Milk Thistle

My friends learned about my weakened liver condition while we were finishing that bottle of Chivas Regal. One suggested that I take milk thistle, the seed extract of which contains a lot of silymarin, which supposedly has beneficial effects for the liver, and promotes the lowering of blood cholesterol.  While clinical studies are actually inconclusive, I found myself purchasing a bottle of the product in the hope that this will make my liver tolerate some amount of good whiskey!

*  Again, my legal disclaimer--I am not a doctor, and the above comments are meant to chronicle what I think could work for my body.  If you are suffering from a liver condition, please consult your health professional.

Binalot

I was taking some courses for my CPE credits at the Asian Institute of Management and by mid-afternoon I already had a grumbly tummy.  The line at the school's cafe was quite long so I ventured out and found a nearby Binalot fastfood store.  The attraction of this chain is that meals are wrapped in banana leaves, the technique of which has been known to impart additional aroma to the food.  I had some inihaw na baboy which came in with rice and half a salted duck egg, and I paid just around P100 for it if I recall right.  More expensive than your friendly neighborhood carinderia, but heck, I'm in the middle of Legaspi Village, so it's not a bad meal proposition.

Wooden Spoon

Mark's birthday was celebrated at the Wooden Spoon restaurant along Katipunan Avenue in Loyola Heights, right across from the Maryknoll (now Miriam) campus.  The restaurant is owned by Chef Sandy Daza, and the pedigree is very obvious in the menu, where Chef Sandy mentions how his dishes are influenced by those of his family's different restaurants.  Chef Sandy's late mother, the renowned host of the TV cooking show Cooking It Up with Nora, operated both a Filipino restaurant in Paris, the name of which escapes me, and a French restaurant, Au Bon Vivant, in Ermita.

We arrived with Kong and Gwammy quite a bit late, and the ground floor was already almost full. The spiral staircase to the second floor was pretty difficult for the senior citizens to maneuver, and luckily a table at the entrance was available for Kong and Gwammy.  The rest of the guests were seated at the second floor, and we started immediately with lunch. Salmon sinigang was just the right opener, and we proceeded to heap mounds of dilis-topped fried rice onto our plates.  I particularly liked the beef curry, which seemed more of a Thai dish, and the crispy adobo flakes, which was crunchy like chicharon.

We also had regular adobo, fried lumpia rolls (Vietnamese inspired, with noodle stuffing), and fish fingers.  One viand was unique--spinach rolls, which on the surface I thought looked like laing in coconut creme.  I understand this is a new concoction of the restaurant.  Overall the dishes were quite tasty, albeit a little bit on the salty side.

I'd say that you can have a real feast for around P600 per head.  The portions are meant for around 2-3 people, and if you come in a big group and order family style, it's best to ask the waiters if your orders would be sufficient.  Parking space, however, is pretty tight--you could end up along the side streets, so it's wise to come in early.  One drawback for me--the restaurant doesn't accept reservations, and it's open on a first-come-first-served basis.

Siopawman

* scan from komikero.com

I was looking for interesting comic book material to read on the internet and I came upon Siopawman strips from the Daily Express (one of the few newspapers during the Martial Law era).  The character was a parody of Superman, and it was started by the ever enduring cartoonist Larry Alcala right after the war.  I remember the humor of it all--it was the sidekick Okboy who had more brains.  To those who can remember, Alcala, who was dean at the UP College of Fine Arts, would also draw the Slice of Life page, which I think was either at the Weekender or the Philippine Panorama. This cartoon would feature snippets of Philippine daily life, and you would have to look for the caricature of the artist's face hidden somewhere in the cartoon (I would always miss it, and Michaela would be the one to point it out to me).

Hydro Coco

It appears that the technology to produce bottled coconut water is now widespread. About ten years ago, a friend introduced to to a person that researched on the matter, how aseptic conditions could be applied to maintain the freshness of coconut water for extended periods, preventing fermentation and ensuring shelf life (note that coconut water can turn into vinegar in as short as 12 hours).  I really looked forward to having easy-to-purchase buko juice. Recently I picked up a couple of brick packs of Hydro Coco, and while the taste isn't exactly like fresh coconut water, it's pretty close enough.  Brings back memories--we used to spend many lazy mornings in Dumaguete savoring our butong!

Chivas Regal

Oh my...some old habits die hard.  I'm not supposed to drink much.  I have a liver problem due to a bout with hepatitis many years back.  I was hospitalized at the Medical Center Manila for over three weeks, and I don't ever want to turn yellow again.  The pain was intense.  But it was a fun gathering of old friends, the memorable songs were playing on Jun's I-pod, and a couple of shots wouldn't really hurt. Well, maybe I had a bit more.  Good whiskey, Chivas Regal Gold Signature.  Clean, aromatic, sweet. Can I have some again next month?

Mitoy Yonting

* photo from abs-cbn.com

Celebrating triumph.  We've had our good share of that these days.  After Megan Young's victory in Indonesia, I was quite pleased to find out that Mitoy Yonting was named the winner of the first Voice of the Philippines singing competition shown on Channel 2.  The competition format is from Holland; four celebrity coaches pick participants who vie for the top prize of P2 million plus a guaranteed recording contract.  I was fortunate to watch the episode in which Mitoy first performed, and I immediately took note of the power of his voice, and the comedic yet piercing stare that he would give the audience.  The amazed look on the face of coach Lea Salonga as she pressed the select button was a sight to see--she couldn't see the face of Mitoy, yet it was pretty evident that she knew that the voice was unique and had potential.  His detractors claim that he screams and has a tendency to hit shrill tones, but I guess that is part of the rock-and-roll act.  Mitoy is actually no newbie in performing onstage, he was regular on Eat Bulaga! for a time, and his band performs at the Resorts World complex.  Truly a professional, and well-deserving of the title!

P.S.  An interesting coincidence--both Megan Young and Mitoy Yonting have MY as their initials!