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Lunch-over
Sunday, May 17, 2009
After one year and eight months on the job, it’s my first time to have lunch-over with some of my colleagues, IV, JM, RC and DD.
While trying to coordinate some issues at work with IV, I did not notice that it is already past noon. It was IV who invited me to join them for lunch at her office. She’s bragging and wanted to share her cooking, green bean sauté with bitter gourd and seasoned with fish sauce. Being an expat, you miss home cooked local cuisine such as “ginisang monggo at ampalaya” matching with a crunchy sweet “dilis” (dried anchovies) that IV packed for lunch.
I hurried back to my office and took my lunch to have it over at IV’s office. We were joined by JM, DD and RC. IV and DD bring their own lunch while the rest of us are catered by our company cook.
Funny enough, our cook is not a cook. Guess what … he is an electrician. So you would not be surprised how many complains about the menu, remember my post chicken all the way, not to mention the cooking. I am not complaining but just wondering if he is really cooking or electrocuting.
DD’s packed lunch is cheesy hotdog and fried dried squid, more like a breakfast huh!
Over lunch, cliché as might have been, we’re discussing about our local home recipes that we miss back home. Some variation of the “ginisang monggo”, Tagalong version, Kapampangan version and Ilocano version. I learned something today, the 2 variations of the Kapampangan version. First is the variation of the celery instead of the usual bitter gourd. Second is the variation where you blend the “monggo” to almost a puree. Must be yummy and I can’t wait to try it at home.
The discussion has shifted to dried fish, a famous product from the Ilocandia and the Visayan region. You’ll never get enough of dried fish once you’ve tried, you would definitely asking for more. Specially the dried young belt fish, thinly butterfly-sliced. But those who are not from these regions doesn’t know the process of fish drying, the old fashion way, which is still wide practiced.
Ohh-ohh!! DD just learned it today and she’s offering now her one kilogram dried squid she asked our colleague to buy for her, and yes for free. Any takers??
Anyway, I enjoyed having lunch-over with my colleagues for the first time.
While trying to coordinate some issues at work with IV, I did not notice that it is already past noon. It was IV who invited me to join them for lunch at her office. She’s bragging and wanted to share her cooking, green bean sauté with bitter gourd and seasoned with fish sauce. Being an expat, you miss home cooked local cuisine such as “ginisang monggo at ampalaya” matching with a crunchy sweet “dilis” (dried anchovies) that IV packed for lunch.
I hurried back to my office and took my lunch to have it over at IV’s office. We were joined by JM, DD and RC. IV and DD bring their own lunch while the rest of us are catered by our company cook.
Funny enough, our cook is not a cook. Guess what … he is an electrician. So you would not be surprised how many complains about the menu, remember my post chicken all the way, not to mention the cooking. I am not complaining but just wondering if he is really cooking or electrocuting.
DD’s packed lunch is cheesy hotdog and fried dried squid, more like a breakfast huh!
Over lunch, cliché as might have been, we’re discussing about our local home recipes that we miss back home. Some variation of the “ginisang monggo”, Tagalong version, Kapampangan version and Ilocano version. I learned something today, the 2 variations of the Kapampangan version. First is the variation of the celery instead of the usual bitter gourd. Second is the variation where you blend the “monggo” to almost a puree. Must be yummy and I can’t wait to try it at home.
The discussion has shifted to dried fish, a famous product from the Ilocandia and the Visayan region. You’ll never get enough of dried fish once you’ve tried, you would definitely asking for more. Specially the dried young belt fish, thinly butterfly-sliced. But those who are not from these regions doesn’t know the process of fish drying, the old fashion way, which is still wide practiced.
Ohh-ohh!! DD just learned it today and she’s offering now her one kilogram dried squid she asked our colleague to buy for her, and yes for free. Any takers??
Anyway, I enjoyed having lunch-over with my colleagues for the first time.
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