Barbara’s last hoora

Gone were the days of family reunions, big get-togethers, and BBQ’s. In today’s bustling world when families are located miles away, its good to know a good friend is always a floor or two away. At least this was the case with B. Its hard,especially in an Asian country to be accepted, acknowledged, or even recognised. However, if one looks at this picture one can clearly see B. was part of the family. This family, the Lee’s welcomed her with open arms and we thank them for their hospitality. Seated are Father Arnold (the priest who married us the second time round), B. and Julian Carmona (a retired businessman). Behind B. is Mrs. Lee, the host of the event and to the left in the blue striped shirt is B.’s friend Ana. We thank them all.

While G. & O. were sitting at home sipping Yogi tea, B. was whisked away (not literally ofcourse)to the “Summer Palace”in the Shangri-La Hotel in Quezon City. The place is quite swank and as expected Chinese food was the main course. Lots of fun was had by all and while B. is a vegetarian, there was plenty to go around. The whole family really enjoyed themsleves but most of all we’d just like to say, THANKS!

Did we get any “patkos”? Nope, but then again Oli and I still had memories of our great Mario Batali dishes we cooked the night before. YUM,YUM.

Mario Batali & feet

In August 2003 when we first came to Manila, Philippines O. and I were bored stark. We didn’t know what to do or watch but that all changed when we discovered the “Lifestyle” channel. Basically, it is a cooking and lifestyle channel that prides itself on good programming for the discerning chef and interior designer. Ofcourse, apart from our designing skills O. & I consider ourselves to be great cooks (that’s cooks not chefs). You see, we figure if Rachel Ray can do it we can do it too (wait for our video cooking classes in future under the video tab on our web site). But Rachel is another story cause we’re focused on our favorite chef Mario Batali. Mario, first caught our eye when we watched “Molto Mario”, then “Mario Eats Italy”, and lastly Ciao America. We really learned alot so much so that I cooked a few dishes for O. – great stuff,right? We even bought one of his cook books.Don’t ask which one but we have tried some of the recipes with a good bit of success. If you want Italian I highly recommend it.

The icing on the cake (excuse the pun) came when we decided to go orange on our trip. There was no other choice but to get a pair of Batali “crocs”. These crocs are primarily used in the kitchen but we diecided to go adventure trekking with them. I must say its a wise choice as I heard that you now have to take off your shoes at the airport. The “Batali” crocs do provide stabilityand comfort and that’s why we three gypsies are going orange. All I can say they are pretty sexy too and give us the travel edge.

So if you can’t cook not to worry, the shoes will make you a chef and then you’ll be surprised what you can concoct. Mostly Italian actually, but then we are olive oil lovers (extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest – well that’s at least what I heard). So cook,wear, and enjoy!