Cooking with Arnold VIII

“Mystery Shrimp”

Sunday dinner… Louvre (my roommate) and I scoured through the freezer and saw some frozen shrimp. They’re already prepared and seasoned so you just pop them in the microwave and it will be ready to eat in minutes. This had garlic and butter seasoning. Mmmm shrimp with butter and garlic. I love shrimp. Louvre loves shrimp. We’re both hungry yet we were staring at the frozen bag of shrimp deciding what to do.

There’s no expiration date.

So technically, it’s not expired right? We inherited this from the previous tenants in the apartment. The problem is that when we cleaned out the freezer, we saw some fresh meat and yet we saw some super expired products as well. We saw sausages and chicken breasts that expired last December, 2006. Yuk! I think if we take it out the freezer, mushrooms would grow on it.

We threw those out but the shrimps were really intriguing. I opened the bag and took a quick whiff. It smelled like garlic and herbs - nothing funky. We decided to go with it. I have some vinegar and milk on stand by just in case.

Instead of using the microwave, I fried up the shrimps over a stove. I added some butter, pepper and a little salt and after a few minutes the shrimps were ready. I transferred the shrimps to a serving dish and placed it on the dinner table.



I turned off the heat but since we were using an electric stove, the butter in the pan continued cooking then started to turn black. Well, I know when I’m cooking something is meant to burn. It’s my curse I guess.

The shrimps gave out an intoxicating smell of garlic and butter. I turned off the vents in the apartment to preserve it. Mmmmm! We sat down and waited who will take the first bite. Louvre was the brave soul. He said it was good… very good even. I took a curious bite and didn’t taste anything sour (the sign that this is one bad bad shrimp).

We devoured the entire plate of shrimps then watched TV. The next hour will tell us if gambling with these mystery shrimps paid off.

It didn’t.

Louvre started to get itchy. (uh oh). He had rashes. (UH OH). I ran downstairs and bought some Antihistamine from 7-11. He said he didn’t know he had an allergic reaction to shrimp but then again, he said he had never eaten this much shrimp in his life.

Oh great, now when I cook not only do I have to keep a fire extinguisher ready, now I have to hand out waivers too?

The Devil, the Angel and 200 dollars

I was walking home from Borders and this guy walking opposite where I was going reached for his wallet causing a bundle of bills fell from his pocket. It was a thick wad with lots of twenties. He didn’t notice he was now short around 200 dollars and was nonchalantly walking away.

What do I do? The devil and an angel appeared on my shoulder. He doesn’t look rich so I think he needs this money. I’m in full “tipid” mode and 200 dollars will certainly help me out. It took me half a second to think and another 3 seconds to translate what I was going to say in English then I told the guy, “Hey buddy, you dropped something.” while pointing to the bills. “Oh Sh*t!!!” he screamed and ran back to pick up his money. He ran towards me and thanked me.

The rest of my walk home felt good.

I always have these angel-devil moments. Unlike others though, my angel and my devil always work on a compromise and they’re pretty good friends, sometimes even agreeing 100% on certain situations. Like one time in Aurora, I picked up a pair of Reebok sneakers which were on super sale. The devil told me to buy it since it looked good and I need a second pair of shoes. Angel told me that it was a good deal since it was just 20 bucks – pretty cheap for walking shoes this good then they gave each other a high five. *apir!*

In this case, devil wanted me to call the guy’s attention but if he offers something, take it. I’m not evil but I’m not a saint either.

Nope, the guy didn't offer anything. Did I regret what I did? 200 dollars din yun. Nah, I did the right thing and I know i would feel worse if I took it.

What if he dropped 500 dollars worth of bills instead of 200 dollars? Hmmm... probably I would still call his attention and tell him he dropped something...

...pero Tagalog. :P

Back to a Familiar Place

1.2 miles.

That’s 6,336 feet.

