REMEMBERING GRANDMOTHERS & PAYING HOMAGE =)

Sometime last week, Hubby Sweet posted "What did your grandmother cook for you?" as his Facebook shout-out. It was a quote from Chef Alice Waters who may have been mentioned in the article he was reading about organic food.

In the comments bar, I posted, "Champorado, tocino, fried chicken and egg...every single day. And never, NEVER, akong nagsawa. =)"

His shout-out brought me back to simpler times, back to when my siblings, my cousins and I were between 5 and 7 years old. Back to the time when our parents were still working--when they used to drop us off at Daddy Iston and Noni's for the day. Noni was our maternal grandmother (my favorite grandmother actually, as I was her favorite grandchild. Walang kokontra. ;p.).

There was no cable TV back then. We had five channels: GMA7, BBC2, RPN9, IBC13, NBN4. Cartoons were only aired every Saturday morning. Sesame Street was aired once in the morning and replayed in the afternoon. In the time in between airings (yes, we also watched the replays, haha), we kids had to find something else to entertain ourselves with. Usually, we'd be running around, playing "football" with a cheap plastic ball in the front yard. Sometimes, we'd be playing house. Then, there'd be those times when the weather was just too sticky-hot--when Daddy Iston would either bring out the garden hose to spray us kids with, or when Noni thought it better to just let us "swim". HAHAHA. They had no pool; my grandparents weren't rich. When they asked us if we wanted to go swimming, it actually meant that several basisn (although the term "batya" seems more apt, haha) will soon be brought out (one for each apo). Me, I was special. While everyone else got to sit around in their "batya of choice" (haha), I got to sit in a mini-drum that had me submerged in water up to my neck, never mind that the bottom was probably thick with "lumot". I remember us regularly wasting half a day away just sitting there in our underwear. =)

The other half of that memory is precious. See, back in those days, Noni cooked food not in the proper kitchen inside. She did it in the makeshift kitchen outside. The gas range inside the house was used only for reheating food (pretty much how we use the microwave these days). The real cooking was done outside on a makeshift stove made out of stone, fueled by logs (pugon) and dried twigs.

The laundry area were we sat around until we turned into human prunes was next to Noni's makeshift kitchen. Every day we'd watch her carry plates of ingredients out through the back screen door. She would set them on the table, before turning around to try and get a fire going. She'd pick the logs carefully. They would have to be dry enough for them to catch fire. Then she'd arrange them on the "stove", careful to leave space for air in between each piece of wood. Then she'd crumple several pieces of old newspaper and insert them through the pieces of wood. Then she'd light a match and ceremoniously hold it long enough on each of the pieces of newspaper, waiting for each to catch fire and ignite the logs. Pretty soon, she'd get a good fire going. I remember the smoke. Goodness, the smoke! It would've been an environmentalist's nightmare, but those were simpler times when burning wood ovens were not necessarily a bad thing. If any, they made for better tasting food.

And so we'd sit around soaking while Noni cooked several dishes in quick succession, taking advantage of the going fire. When Hubby Sweet posted his shout-out, I said "Champorado, Fried Chicken, Fried Egg, Tocino" because I was pretty sure those were our daily staples. Daily staples that we never seemed to get tired of.

Then cousin Zaldy posted, "My lola's EMBOTIDO...YUMMY!!!" and I found myself nodding, "Ah, yes! Noni's embotido! Sweet, salty, smoky, simple yet rich. Sausage, carrots, green peas...." I found myself reminiscing and mentally agreeing.

Then, apparently not quite done, cousin Zaldy followed it up with another comment, "And my lola's HOME MADE HAMONADO!!! =)", and I found myself smiling and thinking, "Ah, yes! Noni's homemade hamonado." I remember the leg of some pig sitting in a ceramic basin as Noni cured it with a mixture that I never got to ask her about. Then she'd "bake" it in a big wok (the elders called it talyasi) in the makeshift stove outside. My favorite part was when it was already cooked, properly browned in some parts, a thick layer of fat glistening on the edge. Then, she would sprinkle brown sugar all over it, covering the fat as she waited for the steel spatula she set on the burning fire to heat up until it glowed red-hot. Ceremoniously, she would pick up the steel spatula, telling us kids who were watching her eagerly, to stay a good distance away. In a graceful move, she would sear the glowing steel spatula onto the brown sugar and just the mere memory of the sizzling sound and of the sweet smell that followed as the brown sugar caramelized into the fat still makes my mouth water to this day. "Ah, yes," I thought, smiling as I reminisced, "Noni's homemade hamonado."

