Mum on a holiday...

Mum is leaving tonight for a two-week short holiday in Manila. Lucky!

I won't be going. With school and my new job, I just can't find the time to go. It's a pity really, considering I haven't been back for 4 years. Arnie and I were actually thinking about spending Christmas there this year so that he can finally meet my family but no cigar. He started a new job and won't be able to take any leave until after 12 months! It sucks!

Aside from family and friends whom I really want to see and spend time with, there is one other thing that I really, really miss in the Philippines...

FOOD!

As much as the food here in Oz is nothing to sneeze at and the variety is rather extensive, there are specific delicacies and specialties that you can find only in the PI. Here's a list of things I want to pig out on:

Maki. Chinese dish that I always ate in Ongpin. My mum can make it but for some reason cannot completely copy the way this dish is cooked in that small hole in the wall restaurant. The thickness of the soup and the tenderness of the pork is heaven!

Machang. Another Chinese dish from the same Ongpin resto. They do sell something similar here in Melbourne, specifically in Box Hill Centro, but it's not the same. Sticky brown rice with tender pork and chicken, smothered in Chinese hot sauce. Yummy!

Ensaymada. Super melt to be precise! Damn! Why can't Australia allow products with dairy into the country? Argh! Will probably convince mum to stuff a couple into her bra... hahahahaha!

Red Ribbon Brownies. I've already asked my mum to buy me a box! Hehehehe!

Tulya. The most simple of dishes. Pour boiling water on it, let the shells open, drain out the water, drizzle some fish sauce and heaps of calamansi juice. Heaven!

Lansones. Just so happens that my mum is going back in time for the season. Lucky!

Tikoy. Okay, so my Chinese side is screaming. There is tikoy here, but not in the same way the PI sell it. Big, chunky, and cheap! I'll try and get mum to buy me a box... hehehe!

My Lola's fried chicken and Kare-kare. Nothing beats my lola's home cooking. Nothing at all.

Luk Yuen's Halo-Halo Congee. My God, just thinking about this dish is making me very hungry!

Jolibee Palabok and Spaghetti. Hahaha! Miss ko na yung Filipino-style spag :)

Hen Lin's siomai and Samurai balls. Halata bang maller back home akish? :p

Anything Icebergs. Halo-Halo, Parfait, Banana Split, Mais Con Yelo... the memories of people I went with to that little nook in Greenhills is enough to make me smile.

The little Taco stand in Greehills Shopping Center. I don't know if this place still exists, but when I was a young high school student in OBMC my friends and I used to visit this place and pay a measly P15 for a yummy taco treat! I liked mine with heaps of cheese and hot sauce and then guzzle down a large glass of chinese gulaman juice from one of the many stalls that sell it in the center. Yum!

That little carinderia next to DLSU Gokongwei building. Fellow LaSallians, you probably remember their Sisig? OMG! Sarap!

Saisaki. Probably not the best Japanese restaurant around, but where else can you get eat-all-you-can buffet including California Maki for a measly $10? And instead of putting Avocado like how they serve it in Oz, it's PI Mangoes! Yum!

Auntie Anne's. Bakit wala nito sa Oz? Isn't this an International Franchise? I miss their pretzels!

Balut and Taho. Being sold in the streets, sometimes directly to your home. Yummy!

It's a wonder I'm not terribly obese considering how much I love my food.

Oh well mum, i-kain mo na lang ako.

Ingats sa biyahe.

PS. Pardon the "taglish" delivery of my post. Considering I am not a big fan of this method, I really shouldn't use it. I do not plan to make a habit of this, it's just that I'm feeling rather lazy today. Have a great weekend!