That’s how far my apartment is from the office. I know some of you might be saying that you walk this far everyday too and is not a big deal… or that “yung lolo ko 10 miles nga nilalakad e”. If you walk this far everyday then good for you. In my case however, it is a very big deal because

- I have to drag a laptop with me
- Both the soles in my dress shoes are worn out (so it’s like wearing leather sandals)
- I’m not an athlete (so 1.2 miles is really faaaaaaaaaar for me)

I only got used to the walking after a week. Most of the time it’s straight to bed or the couch (then watch ESPN) for me.

You might comment “Pero at least Chicago downtown naman yan. Ok environment.”

True. However, one thing about Manila is that you never ever bother knowing what the weather is like for that day. Manila is either hot or rainy. A quick peek out the window and the common question is “uulan ba?”. That’s it. It takes weeks before the weather changes.

Like I posted before, Chicago weather is weird. It’s fickle. One day it’s too cold (like Baguio weather). One day it’s too hot (anywhere else other than Baguio). One day it would be so hot in the morning then it would rain in the evening. There’s also the wind. Going to the office, my hair is combed to the left. Going home it’s combed to the right. When I go out for lunch it’s split in the middle. I don’t even bring a brush anymore. Why bother? It will get messed up anyway. Pero at least I can let the hair just go through my hair then I’ll move in slow motion (ala Prince Charming in Shrek). The weather + the wind + 2.4 miles + being fat = ugh... i just wanna sleep.

This is why I’m happy this week that we moved to a new apartment. My old apartment. It’s just a few blocks away from the office and I’m more familiar with the nearby buildings. Singha is just downstairs. There’s a 7-11 and a CVS store. There’s a 24 hour McDonald’s and Hooters a few more blocks away. I’m also more used to shopping at Jewel than Dominick’s.

Hay… Sterling... happy to be back. Memories…

Chicago Short Stories

Penang

One time we had lunch at this Malaysian restaurant called Penang which is located in the heart of Chinatown. The only thing more unusual than a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown was the person I saw inside:

I think he's lost.

and oh, another thing...

Sinong niloko mo? Lamb ka dyan...

The Taste of Chicago

It’s a big food fair over at Grant Park. I went there with my monopod and DSLR camera but didn’t have a good time. Ugh. Honestly, it was the worst event I’ve been to here in Chicago. I’ve never seen a place so dirty, smelly, and overflowing with people… and I’m from Manila.

Aurora!

The traditional shopping place. We took Jude to Aurora for his last major shopping weekend. I missed this place not for the stores but for the memories...

Our after shopping photo

The Monopod

I was walking along Wacker drive when I saw this dude taking a picture of the Marina City Towers. He had a DSLR camera with a tripod, attached flash, lens hood, and more gizmos I have never seen in my life. My camera has a lens cap and a filter and that’s it. Before going to the Taste of Chicago event, I came up with a monopod.

Bought it from the camera shop? Nah. Look closely.

It’s a broom handle, a Velcro strap and a small table tripod. Eat your heart out McGyver, bet you couldn’t have thought of that.

Cooking with Arnold VII

"Attempted Adobo”

I knew I had to cook this sooner or later so why delay the inevitable? Will I burn the chicken? Will I mess it up? Read on.

Dinner started with a trip to Dominick’s (a grocery 2 blocks away). I picked up some chicken drumsticks, pepper grinder, Datu Puti suka, Silver Swan soy sauce (yup, they have it here) and bay leaves.

Let’s start by preparing the ingredients. I peeled and chopped garlic then washed and salted the chickens. I heated a saucepot and placed a generous portion of canola oil. Realizing that the chicken drumsticks won’t fit in the pot, I transferred the oil into a pan and sautéed the garlic. Smart!

The garlic turned dark brown. Uh oh… Classic Arnold.

I quickly put in the chickens and lowered the heat. After a few minutes, the chicken turned… yellow? Do chickens really turn yellow?

While the chickens were cooking, I prepared the pot where the chickens were supposed to be frying. I put in the vinegar, soy sauce, water, bay leaves and ground pepper. Now comes the first glitch of the night.

