Nicquee's Nook

Two in a Row

Hi Everyone,

How are you? I have been unable to blog since early this year and I know you have read here many times my desire to get back my writing mojo. It is kind of frustrating actually, wanting to write but unable to start because I always get stuck somewhere like editing photos for my posts then I just get lost. I have not even posted anything about my first grader’s back to school adventure. *sigh*

Honestly, I am still in the process of establishing our daily routine from various changes: we have moved to our very own home and Ate Alex is now in the morning class. Moving homes is a very rewarding and tiring task all at the same time. We just finished cleaning up two weeks ago. And when we thought our third week is already free, we were struck with bad news.

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When Whistling Becomes Annoying

Call me sensitive or whatever, I do not care.

Whistling, for me is a talent. Not everyone can call the wind through their mouth. Or if one can do that, maybe that is the best they can go, just like me. And so I am in awe when I hear people do the sexy whistle *woot woot*. I am even more amaze by people who can whistle to various tunes like songs. It is like those instrumental music.

But when whistling is done when someone is still sleeping, I find it rude. I do not find the whistling to the tune of a love song lovely. I find it noisy. And what sucks more, you cannot tell the person whistling to stop and he does not because for that person, he is not doing any harm. But for me, he is interrupting sleep, but then again, it is probably just me.

I Hate Repeating Viands

In Filipino, a food that is reheated more than once is jokingly called pangat, pwedeng pangatlo, pang-apat, etc.

I was raised to value whatever food it is on the table. My mom never cooked stuff she thought we may not eat to prevent them from going to trash, which is why there are some dishes that I only appreciate now. When we were older, we would ask each other who will eat and who will not. This allows us to cook just enough because all of us hate repeating the same viand.

Since I was raised like this, I had to adjust big time when I moved in with my husband. My MIL is our main cook (because either she works really early or I work really late for them or I need practice in the kitchen arena. Anyway, I think it was their habit to cook a lot that sometimes, she cooks a whole kilo of something in a day, pork, beef, or chicken, in JUST one viand. If that viand does not include vegetables, she will whip up another viand.

There are five adults and two kids in our home most of the time. We all eat just right. If we cook a half kilo of pork adobo for lunch, the remaining will be enough for dinner, we have the option to simply add a vegetable viand. You get the picture of our dining table?

The thing is, sometimes they will cook a lot of one viand then they will not eat it. They either cook something for snacks that will keep them full until dinner and/or that will be their dinner, or they will cook something else entirely. So what are we suppose to do with the remaining food, refrigerate and consume again the next day? If we keep on doing that, we will end up having piles of food keepers on the refrigerator.

Other than leaving no space to our ref, this habit sort of presents too many choices for the kids. If all viands cooked are of equal nutrition then well and good. But what if the other is not as healthy as the other, what will I do if the kids choose the viand that is less healthy than the other?

I have tried making a weekly menu but like I previously said, I either work very late for them or they are not used to not cooking or I need to work more on my skills or they will look from something that is not on the menu. It is a failed attempt at this point but I am determined to do this. I will cook for the kids and for everyone else.

The image of kids on the streets with nothing to eat keeps on flashing in my mind whenever I see lots of excess food. I pray that time of famine will never come to my family because of this.