REMEMBERING THE WOMAN IN AMSTERDAM

It's raining now and for some reason I'm remembering our trip to Amsterdam. We stayed in a studio apartment on the Dam Square. The location was great: we were on the top floor and from our window we could look straight across at the Royal Palace and below us was the square. The only hitch was that the building didn't have an elevator, which meant we had to drag our suitcases up six floors, and when we went out, we had to make sure we had everything we needed for the day. There was no going up and down to get the bottle of water you forgot.

I thought Amsterdam was wild. I don't know how other places in Holland are, but Amsterdam had a hippie-San-Francisco-in-the-70s feel. Maybe it was the pot and sex that were easily available. Clearly there were many young tourists who were in Amsterdam for those things. The older tourists like us took the canal boat tours, and went to the museums (Anne Frank's House, Rijsk, Van Gogh, and Remembrant's House). And because it's part of the tourist thing to do, we walked to their Redlight District, which was near the Dam Square.

I've seen some blatant sex-for-sale in Manila, but nothing like that in Amsterdam. Prostitution there had always been around - isn't it the oldest profession after all? - and it became legalized in 2000. The women display themselves in rooms, more like cubicles, with glass windows. The area had a lot of red lights flashing, and loud dancing music, and cigarettes, and men stumbing about drunk, and a strange creepy kind of energy. It was Lauren who couldn't stand being there and quickly steered me away from the place. But I saw enough. There the women were, in these little tiny rooms, standing, dancing, performing to the passersbys, hoping to get some business. There were older women, young women, pretty ones, ugly ones. Some of them didn't even look like prostitute-material.

I felt sad for them and wondered if they'd get AIDs, or pass this on to countless men. And I wondered what prostitutes do when they become too old for this kind of work. And I wondered if they didn't get bored doing this every day. And what if the guy was a real weirdo? And what if...?

The saddest sight was a pretty Eurasian young woman; we guessed she was Dutch and Indonesian. She looked any where from 19-27, with long black hair, petite and stunning. She was dressed in something scanty, I forget now, all I recall was that she had a very nice figure. There was some music she was dancing to, and she was really quite graceful and attractive, and she was moving in a kind of classy way, doing her thing, advertising herself, and quickly some man entered her small room, and the drapes were drawn close.

I felt very sad for her, felt she could have been a model or an actress with such good looks, felt she could have done something more with herself. And I wondered what makes women settle for that kind of life.

There was something about the rain today that made me think of her again, and I hope she's all right.

TIME TO DIET

And now dear Readers, I have to confess that I have to go on a serious diet. All the Chile en Nogada (green chile, with white walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds!)in San Miguel Allende, the crab cake sandwiches in Philadelphia, the pasta in New York, the breakfast buffets in the cruise ship, the buttery escargot in Quebec, all of that and more, have tipped over my weighing scale to such shameful numbers - we're not even going to talk about how many pounds I have to lose. But lose I must, because dear Readers, Precious must take care of herself! She just had a birthday, remember? She is no longer a young chick. When she was younger, she used to worry about her weight so she would look good; well now, she is worried about her weight for more serious reasons - things like cholesterol, heart - and yes, Precious must continue to look presentable. Her jewelry has been increasing in size, in direct proportion to her weight, and this must stop, dear Readers, or else her ears will rip from the weight of the earrings she has been wearing.

But seriously, dear Readers, Sunday, Precious went shopping for healthy food like cottage cheese and yogurt, fruit, vegetables, and also those canned diet drinks. She has a plan. First of all, she will give up chocolate cake, lollipops, sodas including diet sodas, butter, chocolate Espanola, gorgonzola cheese, carbs, sugar, and fat. She has allowed herself to eat all the fruit and vegetables that she wants. Otherwise, dear Readers, Precious might starve to death! So, here's her plan: diet drink in the morning; very light lunch; and a meal in the evening. Precious knows that it's not such a good idea to eat the big meal at night, but that's the time she and her husband eat together, so that's how it is.

Monday was the first day of her diet. She had the diet drink for breakfast and cottage cheese for lunch, and she had a cannibal hamburger sandwich (hamburger pattie with lettuce and onions). Precious felt self-righteous.

Tuesday, Precious had her diet drink before leaving for UCLA to teach her Writer's Sketchbook class, which runs from 10-1. Precious noticed that she was somewhat stupid in class. She seemed distracted, and then later she felt jittery. Precious felt anxious and mildly depressed; her mind kept "chattering" negative things. This was followed by a splitting headache, which lasted until nighttime.


To find out what was going on, Precious googled dieting and headaches - and can you imagine that headaches are actually a side effect of dieting? Precious was taken aback. She thought maybe she preferred the feeling of well-being when she eats all she wants . . . the feeling of euphoria when she sips her thick chocolate Espanola, when she pops in one of those succulent escargot in her mouth.

When she went to bed, still with the God-awful headache, she swore the dieting would have to go if she'd developed insomnia (another complaint from dieters). Fortunately, Precious sawed it off last night.

Which brings us to today. Diet drink in the morning, and later she and her husband had a picnic lunch at the Serra Retreat in Malibu; they had bought deli food. Oh, dear Readers, what she had was not diet food at all! Oh, no, not at all! It was meatloaf, with pasta, some vegetables (which she hardly touched) and Greek salad (which was awful and which she didn't eat either). So, she had: meatloaf, pasta, and a sourdough roll. She tried to add up the calories but the figure climbed so high, she had difficulty adding. To make up for that pig-out Precious had her 170-calorie diet shake for dinner.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

Dear Readers - the question is: can Precious stick to her diet? How long can she stay away from all the wonderful comfort food? Can she refuse all that rich Christmas food, cookies - all carbs and sugar and oil?

Stay tuned, dear Readers, stay tuned.



(Special thanks to Marianne Villanueva whose blog style Precious imitated.)

NUNS ON BARSTOOLS & NUNS IN BUMPER CARS

I found these pictures of nuns. They are so cute. They remind me of the time Lauren and I were in Rome, near the Santa Maria de Magiorre. After seeing the church, we hung around the plaza outside. Then suddenly we saw four Carmelite nuns, dressed in long brown robes; they looked like the type that practised perpetual silence, the ones that used to be locked up forever. There they were, striding together, a cluster of brown, heading toward a gelato parlor. It was summer and there was a line of people impatient for their gelato. The nuns waited, patiently and quietly. There was no talking, no giggling. They could have been standing in a confessional line. I watched from outside and didn't know what they ordered, but when they left the parlor, one of them was carrying a huge tub of ice cream, and they strode back decidedly, from where they had come.

I imagine it was someone's birthday and Mother Superior had sent the group of four out to buy a treat.

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS IN SAN DIEGO

My friend Elizabeth Allen and I went to the San Diego Natural History Museum to see the exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scrolls are 2,000 year old texts found in caves near the Dead Sea in Israel. In 1947, a Bedouin goatherder who was near a cave threw a rock into the cave. He heard clay shatter. He threw another rock and heard the same thing. When he investigated, he discovered the scrolls in clay jars with lids. He contacted an antique dealer in Bethlehem, who was able to contact some religious people, then later academic people. The Israeli government eventually bought back the scrolls that had been sold and now have possession of most of them.

