Commenting on the deteriorating interest in home cooking, the program mix on The Food Network and the Cooking Channel, and the general dumbing down of the public, Seattle Times nutrition columnist Carrie Dennett says: More than half of these shows are “food-related entertainment,” not “instructional cooking programs”… One visible fallout from this loss of basic ... (more)
On cardboard sandwiches and tummy fillers
Posted on May 13, 2012 · 16 Comments
Saturday night, we went out to see The Avengers. Alex had seen it with her school friends on opening day because, well… she had to be among the first. It’s a Robert Downey, Jr. thing. She’s smitten. Speedy and I, on the other hand, hate seeing any movie on opening day. We don’t like jostling ... (more)
The trellis, the sampaguita and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Posted on May 7, 2012 · 10 Comments
When we were living in the city next to my grandmother’s house, Sam and Alex spent a lot of time in my grandmother’s garden. Alex was very young then, just learning to talk. Sam was already the most talkative toddler ever and she liked to christen the plants and flowers. Because it was the Disney ... (more)
“Love, pain and everything in between”
Posted on April 22, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Last month, Speedy and I went to see another play. Alex was the production’s assistant lighting designer. I won’t beat around the bush. Alex is my daughter, she likes me to write about her theatrical projects, I want to be encouraging and supportive but I also want to be honest. Love, Pain and Everything In ... (more)
Microwave rice cooker
Posted on April 18, 2012 · 16 Comments
Over the past weeks, Speedy and I, together with my brother and his wife, have been spending time in my mother’s house going through… well, everything. The work is so overwhelming, just looking at the amount of stuff in the house makes me feel like collapsing in the heat and dust but, heck, it has ... (more)
Hasta la vista, mother
Posted on April 16, 2012 · 39 Comments
Late last month, my mother passed away. Despite her professional stature (she was a judge), there were no eulogies, no rituals, no ceremonies. That was how she wanted it. Her instructions, contained in a duly signed document, were clear and precise. Yesterday, we completed the last of those instructions. We headed out to sea and ... (more)
Food, family and a long weekend
Posted on April 10, 2012 · 6 Comments
With the popularity of cafes and pastry shops with today’s generation, it gets more and more rare to find establishments that serve traditional (a.k.a. old-fashioned) fare. In Metro Manila, the only places where snacks of rice cakes and traditional breads are still served are (1) restaurants that cater to tourists and balikbayans and (2) carinderias ... (more)
A sad day in Casa Veneracion
Posted on March 26, 2012 · 19 Comments
On Saturday, after lunch, we were watching TV and Sam had her guinea pig on her lap. Pepper, our cat, came in, sprawled on the floor, Sam picked her up and decided it was bonding time for guinea pig and cat. She called me over to show how the two were getting along. I got ... (more)
The rocking chair for breastfeeding or sipping a mojito
Posted on March 22, 2012 · 11 Comments
Sam was born on August 20, 1992, exactly two months before my 29th birthday. And for my birthday that year, Speedy gave me a rocking chair. He had this idea that if I held Sam in my arms, sat on the chair and rocked gently, she would soon be asleep. Well, it worked when Sam ... (more)
This little pig is all we’ve got this weekend
Posted on March 16, 2012 · 4 Comments
We already knew that Sam wouldn’t be coming home this weekend because she’ll be out of town on a photo shoot. We were, however, expecting that Alex would be home. In fact, because she doesn’t have classes on Fridays, we made preliminary arrangements to pick her up on Thursday afternoon. But she couldn’t come home ... (more)
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