ramblings from a gypsy soulramblings from a gypsy soulRamblings froma girl in love with travel, food, books, photography and life in general. Articles
pineapples, steaks, and coffee
2007-08-03 19:58:00 Our weekend jaunt to the south was coming to an end, sniff, but there was still one more thing we had to do (er eat) before hopping on that plane back to Manila: the steaks at Del Monte! Bukidnon is a rolling highland with an average elevation of about 900 meters. It is home to the world's biggest pineapple plantation and is also the biggest cattle-prducing province in the region. Now think More About: Coffee , Steaks
Finding God's country in Bukidnon
2007-08-02 02:37:00 We were invited to stay for the night at a friends' farm in Bukidnon . So after we accomplished what we did and satisfied our inner stuntman in Cagayan de Oro, they sent the car to pick us up from our hotel. We drove for over an hour through nothing but a sea of pineapples (owned by the Del Monte Corp.) on either side of the dirt road until we arrived at their gorgeous 60-hectare estate. I knew More About: Country
Tastes like beef
2007-07-31 01:20:00 Ostrich tapaCagayan de Oro, being the white water rafting capital of the Philippines, has a lot to offer the thrill seeker and adventure traveler. Aside from shooting the rapids, ziplining, braving suspension bridges, horseback riding and caving which we did, visitors to this city can also enjoy other activities such as rapeling, spelunking, tubing (also known as Pinoy rafting), biking and nature More About: Beef
Getting my adrenalin fix in Cagayan
2007-07-28 08:35:00 Yay I finally did it! I finally went white water rafting! I've been wanting to do this for way too long. The last two times I was in Cagayan de Oro there was no time for any adventure; the first time we we were just passing through on our way to Camiguin island, and the second time was for work so no time there. But yes, finally, there I was feeling brave and snug in a blue lifevest, a yellow More About: Adrenalin
Hey girl, you rock!
2007-07-24 06:10:00 Yes, folks, I rock! And I rock, two times!! Well, at least according to two of my favorite blogger friends: Tracy of Alaskan Adventures and Cookie of ScroochChronicles. :) Thank you so much, you two, I am extremely flattered yet humbled and touched that you think so. I happen to think you both rock too! If you haven't already had the pleasure of meeting these two lovely women, let me give you a More About: Rock , Girl , Hey Girl
Black pepper crabs
2007-07-14 07:13:00 In our village, there are many industrious folk who roam the streets selling a wide range of food and services. They are recognized by the distinct sounds they produce as they walk past your home. There's the unmistakable bell of my favorite 'dirty' ice cream man pushing his colorful cart through our streets whom I've been buying cones of ube and keso (cheese) ice cream from since I was five; More About: Black , Pepper , Lack
Tales of a Food Whisperer
2007-07-11 05:03:00 I 'borrowed' that name from Socky, which was apparently coined by Adobo Magazine. There was no more perfect term for her, I think. The woman I speak of is none other than Lydia Go. Tita Lyds, as she is fondly called, is a pioneer and master in the art of food styling and food photography who revolutionized the craft in the Philippines. She was legendary in the advertising industry, the woman More About: Food , Tales , Whisperer , Whisper
A seaside jaunt
2007-07-09 15:30:00 After our delicious Balinese lunch, we climbed into Gusti's car and headed west towards Bali's famed coastline. As much as we loved charming and peaceful Ubud and it's colorful tapestry of mountains, rice fields and art galleries, there is another side to Bali that warrants at least a few day's visit. But since we didn't have a few days left, we settled for some highlights. I had no more than a More About: Seaside
A lesson in Balinese cooking
2007-07-04 08:29:00 glutinous rice treatsI'm not a morning person but on this day I could have fooled you. We were up at 5:30 and out the door by 6 am ready for our wee-hours-of-the-morning market jaunt with Cok Sri (pronounced chawk sree), the Balinese woman who would be instructing us on her local cuisine today. Even the roosters aren't up yet!, I thought. Rubbing the sleep off our eyes, we stumbled over to the More About: Cooking , Lesson , Cookin
Ubud Palace and Café Lotus
2007-07-02 14:51:00 Across the street from the market is the Ubud Palace that is a traditional Balinese complex open to visitors who wish a glimpse of life as a Balinese royal. Today, the palace or puri is used as a venue for traditonal dance and ceremonies. We stepped through the main doorway that was adorned with religious and mythical figures and onto the first courtyard to find many locals milling around idly More About: Lotus
A labyrinth of scents and color
2007-06-26 17:30:00 Also along Jl Raya and no more than a 2 minute walk from the Bungalows is the Ubud Market. This was easily one of the places I was most excited to visit. In fact, we went to the market three times, once every day that we were there. Marilyn, the sweet lady manager of our bungalows, taught us an invaluable lesson in one of her many emails to me before my trip: always start your haggling with 30% More About: Color , Labyrinth
Mystical island
2007-06-25 15:00:00 Ubud is the heart of Bali where Balinese culture and tradition beats strongest; and Jl Raya Ubud (Ubud main rd.) is its main artery. Our bungalows were conveniently located on this road, just a hop, skip and a jump away from everything. After we checked in, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring our little neighborhood. And what interesting neighbors we found! Jl Raya is dotted with More About: Island , Myst , Mystical
LP 18: Oh My Gulay!