Most of the scrolls are made of leather with writing on them that depict biblical text, songs, hymns, even a legal document. There are scrolls in parchment and in copper. The copper scroll lists an inventory of some 200 tons of gold, silver, and religious garments hidden in areas around Judea. The parchment scroll is a lease agreement.

The caves where the scrolls were found are near a place called Qumram, where a religious group the Essenes, had once lived, worked and worshipped. The Essenes copied the scrolls and when the Romans invaded Qumran in 68 CE or AD, they hid them in the caves where they lay for 2,000 years.

I could go on and on about what we saw, and there was a lot. The exhibit was rich. There were huge photos of Jerusalem, olive orchards, Dead Sea, and other sites in Israel. There was a 30-minute movie presentation about Qumran. There was a section that showed pictures and artifacts of how the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered and brought to light to the world.

A friend of Elizabeth had seen this same Dead Sea Scroll exhibit in Jerusalem, but she said the exhibit in San Diego is better.

I loved the antiquity! I find it interesting to consider that 2,000 years ago people were writing, reading, praying to a One God. Sometimes we think that we, in the here and now, are more superior than ancient people and it boggles our mind when we see proof of how learned, how sophisticated they had been. It makes me realize what a tiny speck we are in the entire history of mankind. It makes me realize that there are more similarities than differences in the life style of man throughout the ages.

ROASTING BONELESS LEG OF LAMB FOR THANKSGIVING

My sister-in-law Kim is making the turkey; I've got 2 legs of lamb (boneless) roasting. They each weigh approx. 4.65 lbs. I bought these at Costco last week and froze them; they're from Australia (and suddenly I have a vision of two 3-legged sheep hobbling about in Australia).

I took them out of the freezer last night - rock solid. I left them on the kitchen sink and by the morning they were thawed. I planned on roasting at 325 degrees for around 2 1/2 hours - less, if it looks done. The meat continues to cook, you see, after you pull it out.

I cut off the wrapper but left the stretchy string that holds the meat together so each roast holds its shape. I crushed an entire garlic with around 20 cloves. I inserted garlic through the stretchy string to the inside parts of the roast. I rubbed some salt on the roast - not too much because salt is drying. Then I rubbed black pepper as well. I cut some fresh rosemary sprigs and rubbed the meat with rosemary. I scrunched this rosemary and inserted inside the meat. I placed the two roasts on a roasting pan.

I used to have a thermometer, which never worked. I don't have one. So I'm keeping track of time - in around 2 hours, I'll check the meat. I'm going to pull this out when pink.

The string will be cut and discarded. The rosemary sprig will also be discarded; but I have fresh ones to use as decoration around the serving platter. The meat will be cut and served with mint jelly and all the other Thanksgiving trimmings: mashed potatoes, gravy, etc.

The garlic tones down the gamey quality of lamb, and so does the sweet mint jelly. The rosemary also cuts the gaminess and throws off a lovely scent.

Once the meat is removed from the enamel pan, I will use the pan drippings for the gravy. But first, if the drippings are very fatty, I will pour off the excess fat, being careful not to pour away the brown drippings, which is the good stuff. I will place the pan over low heat, pour in Shirah or whatever red wine is around - around a cup? - and then I will mix some Mochiko rice flour in a cup of water, stir until mixed. I will pour this mixture into the drippings with wine, and stir, scrape, until the gravy thickens. If needed I'll add salt and pepper to the gravy.

I didn't do it this time, but one can include with the meat, some potatoes so that the whole thing roasts together - the meat and pan-fried potatoes.

Lamb meat is dark with a rich, heavy flavor which goes well with red wine.

Bon A Petit!

from Chef Cecilia

OOO - LA - LA, ANOTHER BIRTHDAY! Some Jokes to Make you Smile

Here's a birthday card that I got that made me laugh:

~~~~~~~
Here's an excerpt from Louie Nacorda's email that mentions St. Cecilia, my patron saint:
The church is different from where her incorrupt body (all of 1,300 years!)
was found in its "just died" condition. The body was dug out from one of
the tombs inside the catacombs of St. Callistus. It was removed to a more
fitting church inside the walls of old Rome but the spot where she was
found was given a life-size carara marble statue of how she looked when she
was found. A Christian to the end, her fingers were all pointed to form the
roman numeral 3, one index finger one the right and the index and middle
finger on the left. It was said that she died slowly after her throat was
slit. Being noble, the executioner did not have the courage to cut off her
head so she laid down bleeding to death, her face wrapped with a cloth. As
of her last living testimony to the Holy Trinity, she used one finger to
signify the Oneness of God, and the two other fingers to signify the Three
Divine Persons in One God. And she was only 15 years old.

All of a sudden, the St. Cecilia that I find rather pedestrian because I
would see her glorified framed stampa where she is playing the organ and
with a chorus of three angels singing behind her, atop every piano in
middle class houses of my youth. Now, after knowing how she died and how
her incorrupt body was preserved by God, St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr,
has become so real, so marvelous and so beautiful to me. You should foster
devotion to her because not only is she your namesake and patroness but she
is also the patroness of sacred art, specially music, and you are an artist
albeit in literature. Art lang gihapon.
~~~~~~~
My friend, Med Villanueva, sent these:

HOW TO FEEL SMARTER:

(On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.)
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,"
--Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest.
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"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
--Mariah Carey
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"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life,"
-- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign .
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"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body,"
--Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.
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"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country,"
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it,"
--A congressional candidate in Texas.
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"Half this game is ninety percent mental."
--Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark

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"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
--Al Gore, Vice President
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"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix."
-- Dan Quayle
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"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need ?"
--Lee Iacocca
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"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

--Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
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"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people."
-- Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instrutor.
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"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
--Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina
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"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas."
--Keppel Enderbery
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"If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record."
--Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEWS FROM CEBU WRITER CHINGGAY UTZURRUM

Thanks to Cebu writer (and dear friend) Chinggay Utzurrum, who sent some news clippings and pictures of my last visit to Cebu in June-July 2007. She writes:

"Greetings from Cebu. Hope this short note finds you in good shape and enjoying Autumn.

We're all fine here - WILA - Women in Literary Arts - (under Erma Cuizon) celebrated an anniversary recently, which I wasn't able to attend unfortunately. It was a blast, kono.

Enclosed are some clippings (one is dated 2003 - sorry about this antique piece) but I know you'll want this for your file.

Also one during your very enjoyable book launching (of A La Carte, Food & Fictin), and a photo.

Keep well and stay in touch.

Regards to Lauren and the boys.