I bought the peppercorn with an attached grinder. This way I can have both ground pepper and whole peppercorns. The problem is that the grinder is attached permanently which means I can only grind the pepper to get them out. This means… no whole peppers. I ground some extra pepper to compensate. Does it work like that?

Oh no… the garlic is really getting burned! I placed the chickens, the burnt garlic and the cooking oil into the pot, covered it and prayed.

It doesn’t look like adobo. I’m worried.

After 10 minutes, I know I’m not supposed to peek but I’m reaaally curious. It still didn’t look anything like adobo. I think I better run to McDonald’s before they close.

After 35 minutes, I uncovered the pot and… my adobo looks like kare kare! Adobo is supposed to look dark brown right? Mine is light brown. I tasted the sauce and it was very sour… it tasted like sinigang!

I turned off the heat and started thinking of a way to fix this. The sauce needs to be dark and I need to counter the sour taste. This means I need something dark and something… sweet. I stood up and walked around, checked the cabinets, checked the fridge… dark and sweet… dark and sweet… dark and sweet… dark and sweet…

Coke.

I placed a can of Coca Cola into the dish. Look, I’m not a chef so I solve problems as logically as possible. It’s like in my tool box back home, I would only have two tools – duct tape and grease. If it moves but isn’t supposed to move, I use duct tape. If it doesn’t move but is supposed to move, I use grease. If something is sour, put coke. Life is simple.

I tasted the mess and hey, it’s not bad! The Coke really did the trick! I took out a plate, placed some rice and ate the chickens. After 30 minutes, I wasn’t poisoned! Louvre arrived home and tried the adobo. He said it’s good (but take note that he just had a lot of beers) though he says the adobo over at his house didn’t have this much liquid in it.

You can’t even taste the burnt garlic! I actually cooked something edible! Wow! I guess two (or more) wrongs really make a right.

The next day, I asked Jaye to guess what I had for dinner a) adobo; b) sinigang or c) kare kare ?

Answer: d) All of the above

The Chase

The effects of having a late lunch -> come dinner time, you think you’re full and will just wait for breakfast but around 10pm you couldn’t sleep because now you’re too hungry.

11pm.

I wanted to cook something but I don’t want to start any kitchen disasters so I headed out and searched for any open fast food joint. A block away was a McDonald’s but it was closed already. There should also be a Popeyes somewhere but it was also closed. Subway, Chipotle, Potbelly Sandwich, West Egg Cafe … Closed, closed, closed, too expensive. I know a 24 hour McDonald’s but it’s a mile away. Hooters? Also too far. I gave up and decided to go home instead or drop by 7-11 to buy a Snickers bar or a hotdog. 4 blocks away from home, this guy came up to me and was asking something. He walked nearer and nearer until he’s within arm’s reach and he’s STILL walking nearer.

I’ve seen this before. Someone asks something then sticks a knife to your gut.

I took a few steps back. He took a few steps towards me. I took two quick steps back. He was sort of lunging at me.

Feet: “It’s time to run right?”
Brain: “Not so fast. Arn wrote an article before that he was tired of running and that he shouldn’t run from anything again. No more running he said."
Feet: “Oh, screw that entry!”
Brain: “GO GO GO!”

I turned around and ran like hell. He paused for a few seconds then he started to chase me! I don’t want to run to my place because that would lead him to where I’m staying. I wanted to run to another hotel/apartment and hide. One block away and he was still after me. Think think think, I have the stamina of an 80 year old man. I know I can only run for 4 blocks at most… 6 blocks tops if I’m chased. If he continues, I'll have to turn around and fight. I thought about what was in my pockets and checked if I can use anything to cause physical harm.

Keys… it won’t do a thing.
A grocery card (like a credit card)… too soft.
A quarter… won’t help.
A 20 dollar bill… I’ll really put up a fight before I give up this one.
A pair of tweezers… what do you want me to do? Pluck his eyebrows? (I picked up the tweezers on my way home earlier that day because i have a hangnail.)

