From Left to Right: Doris Rosen, ME, Peggy Yamada( new Resident) and Patty Healy
Becoming American( formerly Life in the United States & the Philippines-1960 to the Present)
This title change is inspired by Kulas (Kyle Jennermann) blog-Becoming Filipino.
WELCOME TO MY SITE AND HAVE A GOOD DAY
Monday, March 18, 2024
St Patricks Day Dinner- A Gastronomic Success
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Its Spring Time- Happy Hour Outdoor
The THD Court Yard in Bloom with Cyclamen and other Spring Flowers
Last Friday was the first this year that our Happy Hour was held outdoors. It was a perfect sunny day at 72F with no wind. It was also an advance celebration of St Patricks Day. Besides the standard hors d'oeuvre and drinks, We have special cocktail - The Mint Martini. It was served by our new bartender Tom. This was my first time to have this cocktail. It was delicious and plan on partaking it again.
When does spring begin? For some, it’s the second Sunday in March, when we turn our clocks forward by an hour in the United States. For others, it’s when they first realize they’ve finished dinner and it’s still light out, or when the first crocuses poke up through the snow. Is it when you can go outside without a jacket and not feel a chill? When you pack away the down bedding and down jackets for another year? In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox will officially take place this Tuesday, March 19, at 11:06 p.m. Eastern. The spring equinox is the time at which the sun crosses the plane of the equator towards the relevant hemisphere, making day and night of equal length.
I took some pictures of the flowers blooming in the THD Court Yard after the Happy Hour. I am delighted to share it with you.
Marsha Kefer, my Cha Cha Dance Partner in front of the Blooming Camelia after the Happy Hour.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
A Big Year for Cabbage- Kimchi and Caraflex
Found in my Inbox Recently from the New York Times-The World of Cabbage
In a world in which it’s hard for a vegetable to get a break, cabbage is winning.
Cabbage has been a global culinary workhorse for centuries. (China grows the most; Russia eats the most.) It has fed generations of American immigrants. But now, a vegetable that can make your house smell like a 19th-century tenement has become the darling of the culinary crowd. A purple ( red) Cabbage, a variety I loved.
In the words of my mother-in-law: Cabbage, who knew?
Like so many American food trends, fancy cabbage dishes first started turning up in restaurants on the coasts a few years ago. But they are fast spreading across the country. One chef has compared this cabbage mania to the hoopla over bacon in the 1990s.
In Denver, Sap Sua sprinkles a charred cabbage wedge with anchovy breadcrumbs. Cabbage is bathed in brown-butter hollandaise at Gigi’s Italian Kitchen in Atlanta. At Good Hot Fish in Asheville, N.C., shredded green cabbage stars in a pancake punched up with sorghum hot sauce.
For a story in The Times, I spoke with farmers, chefs and food critics and ate cabbage in three cities, seeking to understand how the vegetable earned this moment in the spotlight. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain what I found.
Kimchi and Caraflex💥
A cabbage dish at Chi Spacca in Los Angeles. Michelle Groskopf for The New York Times |
The trajectory of a food trend in the United States can sometimes be easy to trace. A French chef introduces the heavily salted butter caramels of Brittany to the elite of the American food world, pastry chefs at expensive restaurants start to play with the idea, and before you know it, you’re ordering a salted caramel cold brew from Dunkin’.
But tracking down Cabbage Zero, the one that started the current cruciferous renaissance, is not as easy as tipping a hat to Roy Choi for wrapping kimchi and bulgogi in a corn tortilla, thus kicking off the Korean taco craze.
Kimchi, whose main ingredient is cabbage, has helped the cause. Its meteoric rise among cooks and diners who weren’t raised in Korean households has been buoyed by the interest in all things fermented and gut-friendly (much to the chagrin of some purists, who hate what they refer to as “hipster kimchi”). There was even a spike in sauerkraut and kimchi sales when people thought fermented cabbage might ward off Covid.
Cabbage can also thank brussels sprouts, the gateway Brassica that worked its way onto menus after the chef David Chang started pan roasting it with bacon at Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2004.
