Ron Paul's Wife's Cookbook

Ron Paul has been married to his wife for 55 years. It won't be a surprise if his wife's cooking has something to do with that. In the books below are some of the recipes his wife, Carol, has been sharing to their family and friends. 

 

Amazon links to Ron Paul's Wife's Cookbooks

It's not really a big surprise that the 2012 and the 2009 publications are out of stock in Amazon. Ron Paul supporters tend to be overly supportive and enthusiastic. Of course, buying the book has always had some sort of contribution to the cause of liberty as well. Also, Ron Paul remains pretty strong and very sharp up to now regardless of his age and I'm sure that his diet has something to do with it as well. This makes me very intrigued about what kind of recipes can be found in these cookbooks.

I'm not even an American citizen and I'm like halfway around the world and yet I've been a Ron Paul supporter since the 2008 US presidential elections (see Ron Paul Supporters are All Over the World). Since then I've learned so much more about libertarian political philosophy. I figured that since I have a food blog, I should promote Ron Paul's wife's cookbook here.

If you want to learn more about libertarianism and get updates on Ron Paul you should check out my other blog HarryLeaks.

I've actually been getting a lot more views over at that blog and since I do earn a humble amount from blogging, I tend to see revenue as indicators of where I should focus more. It's true that more revenue from a blog means more readers. I guess this shows that I'm somehow doing something right in that blog. 

I Cooked Pork Sinigang

Cooking the classic sinigang na baboy or pork sinigang isn't really much of a challenge especially since there's a readily available sinigang mix and you don't really have to prepare it from scratch.

So one of the secrets really is how tender your meat is. I actually boiled pork ribs in moderate heat for several hours. Ribs have a lot of dark meat which can really be so yummy if made tender.

I added salt, the sinigang mix, tomatoes, onions, and radish. 

Then, I added the greens, particularly kangkong and green peppers or chilis (siling panigang). I personally like my sinigang on the spicy side.

Finally, I added the sili cooked in my sinigang to fish sauce (patis) for a really ultimate sauce that will harmonize with the sour broth and the tender meat.

It's actually really good, what I prepared. There's actually some leftovers on the fridge that I'm looking forward to eating in a while.

Follow @harryinitiative for more updates (also, I use the same username in Instagram). 

Perfect Music for Eating and Cooking

Since it was raining and much colder than usual, I decided to cook outside (we have a gas stove outside and the electric stove inside). I thought about listening to London in the Rain by Variety Lab (lounge-ish music is perfect for cooking and eating, in my opinion) but decided to just play the whole playlist of Hotel Costes Volume 4 so I could continue listening when it was time to eat what I cooked.

Yup, an hour long of music perfect for cooking and eating. The music can really change your mood while cooking and it's important to point out that one's mood is an important ingredient that can make or break a dish. I guess I just really wanted to share this because it really made me feel great while cooking (plus the rain of course!).
There's actually so much to blog about that's long overdue. I've been exposed to so many lovely dishes and recipes that are really worth mentioning in this blog. Soon, maybe. For now, I just share some chill and steady tunes. :)

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Grilled Tuna — Why I like Tuna Panga (jaw) more than Tuna Belly

A few days ago, I got a chance to hang out in Tiendesitas after my friend's game in Pasig. It's really such a fun place full of cheap deals on random things and a variety of good food. At first, I wanted to eat Bagnet but then I saw the grilled tuna place and realized I haven't had it in so long and of course it's so much healthier. I used to eat this all the time during my internship in the SM right beside the bus station place in Ayala and I actually missed it so I decided to have some again.

For 149 pesos, Davao Tuna Grill offers you a big chunk of Tuna Panga, a side dish of green mangoes with bagoong, and, of course, everyone's all-time favorite libreng sabaw!

Most people think that belly is better (it's actually the same price) but personally I prefer the panga. I think most people think they like the belly because of their experience with eating bangus and I would agree that the fatty part of the belly is so yummy. It's just that the jaw comes with this really rich dark meat that's somewhat surrounded by this jelly-like substance (I'm assuming it's similar to the tendon in beefs because the panga is very near the bone). It's really crazy and I can't even explain it in words. And just when you think your portion is out, you can just turn it over for more! This order can probably serve two people (if you're not like me who's always hungry for more).