I ran diagonally and ran into the street. I was good at frogger while I was a kid anyway. 2 blocks away he stopped chasing me and I found myself far from home now. I took the long route back. Long but well lit… panting and wheezing and running more if my legs permitted me to. I came home exhausted. My knees hurt. My back hurt. My heart was beating like crazy.

Well, the objective was to find something to rid my hunger. After all that, I was in no mood to do anything but sleep. Mission accomplished.

Aaawwwwwww...

The beauty of webcams... it's like talking to someone beside you. :)

Words from a Panda

I had my first Panda Express lunch today - noodles, sauteed chicken and of course... orange chicken. Every Panda Express meal comes with a fortune cookie. Do you still remember this entry? Basically, append "...in bed" to your fortune cookie message and it sounds a lot more interesting.

This means...

...in bed?

Father's Day at Foster

I stuffed all the things Mel and Jaye gave me into my backpack and lugged the two baskets we bought for tita. I walked all the way from my place to Dearborn and Ontario and waited for old number 22 (The Clark bus a.k.a. The Tito Roger bus... We drop off Foster st then walk to Tito's house). The bus arrived, the doors opened and guess who was inside.

Fritzie?

What the heck was she doing here? I thought she was in Buenos Aires so it took me a while to realize it was really her in here. She was also on her way to Foster where Gina, Boni and Zette were barbecuing hotdogs, steaks and bratwursts. I didn’t want to volunteer to do any cooking since I have the dreaded “Arn’s Touch” (anything I cook I burn). It was nice being with some familiar faces again though I think this is the first time I’ve really been with them.

Here's Fritzie and Boni slicing up the steak

Funny how that works when you hang out with your better half's close friends. It’s like automatically I’m one of the group just like the way Jaye is already part of my DB/Web team back in Manila. =)

Walking around the Windy City

Interesting.

Walking around downtown Chicago was weird. Just weird. It was like travelling back in time.

So many familiar things and places: the hill over at the Elk’s (you know that honey), Lincoln Park, Lakeshore drive, Navy Pier, O’Hare, Jewel-Osco, Rock and Roll McDonald’s, Ontario, State, Dearborn, Wacker, Clark, La Salle and the El train. Things have changed though. Jaye isn’t around to look out for me anymore. No smoking CheChe. No story telling Rico. No hoopdie driving Ria. No dancing clown Allan. No Lianne (yet). No Pads. No Ate Jen. No Fritzie. No Tessa. No Copi. No Mel. No RJ. No Joyce. No Aji. No Jhon, Sye, Sya, Mike and Lei.

Gwenny was here but she just moved far away. Vince was here but he moved to Indiana.

I went over to Jude’s to hang out. Sterling felt weird. I'm overwhelmed with memories.

Happy? Not much.
Sad? Not really.
Interesting? Definitely.

My Question Last May

Interesting.

Last May, I asked one of the questions that will only be answered in June. I only gave myself two possible answers:

What will I eat for lunch on June 16?

a) 2-piece Chickenjoy from Jollibee
b) Pad See Iew from Singha

June 16 came and went.



... I guess all great stories come in trilogies...

Crabby Arn

We were having lunch at this seafood place one day. I already ate a stick of barbecue and some shrimp then my uncle placed a huge orange crab on my plate. It smelled great!

but how do I eat it?

I don’t know how to “himay” (hmm… dismantle?) a crab. I eat crabsticks and crab rangoons from Singha (Thai restaurant in Chicago) but I never learned to eat crabmeat straight from a crab mainly because (1) mom always took out the meat for me when I was a kid and (2) having crab in our house was more rare than me going to the gym.

(which is like saying... "never")

I took the crab and tried to break it in half. I know I’m supposed to break it at a certain spot but I didn’t know where. I tried splitting it open with my bare hands and it felt like my fingers were being sliced with a dull knife. The crab was still in one piece and now my fingers were swollen. I grabbed a metal thingie and smashed the crab shell open sending pieces of crab flying around the place. I rammed and rammed the crab like I was playing wack-a-mole. I was getting ticked off because the smell and the sauce were delicious but I couldn't get the meat inside. Watching me hammer the crab, poke it with a knife and shout at it was like watching a monkey open a coconut.