2007-05-30 02:05:00 I couldn't resist joining the Lasang Pinoy 18: Oh My Gulay! event. I took one look at the icon (below) and signed up. I mean look at this guy,he's adorable! I wanted to hug him and squeeze him and and call him George. And then I wanted to take him home because I had to have him on my blog. Lasang Pinoy (lasa meaning taste and Pinoy is slang for Filipino) is a Filipino food blogging event that
Bistro cooking with Chef Migne
2007-05-28 08:26:00 Chef Jean-Pierre Migne handling the phyllo pastry sheets The word bistro conjures up cozy images of friends or lovers sipping wine in between bites of simple and traditional French food. Bistro fare is not haute cuisine nor is it modest cafe food, it falls somewhere in between. According to Chef Jean-Pierre Migne, Executive Chef of Restaurant Le Bellevue at the Manila Diamond Hotel, there are More About: Cooking , Chef , Cookin
Pomelo Salad
2007-05-20 18:05:00 To go with the Thai green curry, I made a pomelo salad using a recipe also from At the Table with Jim Thompson. The pomelo salad is one of those things I've made a mental note to try at home someday. It's a salad I enjoy immensely and will order it automatically at my favorite Thai restaurant, it's as delicious as it is refreshing. The pomelo salad, like most yams (Thai salad) showcases Thai More About: Salad , Pomelo
Thai green curry
2007-05-19 17:18:00 For Mother's Day, my 2 sisters and I prepared lunch at home for the family. My mom's favorite cuisine is Asian, so that's what we went with as a theme, it's her day after all so we wanted to make her happy. It made me happy too because it meant I could finally try some recipes from At the Table of Jim Thompson , the cookbook I purchased form The House of Jim Thompson during a recent trip to More About: Green , Thai , Curry
Feijoada and pão de queijo
2007-05-17 10:55:00 The first time I had feijoada (Brazilian black bean stew) was at a graduation party hosted by my two Brazilian friends in their flat off Oxford st. in London. They had prepared a veritable Brazilian feast but the feijoada took center stage as it usually does at most Brazilian feasts. It was accompanied by other typical cuisine from the land of samba y gol and everything was chased down with
Summer & Sardines
2007-05-15 11:20:00 the Dumaguete Belfry,St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral To conclude this series on Dumaguete, I am posting this article written by my cousin, with her permission of course, which was published in the July 2006 issue of MetroPost, a local weekly paper in Dumaguete. Here she speaks fondly of one of my favorite childhood memories, playing Sard ines with cousins and friends, as she laments how the More About: Summer
Big shoes to fill
2007-05-14 16:40:00 Mamaita's handwritten recipes I mentioned before that my grandmother, or Mamaita as she was fondly called, was an amazing cook who was famous for many dishes. Gaining at least 5 lbs. every summer was a given. We couldn't help it, the house was always filled with food, everything revolved around food, even the family business. Some of her delicious creations were available in the restaurant and More About: Shoes , Fill , Shoe
Jo's Chicken Inatô
2007-05-13 05:50:00 In the past, going out to restaurants for lunch or dinner was not something we did very often in Dumaguete. This is largely due to the fact that, for the most part, restaurant food could never compete with the meals so lovingly prepared at my grandmother's house. We didn't have it for the rest of the year, so we enjoyed it while we could. If we weren't eating at home, that usually meant we were More About: Chicken
Manang Siony's Tocino
2007-05-11 08:06:00 Manang Sion y's was a little tocinohan (place that sells tocino 0r cured pork) two blocks away from our house in Dumaguete. It was nothing more than a makeshift charcoal grill set up on the sidewalk but it was famous. Manang Siony and her slivers of tocino on bamboo skewers were legendary around these parts. During those summers when we were already spiking our Cokes with Tanduay rum we relied More About: Mana
Picnic in the forest
