Export Quality?

When browsing through Filipino foods in the supermarket, I always notice the products that say "export quality" on them. There it is, like a seal of approval, designed to catch your eye.

Export Quality!

I haven't seen products from other countries with the same kind of label... they always seem to come from the Philippines.

What is "export quality" anyway?

Does this mean that items that aren't stamped with the 'Export Quality' seal of approval aren't fit for consumption outside of the Philippines?

Sadly, that is partly true. There are some companies that sell off-quality products in the Philippines, products that quite frankly, are truly not for export! It doesn't mean that you will get sick if you eat it... it means that it may have failed to reach the stricter quality standards of other countries and/or companies. I don't know why the Philippines might have lower quality standards... maybe our stomachs are stronger because of everything else that we eat and drink?

However, manufacturers are not the only ones to blame. There is a Filipino mentality that "if something is imported, it must be of better quality" prevails. In the same vein, Filipinos think that "if something is good enough for foreigners to wear/eat/drink/etc, it must be better than local items". Some companies simply use 'export quality' to try to elevate the status of the product as on a higher level than their local competitors.

I admit, I sometimes get taken in by this. If faced with two competing products, one self-proclaiming 'export-quality' and the other one not, I will more often than not buy the 'export-quality' product, even if it is a little bit more expensive.

Whether or not a product is indeed of higher quality, or is just a marketing tactic, be wary of "export quality" because in truth, it really means nothing at all...

Airport Goodbyes

We all love it when family and friends visit us.  This is especially true when you live very far away from the ones you love.  We make plans weeks in advance of where to take them, where to eat, and what to do, in the short span of time that they have.  During this time, we take advantage of the time that we are together with them, for we know that our time with them is short.

Inevitably, the day comes when they have to go back home, and you have to bring them back to the airport. 

From my experience, its not as hard to be the one leaving, simply because you have to put on a brave face when passing through security and making your way to the gate.  The last hug and kiss happens just before you are shuffled into the security area.  You are busy thinking about so many other things that your emotions are forced to take a back
seat.  Exhaustion overwhelms, and before you know it, you fall asleep in your seat even before the plane has taken off. 

Yes, the one who is left standing just outside the security area, watching the loved one pass through passport control and the x-ray is the one that bears the brunt of emotion.  The hardest part is getting into your car and driving back home.  Once you are away from the noise of the airport and hear silence, you realize that you are, once again, alone, and that you have no idea when you will see your loved ones again.  That's when it hits you the hardest, and the tears start flowing.

If you have ever wondered why there are people in airport parking lots just sitting in their cars for a few minutes before leaving, now you know why.

Once you get home from the airport, it doesn't get better.   You see the guest room, bedsheets and comforter unmade, the impression of the suitcase still on the carpet floor.  The guest bathroom still smells of their deodorant and perfume. 

Familiar to the senses yet fading fast away.  In a day or two, the bed will be made, the rooms cleaned, and the house ready for the next visitor.  We try as quick as possible to go back to our normal lives, in an effort to ease the pain of our loved ones gone.

Depending on how long travel time is, you hear from your loved ones either a few hours or a day after they have left.  This is probably when reality sets in... when you are once again communicating via phone or Skype.  Life, for both parties, is truly back to 'normal'...

The hope is there that one day we will see each other once again.  And deep in our hearts, we know we will.

La Vita e Bella.

Making Home Affordable

Long story short:  I think it targets a small amount of the population and is unfair to people who are current on their mortgages.  Do I have to default on my loan just to get necessary 'assistance' from the government to lower my rate?  What if my loan isn't guaranteed by Fannie or Freddie?

I think a solution should benefit everyone, not just the borrowers who cannot make their mortgage payments, and not just for first-time borrowers. 

The government should assess what the real values of these homes are in order to find out what the true current market values are.  Of course, this should be done by multiple, independent evaluators, in order to get the average value of a certain area. 

Then, once the government decides on a fair level for a home in a certain area, lenders should re-evaluate outstanding home loans in that area and mark the principal owed amounts down to market levels, especially for loans in which the borrower is upside-down on the loan (to a certain percentage, of course).