None of this would be happening without farmers, of course. A decade or so ago, farmers who sell largely to restaurants began to grow more specialty cabbages, like the small, tender Caraflex, often called the conehead or arrowhead because of its pointy tip.
Chefs looking to create dishes for a new, plant-forward world discovered that coneheads looked gorgeous when quartered and sauced on a plate, and were easy to braise, roast or char.
The Ornamental Purple Cabbage in My Garden
The trend is still going strong. Leaves of purple cabbage are enlisted to swaddle mapo tofu at Poltergeist, the current culinary fascination in Los Angeles. At Superiority Burger in New York City, cabbage is gently enrobing sticky rice studded with tofu and braised mushrooms.
Of course, most of the cabbage Americans eat is still in the form of coleslaw or, to a lesser degree, sauerkraut. And the Department of Agriculture notes that the amount of cabbage Americans eat measured per capita is about six pounds. In 2000, it was closer to nine.
Still, among the food-forward, cabbage fever is rising.
“I think 2024 is going to be a really exciting year in cabbage,” the celebrity farmer Lee Jones, of the Chef’s Garden in Huron, Ohio, predicted.
💥It's Caraflex cabbage, a sweeter Bantam variety with lettuce-like crunch that has recently found favor among chefs and farmers alike. The immediately recognizable coneheaded cabbage tends to be harvested at just a pound or so, though these narrow romaine-heart-size heads can easily grow much larger.Continue reading the main story
Here's our St Patrick's Dinner Menu featuring Corned Beef and Cabbage with Boiled Potatoes, Carrots and Horseradish. Looking forward to the Pistachio ice cream for dessert ( 2 scopes). Enjoy Everyone!
Friday, March 15, 2024
New Residents, The Faroe Islands and St. Patrick's Day
Last month, I estimated that at least 8 new residents have moved to THD with only one or two have move out. I was the Greeter of Jay Pollack and also of John and Carol Larimore. Today, I see some new faces with names such as Len, Peggy, Linda, Sheila and Cheryl. My personal welcome to the New Residents!
I had breakfast with one of five mentioned new residents the other day. The new resident thought I have Chinese Ancestry. I was surprise, because for the last 9 months of my residency here I have been flaunting my Filipino heritage and ancestry.
Speaking of Filipino Heritage, this June will be Filipino Heritage Month. I have been lobbying our Activity Directors to schedule The Philippines in our Travel Adventure Series Taste of the Country for this June.
Last January we had Japan, February we had Italy, This Month of March we have Southern France. Next Month April we will have Taste of the Faroe Islands. What do you know about the Faroe Islands? I did some search, and here's what I learned.
The Faroe Islands is a self-governing archipelago, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, connected by road tunnels, ferries, causeways and bridges. Hikers and bird-watchers are drawn to the islands’ mountains, valleys and grassy heathland, and steep coastal cliffs that harbor thousands of seabirds.
The forgotten Faroes are just a short flight from the UK, yet they’re way off the standard traveller’s radar. Adrift in the frothing swells of the north Atlantic, this mysterious 18-piece jigsaw puzzle of islands is at once ancient and very modern. Multicoloured cottages and grass-roofed wooden churches add focus to the grandly stark, treeless moorlands. Timeless networks of cairn-marked footpaths crisscross craggy layer-cake mountains. But even the tiniest once-inaccessible hamlets are now linked by a remarkable series of road-tunnels. And even as you bob around the dramatic fjords on a 70-year-old wooden sloop, your mobile phone is never likely to lose its signal.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Thirteen Best Filipino Restaurants in San Francisco and in the East Bay
A few of my co-residents here at THD have inquired where they can enjoy Filipino Food after reading my blogs on the ten top ten filipino dishes. I have informed them of the fast food Filipino foods Pinoy Places ( informal) in Concord, Pittsburg, San Ramon and Pacheco and other East Bay Communities.
However, for a more formal setting, that is sit-down lunches and dinners, Here are the 13 best restaurants in San Francisco and East Bay.
https://sf.eater.com/maps/best-filipino-restaurants-food-san-francisco-bay-area-east-bay-oakland
I have not been to any one of the 13 restaurants listed recently, but I have patronized the Ima's Restaurant in Sea Food City, Concord. I love the cooking of Ima's -a turo- turo place inside the SeaFood City Mall in Concord ( across the Veranda Shopping Mall).