2007-05-09 20:30:00 Picnicking and swimming in the river was something we did a lot of when I was younger. This is one of life's most simple of pleasures, a back-to-basics activity that is so rewarding and enjoyable. We didn't need much, a small basket with basic picnic fare, a cooler for our drinking water and sodas and Mother Nature. The Forrest Camp is a 2 hectare property situated along the Banica River which More About: Forest , Fore , Picnic
Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries
2007-05-06 11:35:00 Sans Riva l Cakes & Pastries I mentioned before how my family would spend summers in Dumaguete with the rest of the clan and it was a time of year we always eagerly awaited. Under one roof, four big families were squeezed in and when we were not at the beach or by the river, we found ways to entertain ourselves in my grandmother's house. My older siblings eventually formed other groups to hang More About: Trie
The Twin Lakes of Balinsasayao
2007-05-01 20:03:00 I don't know why I had never been up here before. I thought that I'd seen all there was worth seeing around Dumaguete, but how wrong I was. The island is so rich in natural beauty that apparently much has yet to be discovered and developed for visitors. It was my brother who had first told me about the Twin Lake s of Balinsasayao, and how I should make it a point to go this time. He had never
Malatapay madness
2007-04-24 13:35:00 Oohh there it was, that familiar jagged coastline of Dumaguete. My heart did a little back flip. This is my favorite city in all of the country, my dad's hometown. Though discovering new places is thrilling, I cannot resist the lure of this place I have come to love as my second home. From my window seat on the plane, I could see the long stretch of beach to my right where we spent many More About: Ness , Madness , Mala
Catalina Taco Salad
2007-04-23 13:01:00 During a recent dinner at La Nuova Pastelleria in Alabang, I was reminiscing with the owner about my old favorites from their original cafe in Makati. His younger brother was a friend and we went to the same school nearby, just a short walk from where his mother served some of the yummiest cakes from old family recipes - they have the best Concorde cake! Sometimes after the final bell, my best More About: Salad , Catalin
Ayuthaya: a photo essay
2007-04-21 20:27:00 The old capital city of Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1350 and was the seat of power until it's complete and total destruction by the Burmese army in 1767, which prompted the king to relocate his court to Bangkok. But at one time there were 3 royal palaces, 375 temples and 29 forts in Ayutthaya alone. The present site with it's khmer-style prangs, Thai chedis and decapitated or More About: Photo , Essay
The Summer Palace
2007-04-20 17:30:00 Aisawan Thiphya-At ; the only Thai style building on the estate Our day trip to the Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand (Siam, then),was the highlight of my trip. It was either a day trip to Ayutthaya or to Kanchanaburi. And while crossing the historic Bridge over the River Kwai would have been interesting, it could not have been as beautiful and awe-inspiring as Ayutthaya turned out to be. More About: Summer , Palace , Pala , Lace
Taken for a ride on a tuktuk
2007-04-16 19:00:00 from inside the tuktuk Ahh the Thais, they're quite the colorful characters. We met all sorts. Though I did not feel from them the genuine warmth that exuded from the Hanoi locals, they were mostly a nice enough bunch peppered with the occasional crude dude. Such as the taxi driver who wouldn't take us up the driveway of our hotel, shooing us all off with both hands when we refused to budge. More About: Ride
I'm a bookworm in the pantry!
More articles from this author:2007-04-16 16:56:00 I interrupt the regular scheduled posting of my misadventures in Bangkok with an exciting announcement: I'm a bookworm in the pantry! "Bookworms are everywhere! Christine, this week's Bookworm in the Pantry , creates her lovely blog, Ramblings from a Gypsy Soul, in Manila, The Philippines (see her list of recommended food-related non-cookbooks, over there on the right). Whenever I read her posts, 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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