Then Sister Pusjing joined the trail and posted, "Si-cream with langka! :-) Macaroni Soup! And, Harming, anong tawag dun sa pang-special occasion food na talya-talyasi lutuin ni Noni? May hotdog, chickpeas....", and I remember thinking, "Si-cream with Langka! And Macaroni Soup! How could I forget?!". Si-Cream is Noni's play on the word Ice Cream. Back in those days, Magnolia was only served if someone was celebrating his birthday. During ordinary days, us kids would have to content ourselves with either the 5- centavo ice candy that is being sold by our next-door neighbor or with ice shavings that Noni gets by rubbing a bowl against the side of the freezer (hahaha!). This was before the advent of no-defrost refrigerators. Then she'd take the bowl of ice, heap strips of fresh langka over it, before dousing it with a good portion of Alaska Evaporated Milk and a teaspoon of white sugar for good measure. One can call it Langka Con Hielo, I suppose. We called it Si-cream. Haha. It was simple, but heavenly. ^_^

Oh, and yes. Noni's Macaroni Soup. Shell-shaped pasta swimming in milky chicken soup. Nothing complicated, and yet it was everything that Chicken Macaroni Soup ought to be.

Sister Pusjing's post was followed by a few more comments and "likes" about how Noni was the best cook ever, about how they missed her, about how they missed her cooking.

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Hubby Sweet and I ate in a restaurant once. I had read about it in some article prior, and found the concept endearing.

The restaurant was really more of a levelled-up carinderia. It was owned by Katrina Ponce-Enrile. Her reason for putting up Petra & Pilar was simple, she said. She wanted to share the dishes her lolas used to prepare for the family. Petra is her paternal grandmother; Pilar is her maternal grandmother.

Armed with nothing but stock knowledge that Petra & Pilar was on the ground floor of the Jaka Center which was along Pasong Tamo (between Makati Cinema Square and Buendia), Hubby Sweet and I set off to find it. Finding Jaka Center was easy enough. Realizing that Petra & Pilar was on the side of the building (along a one way street) was the difficult part. Thankfully, the building guards were helpful. Waiting for a break in the steady stream of cars passing through, they slowly guided us (blinking hazard lights and all) to the restaurant's parking lot. I liked the restaurant's facade. Simple but classy.

Maybe Petra & Pilar is for the lunch crowd. When we got there for dinner, there was only one other couple eating inside. Just as well. At the end of the day, sometimes, one could really do with a little peace and quiet.

The "turo-turo" was on the far end of the restaurant, but before we could get there, we were sidetracked by the Delimondo cove right by the door. Not yet too hungry, I told Hubby Sweet to go and check the food if he already is, but I wanted to check out the deli goods first. I've heard much about them--mostly from friends who frequent the Salcedo Saturday Market--but I have not, until then, had the opportunity to try them out.

The goods with their plain white labels and simple text branding looked, for lack of a better term, almost "artisan". Being displayed against a simple backlit wall also added to the drama.

I found the Ranch-Style Corned Beef that my friend was raving about. I wondered how much different it would be compared to Palm (which is my favorite brand) or even Purefoods for that matter. I decided to take three cans just to find out.

"Ma'am , malapit na kaming maging available sa Robinson's kung magustuhan niyo siya," the deli attendant offered, "Yung iba po kasi, di naman nakakapunta palagi sa Salcedo."

