Still in the kitchen, next to cross my line of sight: a whole bunch of pretty long-necked empty bottles. They once upon a time held wine, limoncello and Xango. The Xango bottles are especially pretty, they have designs etched on the surface, and the labels can be peeled off easily making for very lovely generic containers. After cleaning and immersing them in boiling water, I asked Yaya Lita to fill them with vinegar bought from the grocery. She then dropped in lovely little baby onions (courtesy of our driver from Ilocos), garlic, chili peppers, salt, and I think I heard her say lemongrass leaves. She refused to throw in peppercorns, saying the liquid would turn grayish black. Okay, I will not argue. Not with Yaya Lita whose efficiency, conscientiousness and loyalty make her a national treasure. The last step is to leave the bottles out under the sun for a couple of days to make all the flavors blend deliciously (I do not know if this last step is an old wives’ tale but there is no harm in following it to a "T"). That still has not come to pass, though, because Yaya Lita says the sun nowadays is just not hot enough each day to make a difference in the taste. It is the rains, she says. And like I said, I will happily oblige Yaya Lita’s wishes. I had the vinegar with chicharon and rice for lunch (my friends here find it queer that I eat chicharon with rice) and with fried fish and rice for dinner. The vinegar is still not the same as the one I get from the province but it is special, and delicious, in its own way. I surmise it will probably be more so once the sun is done with it. Let’s wait and see.

Now for the rest of the house. Did I ever tell you that our steamer has survived at least five irons already? It has proven itself really sturdy, a really good investment. It is no extra-special brand either, just something we picked up at random from PriceSmart years ago. It seems to be foolproof, too, because since its arrival there has been no incident of burned clothes and/or linens to speak of. At least none that I noticed, none that has been reported to me, either.

But my household woes are far from over. The events this past week have told me that. It was Tuesday when Yaya Lita huffed and puffed the news, half-laughing, half crying: "Ma’am, si Juanita ni kirig, nakuryente." Apparently Juanita, while heating chicken pie in the toaster, got mildly electrocuted. The toaster, all of two years and three months old, decided to conk out on us, shocking the wits out of an always happy Juanita. We are just thankful she was not harmed. Shaken, yes, but definitely not injured in any way.

The toasters I have in storage will now be put to good use – we received them as wedding gifts more than eight years ago and except for dusty boxes, I believe they will work fine.

Today our eight-year-old refrigerator decided to surrender, too. Oh, well, oh, well… Just when two things are done, you find five more to do. That is, I guess, the story of my life as a housewife.

But with little bumps like that come some really blessed episodes. The new cook can really cook well, Juanita is getting better and better at blow-drying and setting my hair for when I have functions to attend but have no time to go to the parlor, and the current house helpers (including the two new ones) are really sweet girls – always smiling, always singing. And they all get along just fine.

Our two goldfish got along fine, too, except that one died Monday and is now in heaven. At least that is what we told Juliana. Now we have but one lonely fish, swimming in the aquarium in the den. Maybe Lonely Fish will be entertained by my singing house girls, and will not feel so sad. Or maybe we will attend a birthday party soon where a fishbowl with one fish will be the giveaway. Then he/she will again have company. After all, that was how we acquired the one that died. He/she was a party giveaway. Gone too soon.

Now what do I do with my faded curtains? I do not know, really. I guess I will just keep them until they can be put to good use. As what, heaven knows. They are still pretty enough so that if I were a little girl, I know I would want them fashioned into doll’s clothes, and soft furnishings for a doll’s house. But that is a lot of fabric, too much for even five dolls. And the Von Trapp children are not my neighbors, either, so I cannot pass them on to be made into human play clothes. Oh, well, an idea should come sooner or later.

I once had white slipcovers that shrunk after a few washings, and the whole batch I sent to a manang to be recycled and made into liners of different shapes and sizes for the trays we use. They came out neat and nice, especially when starched, and we still use them regularly. But I doubt I can do the same with old, faded curtains.

I will share with you Gari’s number (+639209082969). And Hueling’s, too (242-1316 and 0917-7958883). You never know when you might need some pretty new curtains. Or, for that matter, some pots and pans not harmful to you and your loved ones’ health.