There was one misunderstanding though, because I wanted my tuna to be very rare and yet they served it quite well-done. The problem is they store their fish, in my experience at least, alreay half-grilled, I think, making my request an impossibility. Hey, I can't complain cause it is fast food after all. 

The one in Makati also served this weird fishy barbecue sauce of some sort. They must have forgotten to give me some because I was seated so far that they actually had to send a guy with me to bring the food so that they'll know where to get the soup bowl I used.

That drink on the red cup is this fruit shake called "summer detox" by the way. How fitting. It's this ice cold fruit shake concoction of mango, orange, and peaches or something like that (I'm not really sure but it was really good!). It was so perfect with my grilled tuna and the burning hot summer afternoon (there's no air-conditioning in Tiendesitas).

I think the only conclusion I can gather from all of this is that canned tuna is a joke. I mean, it does the job but I don't think it could ever be deserving of being called tuna.

I apologize once again for the photo quality. I'm actually just using Instagram on my phone to store memories of the food I eat. I know this blog could be so much better if I can only use my prime lenses since I know many prefer looking at food over reading about it.

Anyway, I want to go to Davao to eat tuna. Tara!

Hapadog vs Ministop Bicol Express — the only two things I ate yesterday

So I went to the Taking Back Sunday concert yesterday. I'll actually be blogging so many things about it soon including my thoughts on Typecast, the super awesome performance of TBS, and the disadvantages of being in front sound-wise. But that might be long and I'll do it as soon as I'm not lazy. I figured I'll start with something light and talk about the food I ate yesterday. Hapadog (the "japanese style" hotdogs) and Ministop's Bicol express are the only two things I ate, actually, and everything else I consumed was just alcohol. I don't really have pictures so you have to use your imagination for this one.

Hapadog has always been intriguing. A bunch of friends have been giving me testimonials about how good it is. I've seen it before in Mercato and more recently in the newest building of Alabang Town Center. And so I was drinking with my friends as we were waiting for our tickets from Cash Cash Pinoy to arrive. The place we drank in was right across the Hapadog place so I figured I'll try it out cos I've never tried it anyway. I got this one called temptation or something like that for 175 pesos. It was a tempura hotdog of some sort. It was actually pretty good. I just think it's so overpriced.

This is where the "willingness to pay" of the consumer or the difference between worth and cost comes into play. I mean, I would have willingly and wholeheartedly paid around the same price and got Bon Chon chicken wings instead. For Hapadog, it tastes good, but I personally just didn't find it worth the cost. This is my own personal preference. I haven't tried anything else from their menu but then the first impression wasn't really that good. We actually saw John Nolan walking around in the same area and we got a photo with him. Again, something I'll post when I write about TBS in Manila as soon as I'm not lazy.

After that, we decided to drink some more and have some Slurpee rum while on the line, a technique I learned from a friend. Not only is your drinking concealed, the taste of the alcohol is also masked by the sweetness and coldness of the Slurpee. It's actually really good.

Then after the amazing performance, we were so tired that we decided to head back south. We were supposed to drink with a bunch of friends but then we were so tired and so we just decided to eat in Ministop.

My friend recommended the Bicol express. I do trust his recommendation because I learned about Ministop chicken from him (this was the time when I didn't even have Ministop outside my village yet). Not only does he eat in Ministop all the time, we actually almost got banned from one. It's a long story and we really didn't do anything wrong. It was just a manager having a bad day, I guess.

I love spicy food and I love coconut milk. That being said, obviously I love Bicol express. I actually hate it that in our region in Asia, our cuisine has the least spicy recipes, Bicol being one of the only regions that actually love spicy food.

I've always been wary of the rice toppings they sold in paper cups. I mean, it's only 49 pesos so I do expect that the serving will be very small. Surprisingly, it was a full cup of rice with a lot of sauce and meat. I don't know if this varies per branch, but the one outside my village is very generous with the Bicol express servings. Although it won't really fill me up, I could probably have two orders or get something else like fried chicken or any of their other rice topping meals. For a fraction of the price, I felt that I was more satisfied with the Bicol express. But of course, I was aslo tired and hungry. And they do say that hunger is the best sauce.

