Mrs. O Salad & more for Frannie Jacinto

MANILA, Philippines - Eat, pray and laugh is what women do when they take an anti-stress break from work and get together for a meal.  That's what 11 women — Frannie Jacinto, Lulu Tan Gan, Bettina Osmena, Vicky Zubiri,Bingbing Quiros, Allana Montelibano, Cecile Infantado, Isa Valenton, Yoli Ayson, Marissa Fenton and myself — plus one guy, Ito Curata — did Thursday this week at the Last Chukker of Manila Polo Club.

We ate delicious food designed by Conrad Calalang and everybody ordered the same yummy appetizer, Mrs. O Salad, named after Cecile Ongsiako, a good friend of the Calalangs. I loved the spinach ravioli too.

We prayed — well, not literally — but we hoped that in this imperfect world, we would have near-perfect futures for our children, our families and our country. Of course, we also laughed (laughter is a great anti-aging secret, remember) — at ourselves and our little foibles.

Most of all, we  did what was most important during this lunch hosted by Lulu — greet Frannie a happy birthday. Frannie is one lady I truly love for her genteel, elegant ways. And yet she can be fun-crazy too. We are “classmates” when it comes to watching shows from Aerosmith to the Zombies, and of course, those concerts featuring her dear iconic hubby, RJ Jacinto. She is also one of our consistent and hardworking STAR Lifestyle columnists.

Her birthday wish as she blew the Calalang's original decadent chocolate cake? “That my children (RJJ, 28, and Natalia, 29) find their spouses who will be with them through the valleys and peaks of life.”

See, I told you. That’s the stuff women pray about when they get together for lunch.

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My new email address is mananquilmillet@gmail.com. I am on FB Millet Martinez-Mananquil.