Love,
Chinggay

I've known Chinggay De Veyra Utzurrum since St. Theresa's Cebu years. She was and remains lovely, bright, energetic, and social. Once we shared a room in Iloilo City where we went for the Dinagyan Festival. You don't really know a person until you've traveled with them! Ching was the most considerate travelmate one could have. In the room, which we shared, she was very conscious about when to turn lights on and off, so as not to disturb me. She was always considerate about the use of the bathroom, which she left this in impeccable condition. My mother described Ching as "muy educada!" She is indeed a first class lady!


(Photo seated l-r: Cecilia, Susan Evangelista
Standing l-r: Chinggay Utzurrum, Jun Dumdum
Above 2 news articles (Sunstar Cebu)are about the June Book Launching of A La Carte, Food & Fiction in Cebu City, Philippines - some of those in the news photos are: Inday Blanco, Erma Cuizon, Susan Evangelista, Karina Bolasco, Carlos Cortes; the whole page news article shows photos of: Helen Misa, Lucy Franco, Bambi Beltran, Ester Tapia, Gingging and Jun Dumdum; Jason Verallo, Louie Nacorda, Gavin Bagares, Radel Paredes, Dr. Juliet Basa, Haide Acuna, Mae Manacap, Mayette Tabada, Josefa Gorordo Y Revilles, Terry Manguerra, Tanya, Jojo, Chessy, Marty Manguerra, and Patti Aberasturi.)
Bottom news article (The Freeman) is about Dr. Linda Alburo's trip to the U.S.; we had the chance to see each other in California at a book launching)

SOME FAVORITE PICTURES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

UPDATE ARROWHEAD MINI-REUNION WITH MARYKNOLLERS

There was something that happened to us. We went to the same college, and we probably weren't even that close then. After college, we went on with our lives. Some of us stayed in the Philippines; some migrated to the U.S. or to Europe; some got married; some didn't. Some of us had children. Some of us had careers. We took different paths, and for many years, we barely saw one another. And then after not seeing one another for two decades and more (so hard to imagine it was that long ago) we got together and reconnected, got caught up with our lives, and now suddenly, these classmates whom we hadn't seen for ages became symbols of home, of our youth, and a kind of ease developed among us. It was no longer important to show off, to be the most popular, the most beautiful, the smartest, the most accomplished. It was all right to be overweight and all right to have dysfunctional families, and all right to have some neuroses. (Next year marks 40 years since we graduated from Maryknoll College!)

That is how it feels now to be with old high school and college friends. . . at least some of them. . . it feels like "going home" to be with them.

And that was how it felt to go to Arrowhead to be with Maria Ciocon and Med Villanueva, classmates from Maryknoll College (class of 68).

I had with me my lengua, some Didi Riese cookies, an overnight bag, when I drove to Upland to pick up Maria Ciocon. In fact Maria's nickname is Baby. So through the years, she has been Baby C. and I, Baby M. (for Manguerra, my maiden name). Technically, she ought to be called Baby N. (for her maiden name, Navarro), but somehow, we ended up calling her Baby C.

So, Saturday, after delays because of business phone calls, I threw my bag and food into my Mercedes Van and drove for about an hour to Upland where Baby lives. She was waiting for me, with a nice cup of brewed coffee. And then we drove to Arrowhead. We were both wondering if we would see evidence of the recent fires. We didn't, at least not from the highways we took.

Med was waiting for us, and the first thing we did, after greeting one another and dragging our stuff into Med's house, was to start heating the food. It's very Filipino to eat during gatherings. It's like Holy Communion. So, the lengua was in the microwave and the mongo soup was over the cooking range, and a chicken dish was in the oven. Rice was ready. The table was set, and by 12:30, we were eating our comfort food.

(Aside: Twice a month or so, I will go down to Vermont to my favorite turo-turo Filipino restaurant for my laing, dinuguan, binagoongan - Filipino dishes - and I pick up the Asian Journal or Philippine News, and I read about Macapagal pardoning Estrada while I eat my comfort food. The food is totally high in cholesterol, but it's all fun, and psychologically healing - it is like recharging a battery. After such a meal, I can leave Bibingkahan Restaurant and face "America" once again. I can go back to my American life.)

Eating Filipino food with other Filipinos doubles the same experience. My batteries feel doubly-charged. We eat the food we grew up on, and we talk about matters that we could not discuss with our husbands and American friends, and we can even do this in Taglish!



So there the three of us were, talking about the recent fire - Med's house had been spared, but she had to evacuate - and talking about our children and grandchildren, and of course our classmates, these other links to our youth and past.

We ate and talked from 12:30 to 2 p.m. And feeling we had to do something else, we went to town where there was an Oktoberfest going on. We window shopped and watched the Men's drinking contest. We each picked a possible winner and watched them down pints of beer in a few seconds flat. Maria thought the young college-age guys would have a lot of practise drinking beer. I picked an older man with a rotund stomach, thinking age and experience might have an edge. Med picked a younger fellow, who made third-runner up. Maria's and my candidates dropped out in the first round.

After the beer drinking contest, we went to Mass in Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. We were an hour early, so we said the Rosary and Our Divine Mercy Chaplet, and walked around the neighborhood, and the outdoor Stations of the Cross, and window-shopped in the Church store. Then we heard Mass. The priest talked about the fire and the victims; and a fellow from a volunteer group talked about their providing assistance to fire victims. The priest invited all to the refectory because the Red Cross had brought food.

We returned to Med's place and proceeded to pray the long version of the Healing the Family Tree prayers. It's a very powerful prayer for your ancestors - look it up sometime (I forget the title of the book with the prayers we said, but Kenneth McAll has an excellent book about the subject matter).

After praying, we ate some more. And then we changed into our nightwear and settled down to watch DVDs. Med's machine is apparently temperamental and it refused to read my DVD on Water (by Deepa Mehta), which I wanted to share with them. But it read the BBC's version of Pride and Prejudice, a 4 hour show. I dozed off and on, but Maria and Med stayed awake until around 3:30 a.m.

There were two beds in the guest room but I opted to sleep in the living room with the magnificent cathedral windows. It was chilly, and we welcomed it because this was different. It reminded us we were in another place. Maria kept saying, "Doesn't this remind you of Baguio?" - referring to the cool, mountain place, Baguio, with pine trees, in Luzon, a favorite vacation place.

I was awake by 7 a.m. and through the cathedral windows I watched blue jays hopping on pine trees branches. There were white fluffy clouds and the sky was blue. By 8:30, we congregated around the dining table again for a meal of garlic rice, eggs, bacon, dangit (dried fish), and fruit.

We talked until 1:30 p.m. and then Maria and I packed our things and put them in the car. The plan was to windowshop in antique stores, then we'd bring Med home, and head back home. In Cedar Glen's street mall, I parked the car, and we visited five shops. When we returned to the car, there was a note stuck in the windshield, saying my tire was soft. Indeed a huge bolt was stuck in my left rear tire and my tire was flat. We called triple A, had to wait over an hour, and got a guy named Paul who had a heck of a time figuring out what to do. We stopped by a gas station and had another guy put air into the spare tire and other tires. Then we dropped Med off, and Maria and I drove back down Freeway 10, to 210, and alone to 10 all the way to Santa Monica. The only hitch was I had to keep my car down to 50-60 mph because of my spare doughnut tire.