Both lenders and borrowers win in this situation.  There is less risk for the lender to lend money, and there is less chance of the borrower defaulting on the loan.  Yes, the lender has to write down millions in loans, but in the long run, that is better than having loans defaulted and not being able to collect anything at all.  Lenders will still be getting their money, just not as much as before.

This will encourage consumer spending since the percentage of their income devoted to paying the mortgage is less.

The ultimate winner is the economy which will benefit from consumers having more money to spend on other goods and services.

How about people who already own their home or are close to fully owning their home?  Their home values have already gone down by the amount of foreclosures in their area anyway.  Let's face it, homes have been over-valued, and this is partly why we are in this mess in the first place.  Staying in denial about the true value of their home only prolongs the time that their home stays undervalued. 

Only after the foreclosed / undervalued homes have been bought can home values start to rise again, property taxes can be paid, and public institutions such as schools and fire departments can receive the proper funding that they need.

Of course, there must be tools and safeguards in place to ensure that this is not abused by people who want to take advantage of the government and taxpayers.Technorati Tags: opinion, economy

New Addition

Eli Lontoc Diaz

March 2, 2009
8 lbs 12 oz
20 inches long

La Vita e Bella!

Medical(?) Question

We were watching the television show 'House' (the lighthearted medical drama with the grumpy doctor) the other night, and as what normally happens in the show, a patient shows up with a mystery illness and it is the doctors jobs to find out what is wrong with the patient and cure him / her.  The team of doctors debate among themselves what the symptoms are, possible causes, and then go about administering the tests or giving the prescribed medicine in order to cure the patient.

It amazes me how quickly the 'doctors' can not only diagnose an illness but recommend treatment.  It has led me to this question:  Do real doctors watching these shows play along with the show and try to diagnose the patients illness? 

It is similar to a murder mystery where viewers try to guess who the killer is based on the clues presented, except in this case, the 'killer' is the mysterious illness and the objective is to find the cure.

There must be some grain of truth in what happens during these medical themed shows, or else they would be called out by real doctors for misleading viewers.  I understand that due to time constraints, lab test results and operations that would normally take hours and days to process take only minutes in the show, so this inaccuracy can be overlooked.

I singled out medical themed shows since the field of medicine does not have as much room for alternative solutions.  In legal or law enforcement dramas, the law is subject to various interpretations, and the behavior of the antagonist can be manipulated by the shows writers.  There is more freedom on how a legal drama can turn out.    In medicine, a sickness is a sickness, and more often than not, even though there can be different symptoms, there is only one illness that can be attributed to all of the symptoms that a patient exhibits.

If someone can enlighten me, I would appreciate it as this question has been on my mind for quite some time now...

No Reservations: Philippines

Better late than never, I suppose.  I'm sure a ton of other bloggers have blogged about this episode.

Was anyone other than me a little disappointed on how the show turned out?  Yes, the food was mouth-watering (most of it at least; I don't think I could have eaten the goat bile) and it made me miss the Philippines.  But while the main topic was the food, I noticed what I think were the main problems of why Filipino food was overlooked, and it seems like a cultural problem.

Anthony Bourdain asked a question which I have also seeked the answer for:  What is Filipino cuisine, and why does it not have the same popularity as other cuisines in the same part of the world?

I am more interested in the second part of the question.  It goes without saying that despite the various influences that we have drawn from other cultures, Filipino cuisine truly is unique and has its own flavor.  Therefore, it is a matter of making it more accessible and marketable.  I'm not talking about elevating Filipino food to the level of haute cuisine, where it barely resembles the original dish.  Rather, we need to improve the quality of our food so that it no longer falls under the 'exotic' category.  Examples are Chinese and Thai food.  They are popular enough to have gone mainstream without compromising their foods taste, identity, and presentation.

First:  Try cooking Filipino dishes using choice cuts of meat.  One of my complaints about Filipino food is that there is too little meat and either too much fat or bone, which more often than not, gets in the way of enjoying the food.

