The One Where I Was Flippin!

I love living in Pooler. Even though it's a small city, it's growth is evident all around--new stores, restaurants, and commercial and residential spaces. When we moved here almost two years ago, Ross had just opened and I had to drive 30 minutes if I want to go to the mall. Today, Tanger outlet is up and running, with H&M and Forever 21 slated to open next month. There's also a waterpark that opened last summer (although I haven't been there yet...nor will I. The idea of running into one of my students while in my swimsuit is not very appealing to me). I am not surprised when I learned that Pooler is considered as one of the fastest city in the state. 

But there are drawbacks to living in a developing city. Yesterday, for instance, our little crew trooped to the only Starbucks in Pooler. This particular Starbucks is jampacked with customer no matter what time of the day you come. While waiting for our order, I told Paul and Andrea that I am going to put up my own coffee shop just because the wait to get coffee at Starbucks Pooler is so terrible. And since we were on the topic of owning businesses, I also said that I will have my own shop where I will sell flipped furnitures. Paul then started coming up with crazy names to call our would-be furniture shop. He said he will call it Paul's, to which I said it has to be "catchy"...like Flippin' Lickin' Good. He sure thought I was the funniest person with that one. 

I was kidding with that ridiculous name, of course. However, the idea of flipping furnitures is rather appealing to me. Who knows? I might just have my own Flippin Lickin Good Furniture Store in the near future. Here's a project I am currently working on: 

I honestly do not know what to do with it yet. I just know that I hate it, but I would feel bad if I will throw it away. For certain I am going to paint it with I-don't-know-what color. The rain yesterday made me somewhat productive. I took the doors out of this night stand and sanded it.

A got a little bit of help from this guy. Too bad, he lost interest after sanding two doors:

Since this nightstand is made of laminate wood, I bought an adhesive primer. I am clueless in the hardware store so I just picked up the mid-range priced adhesive primer that I found. I didn't want to buy a cheap one for fear that I might not get the result that I wanted. Zinsser was priced at $9 at Walmart. Here's what the night stand looks like after a single coat of primer:

You might have noticed that I didn't prime the top. That's because I need to put some putty on that corner first since it had been scratched a lttle deep. All in all, I liked this primer. It was super adhesive! I am running to Home Depot tonight to get me some paints! 

The One About Seafoods

I learned in this life that there's always a first at everything. Tonight for instance, I waited a whole TWO hours to get seated at a seafood buffet in Darien, GA. Which sane person would do that? Obviously, I was crazy enough to wait that long, however I do have my reasons: 1) I was told by many locals that the restaurant is The Best seafood restaurant south of Georgia; 2) We drove 1.5 hours to come to this restaurant, so this chic ain't driving back another 1.5 hours without Darien shrimp in her belly, and 3) Darien is a small, sleepy town...I didn't have much of a choice, anyway.

And so my hungry little crew waited inside the car for two hours. 

I killed these 1.5 hours by reading two magazines. Jet and the kids watched 2 episodes of Leverage, thanks to unlimited LTE. After a while, I felt stuffy and bored, so I left the car and joined my fellow hungry patrons outside the little restaurant. I made quick friendship with a couple from New Jersey; our relationship forged by our common state of starvation. She did help justify my decision to stay and wait for a table by telling me that she had been to this restaurant once and the food was worth the wait. She then described to me how good the shrimps are, all the while inside I was yelling, "STOP TORTURING ME!"

Luckily, not long after that, my phone rang and I was informed that our table was ready. I was seriously feeling like giving everyone a high-five! I didn't of course, but the couple actually congratulated me for finally getting a table. It would have been funny if I wasn't so hungry.

Unfortunately, the dinner itself was anti-climatic. Despite the raving reviews, I was grandly disappointed. The boiled shrimp was bland, the breaded shrimp was heavy on grease, the fish was salty, and for a seafood buffet joint, the variety was lacking. Despite of these, every one around our table seemed to be in a festive mood. So, I left wondering, "Is it me or are these people just easy to please?"

