Colonial Carnation
Nothing like a good old stroke of the ego to get the bloggy juices flowing. The darling Akio has called and I am answering. Here I am derailing the New York fashion world one blog at a time. 😛 Or perhaps this entry will be so boring the Mr. Fashion will get back to work! *cracks whip*
I had actually settled down in my really uncomfortable office chair (which still hasn’t been replaced) a few minutes earlier to gear up for a little bamboostariffic musing. I had just put on the stovetop espresso maker (also know as a macchinetta, cafetiera) and thought that I would get in a bit of online reading out of the way while waiting for the coffee to ready itself. Big mistake. I quickly got sucked into the Internet abyss and ran downstairs to find my silver pot sporting a new copper bottom. Oh well, perhaps everyone/thing can use a new look once in a while.
The pot and coffee survived fine. In fact, I’m drinking my divine espresso right now. Yum. This might sound disgusting to some but I’ve lightened my coffee with evaporated milk instead of regular milk or cream. Carnation from a can, baby. You may not have thought about it before, but I reckon that if you’ve ever travelled (or know someone from) a former British colony, you’ve consumed food or drink that involves canned evaporated milk. I haven’t looked into it much but I’m certain that the Brits shipped in tins of Carnation milk for a “taste of home” back in creepy colonial times. Funny how nowadays, folks like my parents (“locals” from a former colony), take their English black tea (Lipton Yellow Label, most often) with a splash of Carnation milk even in a place (another former British colony to boot) where fresh milk is abundant and cheap. Hrm.
The coffee was needed to aid digestion of my big ass lunch. *burp* I’m not sure it was worth all the calories (and the deviation from my plan to cut back on the carbs) but I’m glad I finally tried Remely’s , one of the city’s more popular Filipino joints. I didn’t know what to order so I got some chicken adobo, a BBQ pork skewer and some veggies with white rice. In hindsight I should’ve chosen something else aside from the chicken adobo or perhaps just gotten the BBQ skewer. I wasn’t that impressed with the chicken but quite liked the sauce. Something about sour sauce on rice that really gets me going. 😀
I also picked up some ube hopia and other goodies from the bakery section. I was tempted by the lumpia, but sweets get me much more than salty things. I think that looking at Reese’s recent photos of Filipino desserts from her Sacramento trip made me want to hit Remely’s.
More later as I have to pretty myself for my criminal procedure class (which I am certain I will be late for >_<) and dinner with some visiting Japanese students from Waseda University. I know you are jealous. 😛 XOXO!
tim Says:
Yes, for a long time we always had carnation condensed milk in the fridge. My grandparents always had it in their coffee. I think my dad stopped using it when he had to watch his cholesterol.
RYC: Thanks. It isn’t too painful any more at all. Wistful is more like it. It was a really unique time in my life and there are times when I miss it. I think what I miss the most …is like I said, the newness of it all. I won’t say that it was simpler, just new. The way some folks miss high school, is the way I miss undergrad I guess.
Regardless of any romantic mishaps, it was cool having all my friends together in one place. I still talk to almost everyone, but it’s simply impossible to have everyone together around the table, eating crappy pho, bragging and sharing in the camraderie. =)
reese Says:
Ok, why is carnation evap milk gross for coffee? I would use it! Hmm… does that make me one of the colonised?
I’m so glad you went to eat filipino food!!!!!! Yesssss… spread the fili-love. If you want a quick primer on traditional dishes (they should regularly have them there) to try here you go. I’m sure you could look it up too, but I feel like talking about fili food.
1. Chicken adobo (national dish, but you already had it). I never have this out because you can easily make this at home with lemon juice, vinegar, and shoyu. Boil and done. Total comfort food.
2. Kare-kare. This is oxtail (and other innards) cooked in a peanut sauce. So very good. This is actually my favourite thing to order at restaurants because I can’t make this at home. I usually use this as a good indication of whether or not a restaurant is good.
3. Dinugaan (spelling varies). This is blood soup. It’s not like the chinese boiled blood cubes. This is more like a stew and may be called “chocolate stew” also. Very traditional food and popular to eat.
4. Anything ginataan. That means cooked in coconut milk. Usually it will be something like chicken or pork with onions and some veggies. When I make it at home, I make the sauce sour with vinegar (also very common in restaurants). Not a very visually appealing dish, but very tasty. Ginataan is also a term used for sweet and savory dishes.
5. Palabok. Noodle dish with shrimp, eggs, slightly creamy sauce. My mom never eats this because it’s got a lot of cholesterol, but it is just SO tasty.
6. Sadly enough, corned beef hash. You can actually just make this at home. I used to eat this all the time at home when we didn’t have anything else. It’s just pan-fried corned beef has with fried garlic over rice. So good. SOOOOO good.
7. Lechon, of course.
8. Pinakbet. This is a vegetable stew, usually made with aubergines and squash. Sometimes they add ground pork or meat to it.
And for dessert (because you just HAVE to finish up with something sweet:
1. Puto Bombong. This is traditionally a Christmas-time dish, so they might have it if you go in December. It’s a sticky steamed rice in banana leaf, topped with shredded coconut.
2. Any kind of hopia. I like the lotus bean ones the best, but they are all tasty. How can you go wrong with a flaky crust.
3. Bibingka.
4. Turon. Nothing like fried bananas and langka.
5. Ginataan. Cooked in coconut milk. Usual ingredients are gabi (taro), tapioca, sweet rice mochi balls, ube, langka. I remember eating this growing up and it really brings back memories of when we would bring a big pot of it to a picnic out of the car and we would eat it slightly warm, chewing on the soft mochi balls.
Marsha Says:
Funny, when I was growing up my dad always used Carnation Evaporated Milk in his coffee at home. I always figured it was a Maritime thing. I use skim milk, but I recently purchased an AeroLatte (suckered in by the infomercial at The Bay) and paired with Torini sugar-free flavoured syrups, it makes amazing Lattes!