Second Deadly Sin: GULA

ON the phone at 7:00 pm tonight, Dan asked me in the middle of his bench presses what I made for dinner.

Proudly, I said,"Mamili ka: ginataang alimasag, ginataang sitaw at kalabasa, hinalabos na hipon o tahong. (Take your pick: crabs in coconut milk, string beans and squash in coconut milk, pan-fried shrimps ot mussels.)"

"Wow!", he exclaimed. That was all he said. He didn't even pick.

Ginataang Alimasag

Crabs slow-cooked for three hours in coconut milk, pre-simmered for 30 minutes with lots of garlic and ginger, fish sauce, a bit of ground turmeric, cumin seeds and crushed siling labuyo.

Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa

The traditional lola's dish with a generous helping fo pork belly --- tenderized to perfection; and a dash of ground dried chili.

Hinalabos Na Hipon

Arabian Shrimps --- fat and juicy --- pan-fried and served with a burning-hot dip of patis, lemon and crushed siling labuyo and garlic kangkong on the side, with a few drops of bagoong balayan.

Tahong

Fresh large mussels simmered in bouillabaise-inspired soup base with ginger, garlic, basil, mint, marjoram and a little bit of patis to give it an authentic Asian flavor.

One would think Dan and I had invited guests for dinner. Truth is, we didn't. That dinner was just for the two of us. I might have already mentioned in the past that eating is one of the activities that Dan, Chris (but he wasn't here tonight, so he's absolved) and I love doing together the most. What I failed to mention though, is that we do have gluttonous tendencies.

*Burp*

Dan and me in one of the gazillion pig-outs we've had over the past 2+ years