I smiled and thanked him for the info. I moved beyond the corned beef to the other goods on display and instantly found myself thinking this place would have been heaven for me had it still been The Wander Years. Bottles of "instant food" that at least had the semblance of being "home-prepared". Haha. =)

There was Calamares en su Tinta, and I imagined it would be perfect with pasta. Pasta al Nero. ^_^ I was tempted to take one, but decided to reserve the purchase for another trip, thinking about how much food we still had leftover in the ref at home.

There was also Bottled Callos which pretty much sealed the deal for me that, one way or another, I would have to go back. =)

I also found Bacalao a la Vizcaina. I am not a great fan of fish, but I did remember Father wishing out loud quite recently about how he missed the Bacalao in I-forgot-what-restaurant and decided to buy one as well just to take home. (Note: Father, when he tasted it, found that it was not salty enough. Bro-in-law G-Genius, however, thought it was really good Bacalao. =))


Further down, I found bottles of Chili Oil. I had wanted to get a bottle for House Better, but decided to postpone it again for another trip. Just the weekend before, I had gone home with a bottle of Claude 9 XO sauce and a bag of chili flakes. I figured, well, the Delimondo Chili Oil can wait. =)

"Ma'am, pag Christmas po, we actually make Christmas baskets. Pwede po kayong pumili, tapos we can wrap it for you," the deli attendant said as I surveyed the sausages and the cold cuts in the chiller.

"Really?" I told him, "Babalik ako. Gandahan niyo ha." And, at that point, I really meant it.

"OO, Ma'am. Maganda," he continued, as he handed me a small bag with my purchases. There was much more to look through, but I figured, it was already time to join the Hubby at the food line.

I went up to the turo-turo to find Hubby Sweet looking at a menu. The turo-turo was already closed, but was advised by the attendant that we can order ala carte.

Hubby Sweet decided to go for the Adobo sa Luyang Dilaw. Apparently, it is a dish fairly common in the Southern Luzon provinces, but not so in Manila. In a place that prides itself on "my lola's cooking", I suppose it made sense for him to choose something that would bring him back to his childhood roots. I initially found it weird (being used to the dark adobo of Manila), but decided I actually liked it after trying. There was something interesting about the way the "cool" ginger note, blended with the sourness of the vinegar. I suppose there was no soy sauce used for this version. Possibly only salt.

I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted. I found the description of the Bicol Express interesting (although how it was actually described escapes me now), so I ordered it--except that when it arrived, I was sadly disappointed. I prefer my Bicol Express more coco creamy than milky, and this version was milky. It also was not spicy enough. This one, I can skip it next time. =S

Good thing that with my indecision (or gluttony, depending on how you look at it, haha), I decided to also order the other dish I was eyeing. Batchoy Tagalog. I grew up with the dish. Mother used to make a great version even though she does not eat it herself (don't ask me how she managed). With recent diet restrictions for the "adults" in the family, however, she has not cooked it in quite a while. I secretly celebrated the fact that it was available in Petra & Pilar. Hot, gingery soup. A bowl of innards. It was a perfect foil to the soft drizzle outside, and at first sip, it was love. ^_^ Now, this, I would go back for. =)

I looked over to Hubby Sweet, and asked him what he thought of the place.

He shrugged and smiled, "Uh, Tweet, para lang siyang lutong bahay."

Haha! OO nga naman. Then again, sometimes, that is not necessarily a bad thing. =)

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I used to think Noni was the greatest grandmother cook in the world, but Hubby Sweet seems to think it was Yayay, even as Katrina Ponce-Enrile thought it was Petra & Pilar. I'm pretty sure Patita and Ray*-B think Lola (as in my mom) is the greatest. I suppose the feeling is universal. (Hence, the catchphrase, "Wala ka sa lola ko!" Haha. =D)

That said, I am sadly inept in the kitchen and so there is no way I could pass down the recipes that Noni has passed on to Mother. Writing this post, however, made me realize, one way or another, I would have to find a way to document them so that, long after we're gone, they can continue to be shared. After all, it is in sharing that we remember. And it is in remembering that we keep the stories of old alive.

Darn it! Now I miss Noni. BIG. TIME. *Sigh. =S*