So if you are in the Concord Area try Ima's. There are other Pinoy Restaurants in the Mall- Jollibee, Grill City, Goldilocks ( a bakery) and a Grocery store. You can purchase any Filipino Goodies/Groceries in SeaFood City, Concord.
https://shopconcord.seafoodcity.com/
The FOB Kitchen in Oakland has been mentioned by Trip Adviser to be an excellent place for Filipino Food. Here's their menu for your information. You could order via DoorDash.
https://www.doordash.com/store/fob-kitchen-oakland-845590/
Meanwhile here are some photos of my favorite Pinoy Dishes of My Childhood Years
The Party or Fiesta Dishes are Lechon, Paella, Chicken and or Milk Fish Relleno and Leche flan for Dessert.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Some of the Most Beautiful English Words I Have Used in My Writings
Words That I used Daily in My Writings and Blogs
In my previous postings I wrote that I write simply. But once in a while I used beautiful words to spice-up some of my writings. Here's a few Beautiful English words I have used in my writings and their short meanings. At the botton of the page is the site for the best 60 beautiful English words from bestlifeonline,com
Here are some of the words I have used in my blogs.
1. Euphoria
Derived from the Greek word for healthy, the word euphoria is now used to describe intense excitement, happiness, or elation. A sense of euphoria may be the result of a fortunate turn of events or an indescribable personal high.
2. Felicity
This one's just another word for a state of happiness. For example, you might find yourself in a state of felicity the next time you're surrounded by people you love.
3. Infatuation
If you have a really strong desire to be near or know more about someone, you may have an infatuation. You can also use the term to describe your non-human obsession of the moment, whether it's a TV show or your new puppy.
4. Solitude
If you're an extrovert, solitude may not be ideal. But if you're an introvert, you'll probably enjoy and seek out solitude, or the act of being alone and away from society.
5. Tranquility
Hopefully, you'll achieve a state of tranquility on your next beach vacation. This is just another word for being free from agitation of mind or spirit.
6. Dulcet
This dainty word is another one that seems to describe exactly what it sounds like—which is anything that is generally pleasing.
You may have recently listened to particularly dulcet music or indulged in a dulcet chocolate cake.
7. Ethereal
This light and airy word might remind you of celestial bodies. Ethereal can refer to the upper regions of space as well as anything that is heavenly and unworldly seeming.
8. Incandescent
While the word incandescent is one way to talk about the electric lamps in your living room, it can also be used in reference to the brightness of someone's intellect or personality.
9. Luminous
If it's a diamond we're talking about, we may describe it as luminous. In this context, the word means "radiating or reflecting light; shining; bright," explains Dictionary.com.
But luminous can also mean well-lit, as in a luminous ballroom. And finally, you could describe something that's intellectually brilliant as luminous.
10. Demure
One of our favorite beautiful words, demure is used to describe any modest and reserved behavior. Etymologists believe it may have been derived from the Anglo-French verb demorer or demourer, which means "to linger."
11. Effervescent
Here's a clever new way to describe the bubbly can-do person around your office. Instead of merely calling them fun to be around, you could say they have an effervescent personality. That simply means they have an appealingly lively quality.
12. Elegance
Another word that sounds exactly the way it's defined, elegance is a quality of style and grace.
13. Eloquence
This word refers to persuasive expressiveness. Look out for eloquence the next time you're listening to a political debate.
Here's my Bonus Word for Today:
14. Petrichor (noun): The pleasant, earthy smell after a rain.
Example: Although I do love the pleasant, dewy petrichor of the post-rain afternoon, I still hope the weather stays sunny.
For Complete Details visit:
https://bestlifeonline.com/beautiful-words/
I having so Much Fun with English words this week. I hope you find this posting relevant and not too boring. Let me hear from you!
here are photos of Carenna Katague Thompson, my youngest grand daughter, I consider beautiful.