But I got home safely, and I dare say the three of us were charged once again to deal with Life.

There's talk of another mini-reunion before Christmas.


(Above photo: Seated l-r: Med Villanueva, Chona Preston, Standing: Cecilia and Maria Ciocon;
Middle photo was taken at another Mini-Maryknoll reunion: Seated l-r: Marieda Alba, Maria Ciocon, Standing l-r: Meldy Perez, Med Villanueva, Cecilia Brainard
Bottom photo was taken in New Delhi, India, l-r: Cecilia, Lulah Quiambao, Mila Santillan)

DIDI RIESE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

Last night we stopped by Didi Riese for dessert. Didi Riese is in Westwood Village, near the Bruin Theater. The order lines are long, especially on a Friday night, but it's worth the wait. The cookies are fresh; you see them making them right there. Didi Riese has a variety of cookies (chocolate chip with walnuts; white chocoloate chip with macadamia, etc) but their chocolate chip cookies are famous. And their ice cream sandwich is also famous; it's made up of two cookies of your choice with a thick slab of ice cream in the middle.

Prices: 3 fairly large cookies for a dollar; a huge ice cream sandwich for $1.50; a dozen cookies for $3.75.

Yes - a real bargain, which accounts for the long - very long - order line.

So, what were we doing in Westwood Village last night? Lauren went to the UCLA Basketball game - apparently UCLA won by 50. I saw the movie, Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney. It was good. Described as a legal thriller, the movie deals with a huge fertilizer corporation and a huge legal firm, and some people trying to get justice for the cancer and illnesses caused by the chemicals.

The movie held my attention although I note that some reviewers say the movie was slow. I didn't find it slow; I enjoyed it.

LUKE AND ROBERT, HALLOWEEN

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM LUKE AND ROBERT BRAINARD, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS ELMO AND TIGGER!

COOKING LENGUA ESTOFADA FOR THE MARYKNOLLERS

Today I am cooking tongue. I should say "Lengua" to make it sound more dignified, but it's tongue nonetheless - a huge cow's tongue around a foot long, still with the grizzly covering that needs to be peeled off. It's in boiling salted water right now, and later on I'll peel that outer skin off. That's the ugly looking part, with little pimply bumps, the sight of which can make a person reject eating tongue for life. But since I grew up eating Lengua Estofada and Lengua Escarlata and Lengua Con Setas, and no longer have the cook Menggay around, I have to do the dirty work. The sight of the ugly uncooked tongue doesn't bother me because when I look at it, I can imagine the cooked tongue on a platter, with velvety red-brown sauce covering it, some mushrooms, plantains, and onions, maybe carrots and sweet potatoes surrounding it. Very elegant. Mouthwatering.

I've learned to appreciate the ritualistic feeling of preparing the comfort foods of my youth. It feels healing, like I'm connecting to some part of myself that sometimes I forget is still there! The part that eats tongue!

I had a difficult time finding today's tongue. My Filipino market, Seafood City on Vermont, didn't have tongue; neither did Von's; and fortunately Albertson's in Santa Monica had tongue. The wonder of it is that it was inexpensive; it was only ten dollars for one cow's tongue. Think of it, one big cow gave up it's life so I can cook that tongue. I wouldn't give up my tongue for just ten dollars! But maybe it's cheap because many Americans do not eat tongue. I think only Deli's serve tongue, in sandwiches, and we have some friends who have distant memories of tongue being served in their homes, but they no longer serve them in their homes.

My American family does not eat tongue. That is an understatement. My American family abhors tongue. They are terrified of tongue. When they see the huge cow's tongue coiled in my huge cooking pot and they see strange foamy scum floating on top, they turn away in total disgust. "It's Ok," I say, "I'm throwing away that water. It's just to remove the outer skin."

I'll admit that when the children were young I used to tease them by holding the uncooked tongue in front of my mouth, so maybe that little joke has permanently damaged their relationship with beef tongue forever. I'd tried to convince them that it tastes just like beef, but just by looking at the slices of tongue, they could tell that the texture was different. I assured them it's tender, and tasty, and melts in their mouth. They were unconvinced. Once I cooked tongue along with some beef stewing meat; that is the two kinds of meat cooked in the same liquid/marinade - and they swore they could detect the taste of tongue on the beef and refused to eat the beef stew. So really, I stopped cooking beef tongue for the family. And there's no point going through all that work just so I can have my Lengua. But this weekend, I'll be seeing a couple of Maryknoll college classmates, Maria Ciocon and Med Villanueva, and like me, they were raised to appreciate such fine food as Lengua - so I'm cooking tongue for them - for us.

After I peel the rough outer skin, I will brown the tongue in my big enamel pot, then I will sautee onions and carrots, then I will pour in burgundy, soy sauce, beef stock, garlic, bay leaf, pepper (I have to check my recipe book - and then I improvise as I go along) - and stick all of that in the oven for a good 2 hours or longer. Then, I'll adjust the taste, and I will let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days to let the meat soak in all that wonderful juice. Then it will be ready for serving, with some full-bodied red wine, and rice, because we eat rice with most everything, and rice will sop up all that delicious sauce.

That's the plan.



Read also:
Cooking with Cecilia Brainard - Quiche
Cooking with Cecilia Brainard - Linguine with Clams
Cooking Lengua Estofada
Food Essay - Fried Chicken Caribbean-style
How I Learned to Make Leche Flan (or How I Met my Husband)
Cooking with Cecilia - Leche Flan (Vietnamese Style) 
Easy Filipino Recipes from Maryknollers
Cooking with Cecilia - Beef Bouruignon
Cooking with Cecilia - Chicken Soup for my Bad Cold

(Photo shows Cecilia with her famous Beef Bourguignon
Bottom Photo shows Cecilia, Med Villanueva, and Maria Ciocon)

tags: Food, wine, cooking

MOVIES: DARJEELING LIMITED & DAN IN REAL LIFE

I thought "Darjeeling Limited" would be an Indian film, in the tradition of "Water" by the Canadian Indian filmmaker, Deepa Mehta. It wasn't. It was set mostly in India, and had some Indian minor characters, but the main characters were three brothers, presumedly wealthy Americans. They are in India on some kind of spiritual quest and also in quest of their mother who has a history of abandoning them. The movie actually starts with a short clip of one of the brothers and his girlfriend in an hotel in Paris. This is called Part I, and Part II is the main part with the 3 brothers hopping on and off the Darjeeling Limited train, and other means of transportation as they travel through India visiting spiritual sites, and finally visiting their mother who lives with nuns at the foot of the Himalayas.

