WQ 18: Try it, it's yummy!

This week's question is inspired by last week's: Pig Brains.

What were the worst or weird food (for you) that you have ever eaten? What were your reactions?

The weirdest food I have ever eaten is not balut (boiled fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo) nor dinuguan (pork blood stew). I eat those otherwise weird food mentioned like there's no tomorrow. Yes, I find the two delicious and they actually made it to my favorites list. You can now call me weird. :-)

Back to the question, the weirdest I ever had would be abu-os, or ant eggs from Ilocos. It's a seasonal delicacy gathered from the nest of winged ants in the mountain forest and are sauteed in oil and garlic. Some full-grown ants also made their way to the water-filled basin used to collect the eggs, and thus, to the sauteeing pan. Surprisingly, I found the full-grown ants more to my liking than the eggs. They're crunchy (which bugs are supposed to be)! Abu-os is said to be the forest's caviar.

My reaction? I was weirded out at first, but had my spoon ready. I told you, I'm gastronomically adventurous. If it doesn't poison me, I'll eat it. If it looks suspicious, I'll try it anyway. But I only had it once. Aside from it not being available locally, I don't think I'd like to have it that often.

What about you, what weird food have you tried?


PS: I intentionally did not include pictures for fear of grossing you out, if I haven't already. If you wish to be further educated, you can check out Google images. :-)


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WQ 17: Pig brains in my lasagna?

And you wonder why some makes stuff better than the rest ;-)

This week's question is about a story that Teacher Julie's friend has encountered one dinner get-together in a typical pinoy fashion. Her friend later discovered that instead of beef, the cook uses pig brain in the lasagna. Go read :-)

If I were in the situation, what will I do?

I am squeamish, that much I admit. But I am also gastronomically adventurous. I once had sisig where the cook admitted to adding pig's brain, and truth be told, it was the best fraking sisig I've ever tasted. Now, back to the question. What will I do if on my second plateful, I was candidly told I'm eating pig's brain instead of beef? I'd probably be shocked, albeit briefly, take another spoonful and reassess the taste, mindful that however exceptional this certain gastronomic experience is, I am eating something unconventional. Then, I'd make a bee-line to the cook, huddle her in the corner, and ask for a step by step instruction on how she came up with such tasty lasagna, pig's brain included.

But then again, I'm not a lasagna eater. I prefer the rest of the pasta family, but seldom lasagna. Chances are, if I were to make the lasagna at home, I'd probably just be loading it with lots of velveeta cheese to make up for the richness and creaminess of pig's brain. I don't think I'm that brave to literally pick brains out from a skull, even from a pig's.

Weekly Question: Nighttime Beauty Ritual

I have been wanting to join Teacher Julie's Weekly Question like 48 years ago. Then almost at the same time, my daily life got me so busy I never had the chance to do anything much online. This week, I just couldn't pass it up. I had to sit down and talk about.... ta-daaa.... nighttime beauty ritual!

What are your facial or beauty regimens that you do before you go to sleep?

I was not really that particular when taking care of my skin. Not a year ago, I didn't even bother with moisturizers. I felt like dipping my face with grease everytime I put on moisturizers. As long as I kept my face clean, I was at ease. Thank God I am at the oily side, the wrinkles kept at bay.

Then the reality of years piling up in my hips will undoubtedly show in my face. I had to face that fact before the physical evidence shows. I then hurriedly began my search for non-greasy moisturizers. I didn't know I was only being too lazy shopping anything for my face. There really were non-greasy moisturizers in the market, HA!

To keep my skin acne-free, I wash my face first, then put on moisturizers. To keep my skin soft and smooth, I exfoliate using Mary Kay products once a week, twice if I feel like it. Every other day, I cleanse with Clinique Pore Minimizer Thermal Active. The most important thing is that I moisturize twice a day, in the morning, and at night. It also helps that my moisturizer is 15 SPF. I couldn't imagine putting on moisturizer, then sunblock next.

For the rest of my skin, I exfoliate once a month, and moisturize everyday.