The "stuff" Ryan said we ate...

Ryan and I have had an array of foods, which were savory, salty, hardy, meaty, and garlicy.  The aromas and spices combined into delicious delicacies that tickled our palet.  The methods of cooking were similar to Chinese and Polynesian styles.  Delectable at that!  Remedios wanted Ry and I to experience the real Philippines.  Our first meal was a dish of noodles called Pansit Canton, (Canton for it's Chinese touch).  The dish had carrots, mushroom fungus, slices of liver, and chicken.  All were combined with a hint of boullion or powdered chicken broth.  We were also given a glass of coke each.  She pulled out the ice cubes, huge red flags, but we were desperate for a cold drink.  There was also a large canister of fresh distilled mineral water.  Remedios pulled out a bowl of cold rice to eat and toasted Pandisal buns, which are like sweet breads.  The meal satisfied our stomachs.  "I am now going to prepare the fish, sweet and sour style, Norma, cut the ginger!"  Astonished and shocked that we had just eaten a large meal, I thought that she was preparing dinner early.  Little did we know, she was preparing lunch, even though we thought lunch was finished.  It was now 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. 

Ry and I decided to take a long nap, a couple of hours later Remedios came knocking on our door.  "Food is ready Uilani."  Groggy and jet lagged I managed to pull myself out of bed, leaving Ryan behind.  His digestive track was struggling.  On the dining table was a plethora of colorful dishware and scrumptious serving platters full of unique foods.  A deep-fried fish covered in sweet and sour brown gravy, carrots, and cabbage, a fish ball soup called "soup" by Remedios, no special Filipino name, which had carrots, cauliflower, and bits of pork.  The soup was made from the cloudy water after rinsing rice, chicken boulion, and patis (fish sauce). The broth was exceptional with rice.  There were also freshly cut Carabao or Filipino mango and green Indian mango that could be eaten with salt.  I exchanged valuable cuisine conversation with Remedios and Norma.  It was fascinating the similarities and of course the differences.  Ingredients were similar, yet preparation different.  After lunch we preceded to the garden area where there were very similar plants that are found in Hawaii.  Bread fruit, two varieties of taro (gabi in Tagalog), papaya, banana, a kalamungai tree (leaves used to make soup), mango, and of course tomatoes, egg plant and bitter melon.  There was also a weed used for soup and medicine.  Similar to Hawaiian la'au lapa'au (medicinal herbs).

After a garden tour, Remedios expressed what to eat for supper.  She insisted she would prepare fried chicken, a Japanese seaweed dish wrapped with pork, steamed taro leaves in coconut milk, and halohalo (Filipino shaved ice).  I was thoroughly full, Ry of which by this time had a little soup, and so I begged her to make these special foods for breakfast the next day.  She did, plus a little more.  For breakfast we had an egg omlette with chopped onions and sweet tomatoes, fried chicken covered in sweet soy sauce (I guess like teriyaki), hot Pandesal buns, tiny seaweeds wrapped in slices of pork braised in sweet soy sauce, and a wrapped tofu sausage thing with pork, noodles, and carrots.  She also pulled out of a cereal box, individually wrapped banana leaves that covered a mochi like food with black bean called "Two-Pic."  "I just picked these up too right down the street from here.  Usually they throw in a ton of vegetables, but I only got two tomatoes."  And that is the "stuff" we ate!