The film is a bit slow, but there was enough there to hold my attention. The interaction among the brothers is interesting - it's amusing, with some tension. Their interaction with others: the assistant of the oldest brother, the train stewardess, the local people also adds to the tapestry of the movie. This isn't a plot-driven movie, and so the closeups, the raised eyebrows, the sighs, the dialogue are all important. We find out that these brothers had lost their father, and the mother had not shown up at his funeral. The brothers find themselves in a funeral of a boy in India. It was interesting to watch the rituals involved, and while there was no big emotional impact, on a subtle level the viewer was supposed to relate this to the father's funeral that these brothers had witnessed.

So the movie flows in a subtle way, small things happening to them, their journey through India, and the viewer gets to know the brothers a bit more - not a lot - and they are charming and funny, and the Indian scenery is different and colorful and captivating. So, nothing big here, no important message, but it was a pleasant enough way to spend almost two hours.

The other movie, "Dan In Real Life", is described as a romantic comedy. It is about a widower who attends a family gathering with his three daughters. There, he meets and falls in love with his brother's girlfriend. She also falls for him - and this is where I start to have problems because I'm not comfortable of the flirtation between Dan and his brother's girlfriend, right in front of the brother and entire family. The girlfriend breaks off with the brother, two hours later she's necking with Dan in a bowling alley, but then that seems to be OK because the brother quickly picks up another hottie, and so Dan and his daughters go off to find the love interest.

This movie reminded me of "Sideways", another romantic comedy; that one was about a man about to get married who takes off with his friend to the California Central Coast wineries where he picks up some woman as a last fling. Again, it was a technically well done film, and yes, I'll admit there were funny parts, but if I really thought of it, it was appalling that a man would be so unfaithful to his bride-to-be.

Maybe it's beause I've been raised by nuns all my life. That must explain why my values are different and why I see through these technically well-done films, and see the characters for what they are - shallow with (what I call) questionable morals. Sister Cecilia here, raised by Belgian and American nuns from Kindergarten all the way to College; avid fan of Thomas Merton, C.S. Lewis, Gandhi, Jesus and Mary too.

Do I sound cranky? Let me end this in a lighter note, I heard from a writer friend in France, Michael Genelin (murder mystery author, Sirens of the Water)who met another writer friend in a Halloween party on the Seine, Bonnie Melvin (author, A Normal Life).

What a small world we find ourselves in!

CANADA & NEW ENGLAND

I didn't have internet access for a while, thus the silence. We boarded the Grand Princess in New York and headed north, to Boston, Bar Harbour, St. John, Halifax, Sydney, Cornerbrook (Newfoundland), on to Quebec where the cruise-part of the trip ended. From there we took the car to Montreal.

After that unusual heat wave in New York, the weather continued to be erratic - at times chilly, rainy, and then warm once again, even in Montreal, just a few days ago. During the early part of our trip, the leaves hadn't turned. A cold snap is needed for the leaves to change color, and it wasn't until Bar Harbour when we finally saw leaves that had turned color in the Acadia National Forest.



There's much to talk about - the sights we saw, the history of the places, and all the fun we had in the cruise ship as well - I don't know where to begin really.

The place that enchanted me most was Quebec. Quebec, the only walled city in North America, sits perched on a hill, with ramparts around it. We stayed in the Marriott in Place D'Youville and right in front was an ice skating rink where people skated - the children were the best to watch, some with their training poles (like walkers). Quebec has numerous stone buildings from the 1800s and earlier, and it feels very European. The people speak French and are fiercely proud of their Quebecois culture. I laughed when I saw a newspaper article about Quebec wanting their own citizenship requirements. My French daughter-in-law says the French spoken in Quebec is different from that spoken in France; and it would be, of course. But some food dishes seemed authentically French - French onion soup with a thick layer of cheese; escargot in garlic-butter; croissants of course, other dishes. They did have Quebecois food - I had reindeer stew, and there was an interesting dish called Raclette, which consists of an assortment of vegetables, cheese, meats that's slowly cooked and eaten with a potato pancakes.


When I went antiquing in Quebec, a dealer made some comment about not having a lot of sterling silver items, just silverplate, because the people in Quebec were poor. I also saw a folkloric performance, dancing and music which sounded a lot like Louisiana Zydego. The costume looked like farm clothes; and instruments were variations of kitchen utensils.

But I suspect that these settlers of this cold place were tough and tenacious, having had to fight the British, and to resist being Anglosized.

The one thing that made me sad was the situation of the Catholic churches there. There are numerous beautiful churches, but few people go to church, and so some of these churches are being turned into condominiums (the facade is preserved); and others operate more like museums. They are beautiful but lack life; and they feel sad. But there are churches that are still used and you can feel the difference when you walk into the church - the Shrine of Sainte Anne de Beaupre for instance is a living, vibrant church. In fact this is a major pilgrim site for devotees to St. Anne, mother of Mary, grandmother of Jesus. Many miracles have taken place here, and there are walls showing crutches and canes, proof of miraculous cures.

All for now, more next time.

P.S. Oct. 31 - John Allen writes to say, "I've been enjoying reading your blog since you and Lauren went to Philly. I have one historical correction. Despite what you heard in Quebec there are three walled cities (charming as they are it's a good, pleasant thing there are so few) in North America: St Augustine (founded 1565), Quebec, (1608) and Charleston, S. C. (1680). All three are fun places to visit."

I did more research and the following statement is correct: Quebec City is home to the only preserved and maintained walled city in North America.
Other walled cities in North America are in St. Augustine, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina.
READ ALSO a 2013 article re Quebec

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

The last time I visited New York City was a few months after 911. My friend Susan Montepio and I went to Connecticut for a conference at the University of Connecticut, and afterwards, we went to New York. We stayed with her niece in uptown New York. New York then was very somber; there were few tourists around; people were surprisingly helpful and kind to us. We visited Ground Zero and still saw the fluttering notes on the wire fence surrounding the gaping land where the Twin Towers had stood.

This visit, New York, is quite different. It is crowded; it is teeming with life, and energy. There's been an unsual heat wave here and people have been in a kind of summer mode, eating al fresco, promenading about, many windows are open, and occupants actually wave their hands at us as we cruised by in the double decker circle line tour bus. And New Yorkers are once again gruff and rude! It's actually refreshing and funny, and really it's just their way of talking. The tour guides scream at the occupants: SIT DOWN! DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO SIT DOWN? And while my sister in law was haggling with a street vendor over a faux Coach purse, she said, "Oh, it's only $25 over there," the guy says, "You're a liar." It was so rude, we had to laugh.



Ah - but let me give you a brief rundown:

Day 1, we took an uptown and downtown tour with a stop in Battery park, walked to Ground zero, etc. The tour was great because I've visited New York before but never really saw the whole thing - I'd seen parts of it in snatches, but the bus tour goes all around Manhattan, giving you a very good idea of what the place and people are all about.



(We are staying in 414 Inn, on 46th near 8th, walking distance from Broadway and Times Square.)

Day 2: we took the ferry to the Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty is, and we also went to Ellis Island. The statue of Liberty is still gorgeous - the sight of her is breathtaking - just beautiful, well-balance, her green patina a wonderful contrast against the blue sky. I've been to Ellis Island but it was the first visit for Lauren and his sisters, so it was fun to experience the place with them and their mom.

