Coffee Anyone?

Manila

Back in the olden days, at home our coffee is made up of ground rice. The rice is toasted until it becomes black then it passes through a grinding machine to pulverize and becomes powder. My mother doesn’t do that at home; instead she buys it by the pack in the market. We call it kapeng bisaya and she always serves it during breakfast. I never liked it, I find it bitter but it smelled so good and very aromatic.

I never used to drink coffee. Not until the day I started working professionally. Coffee becomes a necessity in the office. That if you want to last a day’s loads of work without you being caught snoozing in your work area, then have the wonders of coffee. It makes you awake all day long. Since then, coffee has become my best friend and he’s always on my side. My day is not complete without drinking to up to three cups of coffee. And what better way to enjoy it? The no fuss 3 in 1 coffee mix, it’s the easiest and always available. Look, I hoarded some in my office drawers and at home.  

Korean Coffee called Mocha Gold

Coffee flavored candy bought at S & R 

Of flowers...

Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental

I believe I have a green thumb. Meaning I am good at growing things, anything I plant will grow good. After I learned marcotting method from my science teacher when I was in elementary, I experimented what was taught through my neighbor’s plant. I was amazed of the result. It worked. The roots began to scatter inside the plastic that covered the branch. Since then, I learned to appreciate ornamental and flowering plants and started planting bougainvillea, dancing lady, African daisy, among others around our house.  

When my plants have grown up and started flowering, I realized how magnificent God is. He created beautiful flowers of different sizes and forms. I barely see my plants now that I am away working in Manila. When I am on vacation, only then that I get to take care of them. At home, I have several pots of flowering plants that until now have been flowering and well taken care of by my mother. When I see flowers, they give me joy and happiness. They uplift my spirit and I become in love with nature. Afterall, life’s simple pleasures are just around, guaranteed inexpensive and sometimes free. You just have to learn to appreciate them.

Green Mangoes

Tabo-an Market, Oroquieta City

I found these mouth-watering very young green mangoes at the Tabo-an Market and bought a kilo. Since these are baby mangoes, they can be sliced in half through their seed. They don’t have that hard seeds yet. I am a huge fan of crispy baby green mango dipped in bagoong with native vinegar and some chili. That tartly, salty and spicy flavor of every bite brings back some good old memories in my childhood.

These baby green mangoes are being sold at Php20.00 a kilo.

Organic and native vinegar. Made from fermented coconut water. Sold at Php5.00 per pack.

Benignit / Ginataan / Stewed Rootcrops

Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental

In my hometown, Benignit or Guinataan is a popular dish that is served during Good Friday. My mother cooks it very early in the morning on Good Friday and we eat it throughout the day with no other accompanying food like bread or rice and viand as our way of fasting. It has been a belief I have grown up with.

Benignit is a stewed rootcrops composed of kamote, gabi, ube, ripe saba banana, landang  or sago balls and rice grains cooked in coconut milk sweetened by brown sugar. 

Ripe saba bananas

Sidewalk vendors selling different kinds of rootcrops

Cooking Benignit requires much work and effort. The preparation is so laborious and painstaking. My mother would spend more than an hour of cooking this dish. With all her devotion and attention, our Benignit at home is incomparable. The yummiest I must say.

Prepping ingredients for the Benignit: Banana saba, kamote, gabi, ube, landang (in plastic), green and purple sago