...or like watching the Incredible Hulk operate a cell phone.

RRROAAARRRR! Arnold MAD! *bam!* (hammers the crab) Arnold CRUSH crab! *bam!* (pierces crab with a knife)

Was I able to get the meat out? Yup. Was I able to eat it? Yes but it was irritating since I fine minced the shell into the meat. Now I can’t differentiate the meat from the shells add that to the fact that both the shell and the meat are white. Genius. I ended up ordering a big box of Hotshots from KFC on my way home.

No shell, no claws, no problem.

It Was Just Meant to Be

I’ll be a few minutes late for the church service and so I told Jaye to go ahead without me and that I’ll just catch up. She didn’t tell me where exactly she would be sitting.

I arrived 20 minutes late and the place was packed. I proceeded to one side and an usherette asked me if I wanted a seat. I smiled and was about to say no and that I was looking for my friend but she took it as a yes and she directed me to this one seat with a bag on top of it. The bag belonged to the girl beside it.

The usherette asked if someone was seated there and the girl said it was reserved for someone. I grabbed the bag, placed it on the floor and sat on that particular seat.

I didn’t know who that usherette was nor did she know me or the girl. She just wanted to find a chair for me. How she directed me to that one chair - among all the empty chairs in the crowd, beside Jaye I’ll never know.

It guess it was just meant to be.

Learning from Waves

[My beach stories... part 4]

Obviously, this trip was more of a retreat for me than an office team building.

After that short conversation with Him earlier, I was back in the ocean not to ask anymore questions but just to have fun with my friends. After a few minutes of getting bounced around by the waves, I realized that waves are a lot like life’s problems and there are so many ways to handle it.

A wave came and I jumped backward into it. All the others were doing that.
Lesson: Look at how others solve their problems. If it works for them, it might work for you too. It's not guaranteed but it's worth a try.

A wave came and I dove into it. I went through the wave and surfaced on the same spot.
Lesson: Some problems can be taken head on. No running. No hiding. No delaying.

A wave came and I dove underwater. The current couldn’t drag me since my weight was concentrated on a single spot and resistance was above my head.
Lesson: Sometimes, the best thing to do is duck.

A small wave came and I punched it. It deflected most of the water and there wasn’t enough momentum left to drag me.
Lesson: Some problems can be solved using brute force. As much as I don’t recommend this, it sometimes works.

A wave came and I jumped backward. After landing back on my feet and regaining my balance, an unexpected wave came and wiped me out. Sending me floating back 10 feet, making me gulp salt water and burning my eyes.
Lesson: Problems can come in sequence. After solving one, be alert for the next.

With my back turned, a wave came and wiped me out. As I was floating and figuring out which way was up, I was coughing underwater because I inhaled a lot of seawater. I flailed my arms around until someone caught me.
Lesson: Problems can screw anyone but friends will always be there.

A wave came and I jumped with the wave towards the beach and swam. The wave brought me almost 20 feet from where I started.
Lesson: Roll with the punches. No resistance, no conflict, no problems.

A wave came and I jumped backward. As the wave hit me, my right leg cramped up. I swam back to shore on one leg while massaging my calf.
Lesson: Know when to quit and control damage.

I think the biggest lesson I learned from all this is that during the entire experience, I never stopped and complained that another wave was coming. I never blamed anyone for the waves. I never complained about the salty sea or the rocks I step on. I never wished that I was on a pond instead. I enjoyed the ocean even with the waves battering me around.

Stop complaining. There will always be problems. Enjoy life.