In the afternoon, we saw the musical Wicked, which was great! Glinda was very funny; we had a stand-in but she did an excellent job portraying the self-centered but charming Good Witch. I'd read the book and it was nice to see the musical version of the book.

Had dinner, and outside the restaurant, all up and down Broadway were street vendors. Sundays, the ticket-people are off, and so all the illegal street vendors come out. We started buying faux Louis Viutton and coaches purses, so cheap - $20, $25, and we picked up other purses for $5 dollars! And pashminas for $5 each - (even if fake, nice). etc. etc. We topped the evening with ice cream.

Oh, here's a bit of trivia about New York: it has 30,000 restaurants and only 5 gas stations.
~~~
(Photo above with Statue of Liberty shows: Merwyn Bergquist, Paula Alix, Lauren Brainard, me, Kim Del Tiempo

Middle Photo shows: Paula Alix, Kim del Tiempo, Lauren Brainard, Merwyn Bergquist
Bottom Photo shows: Kim Del Tiempo, Lauren Brainard and Paula Alix)

UPDATE GETTYSBURG, PA

We visited the Eisenhower National Site, which was the home and farm of Dwight D. and Mamie Eisenhower. They bought the farm in 1950, after Eisenhower's 30 year military career. The farm/ranch is huge, and while the cattle is no longer there, apparently there had been 100 heads of cattle there, some of them prizewinning. The house of Eisenhower is spacious enough and unpretentious. It's a two-story house with a living room, a sun room, a dining room, a den, and office, and servants' quarters, kitchen; upstairs there are several bedrooms. It's decorated in the 1950s style, and the living room has gifts from foreign dignitaries, such as an antique rug from the Shah of Iran, painting from Prague, table from South Korea, etc. After Ike, American presidents were no longer allowed to keep such gifts.

Today's highlight was the tour of the battlefields of Gettysburg. This battle took place in various sections in this town over a period of three days. Some of the fighting took place in town, some of it on fields nearby. The area is huge, and now there are markers from various States to honor those who died or fought there. The figures are staggering: in a 3-day period some 52,000 were killed, maimed, or missing. General Robert E. Lee had gone north and attacked in Pennsylvania; he lost this battle. The South continued fighting for 2 more years, but had to surrender.

It's interesting history and names such as Jeb Stuart, Gen.George Meade, Gen. George Custer, Pickett, Ewell, Jenny Wade, etc. featured in this famous battle.

We saw a light diorama show before we took the actual driving tour, and it was a big help because the area covered is large (battle theater). The diorama gives you the idea of where north, south, east, west are, and where the skirmishes and fighting took place.

Apparently, it took some 50 years, before locals allowed Southeners to build memorials on the battle ground.

I am still considering if such waste of life is worth it all. Lauren says it is, because the South wanted to secede and continue slavery. I am not sure it is quite as simple as that, and I keep thinking of the Declaration of Independence staged in Philadelphia where a group of people broke off from England to have their own way of life.

More dire news about Burma: the military junta continues to terrorize the people there, and I have no idea what the world can do. While the UN and the world dither about what to do, monks, people who have simple staged a peaceful protest are being hurt and killed.

I know that this military junta will not get away with it, but I do not know - and I am curious - how and when they will reap what they have sown.

Valley Forge, Amish, Buddhist Monks in Burma

From Philadelphia, Lauren and I drove to Valley Forge where we visited the Center and drove around the National Park. The site is where George Washington's army camped from the Winter of 1777-1778. Some 2,000 cabins were built, and Washington had his headquarters there. The early part of their stay there was desperate and around 50% of the men abandoned camp (from 12,000 to 6,000). Then there were several things that happened. The Prussian Von Steuben joined Washington's army; Von Steuben trained 100 men military tactics and these men in turned trained others. The other important thing that happened was that France sided with America, which turned the tide of the war. The British had also done a couple of things that weakened their side: they decided to focus on saving their Caribbean colonies; and they withdrew from Philadelphia.

The Valley itself is beautiful, green, lush, although in 1777, the trees had been cut and the forest denuded.

What I understood, which was a new idea to me, was that the Americans were at this point quite organized. I always had the idea that they were a ragtag guerrilla group, but they were more sophisticated than that.

On the way to Gettysburg, we drove through the Lancaster area where we saw quite a lot of Amish people in their horse and buggy, or biking or working in their fields. The farm restaurant where we had lunch had a magnificent view of some farms where a couple of Amish farmers were working. There was something reassuring watching them with their teams of 4 horses as they cleared their land; perhaps it's their simplicity, their closeness to the earth that gives me that feeling. The Amish, Quakers, Buddhist monks - they seem to me to be people of God (I am generalizing of course).



The farms the Amish have are huge and they have silos and barns, giving the impression that they are well-off financially, although they are very low-key and keep to themselves. The Mennonites are the ones who have more contact with the tourists; they run shops, stores, and use machines, unlike the Amish.

Now here's an interesting sight: Amish barn-raising with the use of the crane - yes, we saw this. But there was a chance this was a Mennonite barn-raising, and Mennonites use machinery.

AND NOW another update about the Buddhist monks in Burma, this news from the BBC and USA Today. Can such tyranny continue?

"• The BBC reports that about 4,000 Burmese monks detained during pro-democracy demonstrations will be shipped from Rangoon to prisons in the north. For now they are being held at a race course and a technical college, according to sources from a government-sponsored militia. They spoke with BBC radio's Burmese service.

The monks have been disrobed and shackled, the sources said, and the monks reportedly are refusing to eat.

• There is recent news that Buddhist monks are trying to leave Rangoon, and have been seen in railway and bus stations. Bus drivers have reportedly been refusing to take them for fear they will be refused petrol.
. Curfews and night time raids continue in Rangoon, and there is a climate of fear as well as anger there. The Monks are still refusing to accept alms from the military; many are on a hunger strike; the detained monks are refusing to change out of their traditional robes. Meanwhile, there are reports of people taking turns to guard monasteries against night time raids."

PETITION ON BURMA

Terrible news about Burma continues. The Buddhist monks in prisons are staging protests by refusing to eat. More reports are popping up about the numerous monks killed. Here's a petition that came from a Philippine source:


From: "Ricken Patel - Avaaz.org"
Date: October 1, 2007 9:49:40 AM GMT+08:00
To: "herbert@focusweb.org"
Subject: Burma: A Global Roar

Dear friends,

Burma's generals have brought their brutal iron hand down on peaceful monks and protesters -- but in response, a massive global outcry is gathering pace. The roar of global public opinion is being heard in hundreds of protests outside Chinese and Burmese embassies, people round the world wearing the monks' color red, and on the internet-- where our petition has exploded to over 200,000 signers in just 72 hours.