In the end, I concluded that it was me.

I know because I grew up in the Philippines--the land of 7,107 islands (we Filipinos like to brag that the number is actually higher during low tide). Because of my country's proximity to the sea, I'd like to think that my tastebuds have been made somewhat superior in terms of eating seafoods. Admittedly, I grew up in the city, far away from the waters. But even so, seafood was not a big deal to me (or to any Filipino for that matter) because they were always available fresh and quite affordable at the nearest market. 

Let me talk about a few of my favorites...

1. Kinilaw na talaba (oysters ceviche)

Oysters are usually available in the wet market every Sunday morning. My brother turns these saltwater clams into one delicious ceviche by marinating them in vinegar and spices. This delicacy is a popular side dish among the manginginom (drunkards) because they said it goes well with beer. I don't drink so I don't know about that. I DO know that it costs $20+ to order a platter of fried oyster at Acme Oyster House in New Orleans, while even the regular Pinoy istambay can afford to feast on these anytime. Nasan ang hustisya?!

2. Curacha

My dad, from his trips to Mindanao, would bring home crabs the size of my FACE. I kid you not, these crabs are humongous and my face is, well...big. The southern Pinoys call this giant crab curacha (I thought that my dad only made up that name). My dad likes cooking them with miswa (very thin noodles) while I like them best when they're grilled. Often, my dad would bring lobsters along with these curacha. Look at my brother holding up these beauties:

So imagine my dismay when one time Jet and I went on a date at Red Lobster and we paid almost $30 for half a lobster tail. In fairness to Red Lobster, I did end up liking their dishes. But seriously, $30 for half a lobster tail, 6 pieces of shrimp, and a snow crab leg??

Speaking of crabs...

3. Alimango/Alimasag



We do not eat crab legs. I repeat. We do NOT eat crab legs.

Why eat just the legs when the whole crab is available for you to devour? The female crab is the best because they come with creamy roe, which is delish if not high in cholesterol. Anyway, out of these delicious momma crab is another food from the gods: crab paste.



My mother-in-law sent us two jars of crab paste, which I decided we would eat only when we're lonely. Because if anything, crab paste on steaming white rice will surely make one happy!

Since I mentioned my mother-in-law...

4. Talangka (a smaller type of crab)



I know they're not very appetizing to look at but these little babies are the bomb! My mother-in-law cooks these little crabs in salt. That's right, people. I honestly do not know how she does it, but the salted little crabs were kept in big jars for, I don't know, days maybe? She alone knows when is the right time to eat them. It's like the she has this special relationship with these crabs and they tell her when they're good to go because once they are served on the table, magic happens. I was skeptical to eat raw crab at first, but when my husband was able to convince me, I have never looked at these critters the same way again. 

So aside from oysters, lobsters, and crabs, there is also an abundance of fish in the Philippines. Bangus has got to be my favorite (until I went to Alaska and was introduced to halibut, red, and silver salmon). But in terms of variety, the Philippines, hands down has the most-- tamban, hito, tuna, lapu-lapu, and one million others (my dad is a fish aficionado so trust me when I say there's a lot of fish available in Manila). And then there are the dried fishes--tuyo, danggit, daing, tinapa... 

There's a place in Manila called Dampa Market that is frequented by both locals and tourists. At this place, you can shop for any seafood-- shrimp, mussels, crabs, lobsters, salmon, you name it.  After you pay, you give your shopping bag to a cook and you tell her/him how you want your seafoods cooked. You wait about 30 minutes, and then voila! Your dinner is ready. No two-hour wait for a bland seafood dinner. 

Can you really blame me if I am such a seafood snob? 

Disclaimer: Except for my brother"s photo, all other pictures I merely grabbed from Google Image. Please don't sue. Also, I love Louisiana crawfish :)