Angela and Erwin

[My beach stories... part 3]

I was walking back to our resort after taking pictures of the sunrise. 2 kids saw me and walked along with me. They were carrying a bag of mangoes and selling me some so that they can go to school. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything with me other than my phone, my camera, my room keys and a camera battery. I have no intentions to eat mangoes for breakfast but I wanted to reward these kids for earning money instead of begging for it. The next best thing I could do for them is take them to the beach in our resort so they could sell mangoes there.

I asked them about life around here. Their dad earns just enough to survive. They have to sell stuff from the forest to earn extra. They walk along these beaches everyday to make a few bucks.

And yesterday I was complaining that the air conditioner in our room was not cold enough and that the battery of my iPod was already drained because I did not charge it for a week?

Here’s Angela and Erwin. I’m guessing that’s their dad who was resting after taking a dip in the ocean.

Of Sunrises and Happy Thoughts

[My beach stories... part 2]

I’ve photographed sunsets before especially in Chicago but I’ve never taken a picture of a sunrise.

I was at the beach at 5:30 in the morning, camped on a log which served as my makeshift tripod. I walked the whole stretch of the beach looking for a good angle of the mountains and finally settled on that log.

Sunsets are nice. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling that today was a great day. The remaining sunlight creates unique shadows and the sun has changed into an orange ball on the horizon. I can look into it without shielding my eyes, take one deep breath and say “Truly, it was a good day.”

Sunrises are different. I know it’s a cliché but sunrises give me that “new beginning” feeling. All the pains and problems of yesterday are lost. It’s a fresh start and the day is already good and only up to me to mess up. I can look into it still without shielding my eyes, take one deep breath and say “This will be a good day.”.

I got caught staring at the sunrise for longer than I imagined. My camera was now just hanging around my neck - turned off and with the lens cap on, as I sat on that log – thinking, smiling, realizing so many things and appreciating life and what it has given me.

Staring at the sunrise – not a feeling like it. I took a few photos but used up most of my time staring. I’m a poet first, photographer second.

Not yet done

[My beach stories... part 1]

I was standing on sand and rocks with the water above my shoulder and just below my ears facing the sea. I raised my arms to my side and said “Here I am. If today’s the day so be it. You have a clear shot at me. Here I am. Your move.” then I closed my eyes and emptied my mind.

For a minute I felt empty. His answer was quick.

I opened my eyes and a big wave was forming in front of me. I closed my eyes and stood still. It slammed me and spun me in many directions. I was floating but I didn’t know which way was up. I reached out my hands and my legs hoping to feel sand which I did with my right arm. Next thing I know I was standing up waist deep in water with my eyes burning from the salty seawater and I was now facing the beach a few feet away from where I started from. When I regained my eyesight, another wave hit me from behind the knees taking me down and I was floating on my butt. I ended up sitting on the sand, neck up in water and still facing the beach. Another wave came and slammed behind my head which felt like someone slapping me and saying "Stop asking stupid questions."

I stood up and walked back while clearing the sand that was lodged onto my ring and causing my finger to itch. It took me a while to realize it but I did.

Thanks for the quick response.

Election Thoughts

Poor Manny

I could imagine Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez all sitting on a sofa watching the news about Pacquiao's loss over at ESPN, laughing uncontrollably and drinking Corona.

(In a Mexican accent) "Wala ka talaga katolad Manny! Bwahahahahahah!! Talo ke Darlene bwahahahaha!!!"

Election Ads

Frankly I was disappointed with the quality of mudslinging in this election (Well, I didn't see much from where I am so I guess I really shouldn't complain). Remember that ad before asking Enrile "how much are you?" and he goes on and shares his worth? Remember that ad with Miriam describing some Filipinos as "species of lower life forms"?

FINALLY, here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WavDUB3p0g8

My thought? "Lahat naman e" :P

The month of June

June will be interesting. I guarantee it.

Five Short Chapters on Change

Chapter 1
I walk down a street and there's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. It takes forever to get out. It's my fault.

Chapter 2
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It still takes a long time to get out. It's not my fault.

Chapter 3
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It's becoming a habit. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter 4
I walk down the same street and see the deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down a different street.