People power can win this. Burma's powerful sponsor China can halt the crackdown, if it believes that its international reputation and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing depend on it. To convince the Chinese government and other key countries, Avaaz is launching a major global and Asian ad campaign on Wednesday, including full page ads in the Financial Times and other newspapers, that will deliver our message and the number of signers. We need 1 million voices to be the global roar that will get China's attention. If every one of us forwards this email to just 20 friends, we'll reach our target in the next 72 hours. Please sign the petition at the link below -if you haven't already- and forward this email to everyone you care about:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/t.php

The pressure is working - already, there are signs of splits in the Burmese Army, as some soldiers refuse to attack their own people. The brutal top General, Than Shwe, has reportedly moved his family out of the country – he must fear his rule may crumble.

The Burmese people are showing incredible courage in the face of horror. We're broadcasting updates on our effort over the radio into Burma itself – telling the people that growing numbers of us stand with them. Let's do everything we can to help them – we have hours, not days, to do it. Please sign the petition and forward this email to at least 20 friends right now. Scroll down our petition page for details of times and events to join in the massive wave of demonstrations happening around the world at Burmese and Chinese embassies.

With hope and determination,

Ricken, Paul, Pascal, Graziela, Galit, Ben, Milena and the whole Avaaz Team

_____________________________________

MASSACRE OF BUDDHIST MONKS IN BURMA

Very, very disturbing news from Australia's Herald Sun about Burma or Myanmar - here quoted:

"October 02, 2007 12:00am
A SENIOR Burmese intelligence official claims thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle.

After defecting from the military junta and fleeing to the Thai border, Hla Win told a reporter from London's Daily Mail: "Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand."

The horrific details emerged as Burma's top general continued to snub the UN's peace envoy, who is in Rangoon on a mission to convey the world's outrage to the junta.

With protests quashed and many monasteries empty, fears are growing for those who have disappeared into Burma's grim jails.

Observers say many detainees have been taken to the city's notorious Insein prison, the Government Technological Institute, the police battalion number seven compound, the Kyaikkasan racetrack and possibly elsewhere.

Mr Win said he fled when he was ordered to help massacre holy men.

Other exiles along the frontier confirmed that hundreds of monks had simply "disappeared".

Pro-democracy campaigners inside Burma yesterday released a graphic video showing the semi-naked body of a badly bruised monk, floating face down in a Rangoon river.

Mr Win, 42, a former chief of military intelligence in Rangoon's northern region, said: "I decided to desert when I was ordered to raid two monasteries and force several hundred monks on to trucks.

"They were to be killed and their bodies dumped deep inside the jungle. I refused to participate in this," he said.

Dissidents hiding along the Burma border said thousands of monks had been locked up and were being beaten inside blood stained temples."

Above Photo of Dead Monk, courtesy of Democratic Voice of Burma and BBC

Philadelphia and Map of Old Cebu

Lauren and I arrived Philadelphia yesterday and toured today: Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and American Constitution were signed, Constitution Hall, Christ Church where Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Betsy Ross, John Adams, Francis Hopkinson and others worshipped; cemetery of Christ Church where Benjamin Franklin and other signers of the Declaration are buried; Betsy Ross house, Benjamin Franklin's house, etc. The history is fascinating of course, but what hit me most of all is the fact that the Constitution is not a done-deal; it is a living document. It took a while before African Americans actually got their freedom, it took a while before women could vote; there is a need for constant vigilance about freedom.


This is my first visit to Phillie and didn't know what to expect. I thought maybe it would look like Boston, but it's different. The old section is gentrifying, and many of the old brick buildings are still intact. We also drove around the downtown section, saw the high rises, and the museums. Phillie is not without charm, at least the old section. It is clearly gentrifying, and even with the restored colonial buildings and the art galleries, restaurants, and hotels, there are still some seedy sections. But it feels safe to walk around even at night, and it feels as if it will develop even more.
On another topic, here is a map of Old Cebu, known as Escondrilla's map, dated 1873, courtesy of Melva Java and Louie Nacorda. Another Cebu trivia: Sangcianko street used to be Vasco de Gama, info courtesy of Resil Mojares and Louie Nacorda.

MYANMAR BLOG FOR CURRENT NEWS

The political situation in Myanmar breaks my heart. Here's a news excerpt dated September 22. There have been more protests and subsequent crackdown of Myanmar's military junta. Recently they have been raiding Buddhist monasteries to prevent the monks from protesting:

"Detained Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi stepped out of her home in tears on Saturday to greet Buddhist monks marching past the compound where she is confined by the military junta, witnesses said.

Armed guards usually block the road leading to the rambling lakeside house, but in an unprecedented move, they allowed about 1,000 monks to walk past the home where she was been detained for most of the last 18 years.

Under rainy skies, Suu Kyi walked out with two other women and cried as she paid her respects to the monks as they marched past in the mid-afternoon, the witnesses said.

The monks stopped outside her home for about 15 minutes and chanted a Buddhist prayer: "May we be completely free from all danger, may we be completely free from all grief, may we be completely free from poverty, may we have peace in heart and mind."

The witnesses said she did not appear to speak to the monks, who have been leading a series of protests against the military government since Monday."



For more current news, go to Ko Htike's blog:

http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/

OLD CEBU TRIVIA

Louie Nacorda sent in this Old Cebu Trivia about Zulueta Street in Old Cebu:

"Anyway, I found some Old Cebu trivia that could be of interest to us:
Zulueta's old name was Calle Pizzaro;
Mabini was Calle Maria Cristina;
Logarta was Calle Cadiz;
Lopez Jaena was Calle Hernan Cortes,
and the whole area was under Pueblo de Parian.

These info compliments of Don Domingo de Escondrillas, Cebu cartographer,
circa 1873."

COFRADIA SAN JUAN BATISTA IN CEBU

Louie Narcorda, founder of the Cofradia of St. John the Baptist in Cebu City, sent some pictures of their recent celebration of St. John's feast for his beheading. Here's some information about St. John the Baptist: He was the son of Zachary and Elizabeth, cousin of Mary. The Angel Gabriel told Zachary his wife would have a son even though she was old. St. John lived as a hermit in the desert. When he was 30, he began to preach. Jesus went to him in the river Jordan to be baptized. John recognized Him and said, "It is I who should be baptized by you." John was beheaded by Herod at the request of Salome. St. John's feast is celebrated on June 24. His beheading is celebrated on August 29.





~~~~
Photos:1) top left foto - L-R: Dr. Joy Gerra, Doña Luz Mancao vda. de Sandiego,
Dr. Mae Cabahug Mendoza, Janet Trocino Hermosa and Jenara Regis Newman;

2) top right foto - front row - L-R: Val Sandiego, Soly Taladua, Inday
Abarre, Joy Gerra, Cookie Newman, Luz Sandiego, Linda Martinez, Janet
Hermosa, Ofelia Sandiego, Josefa Gorordo de Revilles.
back row, L-R: Louie Nacorda, Ferdinand Ventura, Jerry Martin Noel
Alfafara, Gavin Bagares, Chilet Hermosa, Bingo Redoble;

3) Lower left foto - L-R: Val Sandiego, Margie Matheu, Chilet Hermosa,
Cookie Newman, Msgr. Cayetano Gelbolingo, P.A., Vicar General of the
Archdiocese of Cebu and spiritual director of the Cofradia de San Juan
Bautista, Janet Hermosa, Pepita Revilles, Inday Abarre and Louie Nacorda.

