OR MAYBE DON'T ADD VINEGAR

It was a dream set in Southern California in which I was winning at mah jong. The game had gone on too long, as those things usually do, there had been food, and the place was near water. Sunset. West is that way. I need to catch a bus going back East. I have to leave!

I kept winning. The game continued.

It has been years since I played mah jong. Longer than I visited So. Cal.

The food was particularly good. Lumpia, pancit, binagoongan baboy, and green beans.
Plus rice. There had to be rice.

Many things Filippino take place near water.
It's often cooler there.


Binagoongan baboy is pork belly with shrimp paste, garlic, and vinegar. Often tomatoes are added to stew along, many people add a little sugar too. Garlic is essential, but onion isn't, though it's often added at the same time after browning the meat a little and before liquids are thrown in. Stew for an hour, classic. Salty, tangy, sweet, saucy. Manomnomnoman!

The kitchen needs ventilation, otherwise the entire building ends up smelling like that cheap flophouse on Mabini. Or the rickety covered market where inasal na manok was sold along with sinangag made with ginamos. Sarap nyan!

Sinangag: fried rice. Ginamos: Southern type bagoong dilis, fermented anchovy paste. Binagoongan: similar to pinatisan, but it's made with bagoong instead.
If doing pinatisan, huwag nang magdagdag ng suka.
A little squeeze of kalamansi, fine.


Inasal is strongly marinated grilled meat.
Usually chicken, large pieces.



It was far too early to think of food. I ascribe that dream to my apartment mate being up before me, in the kitchen cooking herself breakfast. And also eating too much chocolate yesterday, and the tea had during the late evening "pub crawl" (I don't drink alcohol).
Plus I think I was a little dehydrated.



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