Why do we have to limit ourselves using, for lack of better word, non-traditional parts of meat?  A fellow blogger commented that the reason we resorted to the non-traditional cuts of meat is because our colonizers used the choice cuts and we were forced then to adapt and make do with what we were given.  Yes, it is a testament to our adaptability.  However, we are no longer under foreign rule.  If we stick to a tradition that was 'forced' upon us, then we are still shackled to the chains that our colonizers placed on us many years ago.

How many times have you eaten kare-kare only to sift through the sauce and find out there is no more 'laman' (meat)?  And even then, it is so hard to pry the meat off the bone that you end up just eating the sauce and vegetables on rice... with a little bagoong of course. 

Of course, there are certain dishes such as bulalo where the bone (particularly the bone marrow) is not only integral to the dish, but is the very essence of the dish itself.  But how about adding some pieces of boneless beef rib into the bulalo broth?  It would absorb the broth and retain the tasty goodness of the bulalo.

Second:  The Philippines has many different regions.  Rather than open a generic Filipino restaurant, open a Filipino restaurant that focuses on one specific region, such as Pampanga or Ilonggo food.  That way, Filipinos will already know what to expect, and foreigners will also not only know about Filipino cuisine but more of the region that the food originates from.  One good example of this is Chinese cuisine.  There are several kinds of Chinese cuisine... Szechuan, Mandarin, etc.  Chinese restaurants (real ones, not the Panda Express type ones) typically specialize in one region.  If one cannot create a whole menu based on one region, then specifying on the menu where the food originated from could be a good compromise.  The best of the Philippines, similar to what Bourdain suggested by narrowing down Philippine food into just a few dishes.

Third:  Support the Filipino restaurant and Filipino cuisine as a whole.  Chinese people eat in Chinese restaurants despite the fact that Chinese food is just as easy to prepare at home.  Even if you don't eat there, spread the word to everyone, not just Filipinos but to non-Filipinos as well.  Better yet, invite some friends and family over for a home cooked Filipino meal, or bring a Filipino dish next time there is pot luck in the office.

The most disappointing part that I saw during the television show was when Bourdain had dinner with Augusto's family.  Filipino food is meant to be shared and enjoyed... hence the huge portions served in large serving dishes.  One of the essences of a Filipino meal, especially with family, is the gathering around a table and being boisterous, especially when there is a special guest.  Augusto's family however, was shy and reserved, and dinner seemed like a procession.  In fact, it almost looked like they were slightly resentful of Bourdain's presence.  The fact that Augusto was almost as much a foreigner to his family like Bourdain did not help matters.  I don't blame Bourdain for trying to let Augusto and his family crawl out of their shells.  Is it the cameras?  Contrary to Bourdain, I think the same thing would have occurred had there been no cameras there.  There was so much potential to show true Filipino culture in this one segment and break through the stereotype that Filipinos are too nice (and shy).  Instead, foreigners did not see anything new about us, since (let's be honest here) we are generally shy in the company of foreigners... unless we are the overwhelming majority of course!

Too nice and too shy indeed.  We all know we Filipinos aren't like that when there are no non-Filipinos around.  I think Bourdain should have visited at least one Fiesta so that he could experience how outgoing and festive Filipinos could really be.  Then he would have a better understanding of our cuisines origins and why food plays a central role in our culture.

Kudos to Augusto for convincing Bourdain to visit the Philippines.  Maybe Bourdain secretly chose Augusto as a symbol of the Philippine culture...  A country colonized by so many others now struggling for its own identity.

I hope it won't be the last trip back for both of them, and that through this show, Filipino food will find its identity and rightfully find its place rightfully alongside other Asian cuisine.

Ann's Snack Bar

I have been meaning to eat here for the longest time, ever since I read about how good these burgers are, in various restaurant blogs and restaurant sites. So good in fact, that they were proclaimed the best burgers in America by a writer for the Wall Street Journal. See article here.