4) Lower right foto - L-R: Louie Nacorda, Jerry Martin Alfafara, Chilet
Hermosa and Nandy Ventura.

1896 CEBU GENEALOGY - JUANA LOPEZ DIOSOMITO

My friend Gavin Bagares in Cebu sent me the following historical materials that have to do with my great-greatgrandmother, Juana Lopez y Diosomito. The first report is dated 1896 and involves Juana buying two houses in Cebu City from Prudencio Sanson Camara (ancestor of Gavin). The second article below is dated 1901 and involves a real estate deal with Prudencio Sanson Camara once again. 

 This is the oldest historical document I have about any of my ancestors. I always thought Juan Lopez came from Naic, Cavite, but the documents below indicate she came from Tondo, Manila. The little I know about her came from my mother (Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra) and also from my aunt Lourdes Cuenco who had written saying Juana Lopez loved to dance. It was never spelled out who the father of her daughter Remedio Diosomito was, but there were some references of a Spanish Admiral - hmmm - 

 Aside from dancing, Juana was a sharp business woman, as we can well see from these documents that indicate she was investing in real estate. My mother said Juana bought houses and rented them out. Her daughter Remedios learned to do the same thing, and my granduncle (her son), Archibishop Jose Cuenco wrote in his autobiography that after his father died, Remedios supported her large family from these rentals. My own mother also learned to do this, and soon after my father died, my mother made daring investments in San Lorenzo and Bel Air villages in Makati, Manila. Mama said she went to Ayala and Mr. Fitch advised her not to be afraid to invest. Mama did: 3 lots in San Lorenzo and 5 in Bel Air. The photo shows Juana Lopez, seated right side, with Filomena Cuenco (standing), and Concepcion (child holding doll). The other child is Maria, a sister of my mother who died young. Here's another history trivia: President Sergio Osmena's father was a Sanson, not an Osmena. He was a love child and while the Osmenas and Sanson accepted this fact, at some point, it was the second wife of Sergio Osmena who didn't want this information to be public knowledge. In fact, many historians know about this. 

 --------------------------------------------------------- - 1896: Doña Juana Lopez Diosomito of Baybay, Leyte, purchased (for 3, 000 pesos, pacto de retro) two houses in Cebu City, one of mamposteria and solar on calle de Prim, facing the Plaza de General Loño, and the other of cal y canto and solar on calle de Prim, in the barrio of Maloco, from: Don Prudencio Sanson Camara, negociante, married, n and v* of Cebu City (Cebu Protocolos, Doc 11, 1/27/1896/1411: 74-77) * n and v represents natural and vecino, respectively - GSB 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Protocolo Cebu [or PC] 1424, No. 111, 26 Abril 1901, S52-S55 ... de una parte D. Prudencio Sanson Camara, mayor de edad, de estado casado, propietario y vecino de esta ciudad... Y de la otra D. Juan Niwel Sidebottom, natural de Manchester, "Ynglaterra," mayor de edad, de estado soltero, comerciante y vecino de esta poblacion en nombre y representacion de la Casa Smith Bell y Compania, en virtud del poder otorgado a su favor por D. Francisco Stuar Jones, socio gerente de la entidad mercantil colectiva Smith Bell y Compania... Primero: Que teniendo D. Prudencio Sanson Camara cuentas pendientes con los Senores Smith Bell y Compania de eta plaza, las cuales no es posible liquidar en este acto; para garantia de la espresada Sociedad por el alcance que pudiera tener a su favor al practicar la liquidacion definitiva, hipoteca [mortgage] las dos fincas siguientes: una casa de mamposteria con su correspondiente solar senalada con el No. 8 en la calle de Prim frente a la laza del General Lono de esta ciudad... mide 9 metros 20 centimetros de frente por 14 metros 80 centimetros de fondo: Segundo: una casa de cal y canto, con su solar correspondiente sita en el barrio de Maloco y en la calle de Prim de esta ciudad... dichas fincas las adquirio por retroventa de Dona Juana Lopez... Segundo: Las deslindadas fincas responderan siempre del saldo que contra el D. Prudencio Sanson Camara pueda resultar en la liquidacion definitiva que practique con los Senores Smith Bell y Compania, en los negocios que actualmente tiene con los mismos... PC 1424, No. 102, 22 Abril 1901, S16-S19B ... de una parte Dona Juana Lopez y Diosomito, mayor de edad de estado viuda, natural de Tondo Manila vecina de Baybay provincia de Leyte y con residencia en esta ciudad... Y de la otra D. Prudencio Sanson Camara de estado casado, mayor de edad, propietario y vecino de esta ciudad... Primero: Que por escritura otorgada en esta ciudad ante D. Joaquin Domenech y Costa Notario publico que fue de esta provincia en 27 Enero 1896, compro al D. Prudencio Sanson Camara las fincas siguientes: primero una casa de mamposteria con su correspondiente solar senalada con el No. 8 en la calle de Prim frente a la plaza del General Lono de esta ciudad... mide 9 metros 20 centimetros de frente por 14 metros 80 centimetros de fondo: segun de una casa de calicanto con su solar correspondiente sito en el barrio de Maloco y en la calle de Prim de esta ciudad... por precio de tres mil pesos, con la condicion de que si antes del 15 Julio 1897 le devolvia el vendedor dicha cantidad deberia otorgarle escritura de retroventa... Tercero: Y utilizando el derecho de redencion retrovende al D. Prudencio Sanson Camara las fincas deslindadas ... por el mismo precio de tres mil pesos... regards, gavin

SOME OLD BRAINARD PICTURES

Husband Lauren was given a bunch of old pictures and I've posted some of them. I never met Grandpa Mac (McKay), the father of Lauren's Mom. What I know about him was that he had a band and played several musical instruments. The musical gene carried through to Lauren's mother (Merwyn) who sings beautifully. The baby below is the baby picture of General Robert Francis Brainard, Lauren's father - interesting isn't it? - a general's baby picture. He was the only baby in his generation so he not only had doting parents (George Francis Brainard and Ella May Fuller) but aunts (Ines and Mary) and uncle (Jerry). Except for Merwyn, they're all gone. I knew the General, Grandma Dina (Ella May), Aunt Mary, Uncle Jerry and wife Tillie Robson - but didn't know Ines nor Grandpa Mac.

Time moves on - and as full as our lives seem to be, we're sometimes reduced to black and white pictures and only a handful of people will have some memories of us.


Here are some old photos of Lauren and his family!


Lauren and Larrie Brainard with Grandpa McKay

Robert Francis Brainard, as baby