My extraordinarily ordinary life!
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.
Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow.
Let reality be reality.
Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
Lao Tzu
Sometimes the old quotes grab you. They made a lot of sense in the old days. They make sense now. There is a certain timelessness in true wisdom and true insight.
Yesterday was a bit of a shock to the system.
I forgot my mobile phone at home!
Quelle horreur!
Ever since I got a mobile phone (gawd! nearly 20 years ago now!), I’ve very rarely forgotten it. I can count on one hand the times that I’ve forgotten the phone, and each time, I felt like I lost a limb (and in some situations, sometimes more than one major limb!). There is this crippling sort of fear that encompassed me each time. I think it had something to do with my control issues. I didn’t feel on top of things when I didn’t have my phone. I felt like my most convenient (and comfortable) method of communication was snatched away. I remember feeling the same way when I moved back home in the Philippines. Mobile phone contracts are different in the Philippines and 3G access isn’t built into the mobile phone plans so I didn’t have access to the internet in the same way I do here (24/7 unlimited connection to 3G and a pocket mifi gizmo is a necessary creature comfort to me!).
Yesterday, I went to London and discovered whilst I was on the train that I’d forgotten my phone. I desperately wanted to get off at the next stop and go back to my flat and get my beloved phone. I didn’t. And for the rest of journey into the Big Smoke I felt utterly bereft. I could feel the familiar stirrings of a panic attack beginning. I was going to LONDON without my phone. How was I going to survive?!? Now bearing in mind that I had my handbag (which contained my emergency pouch – lippy, emergency meds, hand cream, pressed powder, hand wipes and tissues!), my purse (debit and credit cards) and my trusty bridge camera, I was panicking about the situations when I might have to use my phone. Also, Alan was with me (with HIS mobile phone).
But yesterday, despite the heat and humidity (it reached 31°C in London!), was the most fun I’d had. Alan and I had actual conversations and I was actually in the moment, enjoying each experience. Yesterday ended up being one of the best days ever. Sometimes, accidents turn out to be the best things. Going off the grid, albeit inadvertently, was a good thing to do. Maybe I will be brave enough to do this again!
Adobo or adobar is the Spanish word for marinade, sauce or seasoning. I’ve heard references to adobo in several foodie shows now, which relate to a powdered seasoning that gets sprinkled on mostly Mexican- style or Spanish-influenced dishes. In the Philippines, however, the word adobo refers to a dish that is, arguably, the national dish of the Philippines. While adobo is a dish, it is called as such because it is a method of cooking: it is meat, vegetable or seafood marinated in soy sauce, vinegar and garlic, browned in oil and simmered in the marinade.
Before adobo was called adobo (prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonisers), our Filipino ancestors cooked food in vinegar, mostly to preserve the food and extend its shelf-life. Historically, the early Filipinos enjoyed a healthy trading relationship with the Chinese and as a result, soy sauce was incorporated into the cooking process. There isn’t really a set version of adobo because there are numerous versions of the basic recipe which, at its most basic, is vinegar, garlic and a salt alternative (most use soy sauce, but there are versions with just salt – which they say is closer to the original version of adobo, and some might even use patis or fish sauce), depending on the region in the country. I think it’s safe to say that each household has its own adobo recipe handed down in the family.
The adobo recipe that I’m sharing with you is my mum’s recipe. I’m not entirely sure who taught my mum how to cook adobo but it was probably an aunt or my granny. She didn’t measure her ingredients and cooked adobo by eye. When I moved to England, it was such a comfort to be able to cook adobo because the ingredients were readily available from the shops: all you needed was vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, a little sugar and a couple of bay leaves, well it’s probably a little more than that but those are the primary ingredients. I’ve written down a complete list below:
Adobo is a dish that requires preparation – but don’t let that scare you. All you need to “prepare” is to cut up the meat and grab a big enough zip lock bag (other brands of zip-seal bags are available, of course!) . Place all the ingredients in the bag and gently massage the pork through the bag (gently, of course as you don’t want the bag to get any holes!). Once this is done, marinate for at least an hour. The longer the pork sits in the marinade, the better.
Heat the oil in a stir-fry pan and add the meat pieces, making sure that you keep the marinating liquid. Brown the meat on all sides. Once the meat has browned, add the marinating liquid.
Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, the stock cube and water. Make sure that the stock cube and the sugar are dissolved well and make sure that all the meat are covered by the marinating liquid. Add the bay leaves and cook for about 30-45 minutes or until the fat (if cooking pork) has rendered a little bit.
Everyone has their little tricks to cooking their adobo. Mine is to keep the lid on and keep the pot over the hot plate (if you’re using an electric stove, or over the ring, if you’re using a gas range) for 5 to 10 minutes without lifting the lid.
Serve over boiled rice or garlic fried rice with (or without) the vegetable of your choice!
To all the beautiful women I am privileged to call friend, today I celebrate you all. I could not get through this thing we call life without you!
Yellywelly 