no, it was not pakbet and fried chicken unfortunately. what i had instead was gabi in a thick coconut sauce and a piece of chicken adobo. it was good, but not that great. maybe because it was saturday. or maybe it was just because i was expecting to eat something else. oh well.

our favorite kalan-an (ilonggo for carinderia) was closed today so i made it a point to cook a dish at home and bring it for our lunch today. i bought half a kilogram of squid last night and made squid adobo, nothing fancy but my husband agrees it tasted great. we just sauteed garlic, onions, and tomatoes in a pan, tossed in the squid, threw in some seasoning including soy sauce and some dried chili flakes (i like it hot) and let the squid cook in its own juices. i made sure not to overcook it so it came out tender and not chewy.

last night my mother-in-law cooked chicken tinola. chicken is sauteed first in garlic, ginger and onions. about two cups of water is poured in the pot, along with salt, pepper and other seasonings (my husband sometimes uses soda especially for mussels). when it boils and the chicken is tender, peeled & sliced green papaya is placed inside the pot and the stew is left to simmer just until the papaya is cooked but not overly tender. we prefer our vegetables crisp and just a little bit undercooked. overcooked papaya is simply yucky. if we want we could put in chili leaves but those weren't available. still, the stew was a big hit and my 2-year old son enjoyed eating rice with it.

tomorrow's the start of the annual fiesta here in our town. the thing with us pinoys is we love our food. preparing, cooking and eating is a ritual many of us filipinos enjoy. and nothing proves our love for food than our world-famous fiestas when the best, most scrumptuous, and most extravagant dishes are prepared. whole pigs are killed, turkeys and chickens are roasted or cooked adobo style, and people, strangers or friends can come in any house to enjoy the feast.

and because i love food, i am looking forward to the festivities the coming week.