Work today was much better... and quicker.
Filipinos have this odd habit of saying "yes" by simply raising both their eyebrows without making a sound. I'm not the biggest practitioner of eye contact, so when I ask a question and am met with silence, it's a bit annoying. However, since I've learned that Filipinos are doing this, I've watched a little closer. I've even tried doing it myself with humorous results: It seems if you make the expression in earnest, instead of as a casual off-handed expression, it kind of illustrates to people who do it regularly that it is actually a bit silly.
Susan made spaghetti for lunch. I miss my old Prego spaghetti sauce with mushrooms, but the new, sweeter Heinz sauce is okay too in its own way.
Spooks Friday Night Family Expatriate
Buffet is a good place to socialize.
Beers are a dollar.In the evening, it was out to Spooks Friday Night Family Buffet. Epril and I got there too late for food, which is fine. We go there to socialize, not eat. Pretty much all of the friends I've made in Cagayan were there (except my friend Tom, who seems to have disappeared) and I had a good time chatting. I also met a guy named Gary from Ireland, and a fellow named Mike from Minnesota.
It seems that I'm going to have to adjust my facial hair to mustache only, since that is the style in Cagayan. Actually, the only people on earth who wear mustaches as their only facial hair anymore are Americans and Germans. Everyone else either throws in some sort of beard, or shaves completely.
The Philippine Army has a base
at the Cagayan Airport, and they
do regular patrols of the area.After Spooks, it was off to Racks where I shot pool. I was eventually joined by Don from St. Louis, and Mike and Marissa Turner. Epril was joined by Susan and Ednil who came down off the hill to have a wander around the night market. I gave Epril 500 pisos, and she bought herself 2 shirts and Susan a shirt as well... and still had 200 pisos left over. That's about $2.50 per shirt. Mike, Don, and I shot pool and drank beer while the girls shopped. We all were home by 11:00.
Oh... by the way: I've got the best landlord in the world. Betcha didn't know that.
3 comments:
Hi Jil - I'm Steve from Minnesota. I've been reading your blog since you were located in Pattaya. If you get a chance, ask Mike what part of MN he is from and what he did for work. It's cool to have a common bond with people, esp those who are expats and living overseas. I appreciate people with a sense of adventure. Cheers.
Good idea; facial hair while living in the tropics isn't the best of ideas.
I am anxious to see the 'new' Jil without that beard and mustache.
Holy Hell!!! I gotta pipe up on this one, PREGO and Heinz!!!
Get your self 2 cans of Tomato Pure’ (Net Grocer has it if you can’t get it in PI)
1 onion, a little smaller then a baseball. Some garlic enough to smell it when the sauce is simmering. Some sweet basil, salt, ½ can of red wine, ½ can of H2O (use the pure’ can as a measure) Don’t put oregano in the sauce, that’s for pizza sauce, this is not pizza sauce, its spaghetti sauce. Get some Italian sausage (if you cant get Italian sausage put some pork chops in the sauce) PORK IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR A GOOD SAUCE. (The sausage should have fennel seed in it). If you like mushrooms, put them in also.
Now for the meat balls, Chop meat (How ever much you want), Mix an egg in with the meat, some Italian bread crumbs, mix some bread crumbs with the meat, get a bowl of water, grab a chunk of meat, dip it in the water, roll it between your hands to make a ball and drop it in the sauce.(You should already have the sauce at a boil when you start dropping the meat in, stir it up before you drop the meat in so it don’t start sticking to the bottom of the pot) After you get all the meat in let that all low boil for about a half hour then bring it down to a simmer for about 4 hours, scoop the oil out from the meat while its being cooked in the sauce. After about the third hour take the lid and slid it half way off to let some steam out and thicken the sauce to your liking. Oh yea, put a red potato in the sauce, the starch cancel’s out the acid in the tomato sauce so you don’t get heartburn (That’s why some put sugar in sauce, I HATE sugar in sauce, its un-Italian).Throw it out after the sauce is finished. Cook the sauce 4 ~5 hours, you can freeze some for use later.
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