So, when Caroline asked me where I wanted to eat for my birthday, it was an easy choice. We went a day before my birthday, as it was a holiday (Presidents Day).

Ann's Snack Bar is located (for all you Atlanta folk) along Memorial Drive, close to where it intersects with Moreland Ave. If you aren't looking for it, you probably wouldn't even notice it. This is mainly because there is a large screened front area that hides the main sign (pictured below). Fortunately, there is a large sign that says, "Home of the World Famous Ghetto Burger".
We arrived at 11:15, 15 minutes before opening. There were already a couple of people waiting, and I had no idea how long they were there. Caroline and I thought about abandoning our plan and going to the Vortex (another burger place of worthy mention) instead. I knew that Ms. Ann could only accommodate 8 people, and after a quick count of the people waiting, I figured out that we would be included in the first batch of customers. We were lucky; I read people waited for hours just to get into her little diner. We braved the chilly 40 degree weather to ensure a spot in the first 8.

As soon as the clock inside the restaurant hit 11:30 (which was at least 5 minutes slower than what we had on our watches), she motioned for the first batch of customers to come in. As soon as the 8 person threshold was reached, Ms. Ann called out "I can only hold 8 people in here!". Whether or not its for safety reasons or her own, other customers quickly shuffled out of the diner and were forced to wait.

Ms. Ann has gained a reputation online for being intimidating... probably because of the no-nonsense way she does things. . I did have the courage to ask what a Hood Burger was (coleslaw in the burger instead of lettuce and tomato). We ended up each ordering a Ghetto Burger combo. The couple beside us also knew about Ms Ann's reputation as the wife did all the ordering. Apparently, the husband was scared of Ms Ann, as they were also 'warned' of her reputation. I don't think she was mean; yes, she is intimidating, but when you do talk to her, she is quite friendly.

Ms. Ann took our orders all at once, and then began cooking all of them at the same time, as a batch.


From where we sat, we could see the patties cook, and the potatoes deep fried into french fried goodness. Every piece in Ms. Ann's kitchen has a purpose, and she's always on the move and efficient, knowing what to do, whether its flipping the burgers or checking on the bacon. I guess if you have done the same thing for over 35 years, you know everything by heart. Everything is done as it cooks; Ms. Ann slices the onion right in front of the patties as they are cooking and places them straight on the meat. Same goes with the tomatoes, sliced just before they are placed on your burger. Drinks are pre-made (between the sweet tea and the lemonade, I prefer the latter) and french fries are of the frozen kind, but they were good nonetheless. The fries were crispy and cooked to perfection, and portions were very generous.

While waiting for the food to be cooked, we looked around the bar and talked to the fellow customers seated beside us. Along the walls were the various awards she received (several "Best of Atlanta" awards, etc), and some pictures of her and her family. And even though the surroundings may not look it, she received an A grade for cleanliness and food safety from the local government.

Finally, after a good 45 minutes from the time Ms. Ann took our orders, the burgers arrived...

This is it... the Ghetto Burger. Two huge patties of ground beef, two slices of cheese, slices of bacon, onions, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and a spoonful of chili to top it all off. Ms. Ann thankfully slices the burger in half, to make it easier to hold. She also supplies you with a fork and knife, as pieces of hamburger will inevitably fall off, or if you can't hold the burger with your hands.

I don't know how I was able to do it but I was able to finish it all (of course, I ended up skipping dinner later that day). Caroline was able to just eat 1/4; I ended up eating 1/4 of hers and taking home the other half, which I just ate for lunch today!

With Ms. Ann, you don't just sit down and eat the burger, you experience it all. The anticipation, the friendly banter with fellow customers, the eccentricities, and the burger itself. When you step into the diner and wait for your order, all of a sudden you feel like you're all regulars when in fact you could all be new to Ann's Snack Bar. And when you see your burger personally cooked and served by Ms. Ann, you feel the heart and effort she took in making you that burger. That's what sets her apart from other restaurants, and its what makes her burgers so special. Her burgers are definitely worth the trip, and worth the wait.