I'm actually resisting the urge to go to Ministop right now and get one.

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Check out my other blogs:
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Harry's Ultimate Easter Sunday Apollo 13 Style Shiitake Beef Burger

I live in a household that really practices the holy week traditions. All meats, for instance, just randomly disappear come Holy Thursday. They vanish into thin air. It's like meat rapture, really.

Shiitake Happens

If the only tool you have is a hammer then treat everything as if it is a nail. I've been overusing that line a lot, really. I think it was Maslow who said that. That's where I got the idea of Apollo 13 style because most of the ingredients I use for this recipe are used not by choice but by chance. I work with what I have. I feel that this forces me to be creative and imaginative; unafraid to go against conventions and try new things. It's like what they say: Shiitake happens.

Thaw Something

Luckily, it's after midnight, sleep arm in arm in the stairwell. Just kidding, but yeah, so technically it's Easter Sunday and the tomb's supposedly empty by now so of course meat miraculously appears in my freezer. Such a magical place, this house I live in. And since S&R is always sponsoring your resident blogger with free taste of random food, they get that product placement on the photo above. 

Bread

Google results suggest that I can actually eat shiitake alone even without the meat but then what's the point in that. Randomly finding bread, I knew it was going to be a sandwich of some sort. Beef sounds perfect with shiitake. 

Sesame Oil and Worcestershire Sauce

And so I go back to this burger recipe I had from a long time ago. Sort of like Asian meets English concept that, again, is merely brought to me by coincidence and not by choice. 

Cooking

I dip the shiitake in water to make it just the right ammount of soggy before frying it in olive oil (I actually prefer canola oil but I couldn't find it). I then fry the beef patties I made on the same oil I cooked the shiitake in. Shiitake mushrooms really have such a powerful and influential taste.

Japanese Mayonnaise

And since I'm already sort of going for this oriental flavor of sorts, it would be heresy if I didn't put Japanese mayonnaise. I don't even think of Japanese mayo as a condiment but more of a main ingredient, really. And so I generously bathe my sandwiches with what I consider to be one of the greatest contributions of Japanese culture to humanity.

Harry's Ultimate Easter Sunday Apollo 13 Style Shiitake Beef Burger

I actually miss my DSLR. My pictures would be so much more awesome if I could use my prime lenses. I've actually just been using my Samsung Galaxy Y and the camera does the job but of course I know how photo quality can impact a food blog such as this one.

The burger was great. Long live cows and their byproducts. There's actually quite a bit of shiitake mushrooms here so I'm thinking of making more stuff with it so be sure to watch out for that. Follow me on my Twitter to get updated on my latest blog posts. For now, you can listen to me mess around with the vocoder in my cover of Daft Punk's Something About Us:

Magnum Ice Cream and The Emperor's New Clothes

I don't think I'm in any position to write about Selecta's Magnum ice cream. I haven't tried it (although I want to) and I'm not really much of a sweets or desserts person. It's just that I've been seeing it wherever I go. It's trending both online and in real life. The fact that it's trending, I'm sure many would want to know my take on it.

Selecta Magnum Ice Cream Philippines

My friend says that it's much like Häagen-Dazs (which I wouldn't know either cause I haven't really tried that out either). I guess it's always a good thing when our products are globally competitive. I mean, we can surely import this if that is the case. And we should always patronize our very own local products if they truly are satisfying and if the price is right. This helps create jobs here and improves our economy.

The Emperor's New Clothes
You gotta give credit to the marketing of this product. I mean, we don't really know if it's trending solely because it went viral on its own or because it's really planned. Like its scarcity for instance: how do we know they're not just hoarding or holding out on production to make it seem like there is scarcity and high demand. How do we know we're not patronizing blindly?
Let's never forget the lessons from The Emperor's New Clothes of what propaganda and marketing can do. If the emperor is naked, we must stand up and not be afraid to speak out. We can't just always jump on the bandwagon for if this is the case then it'll only distort market indicators, create a bubble that will eventually burst, and inevitably make our economy worse.
But that's just me, you know. Me and my weird love for paranoid conspiracy theories of connecting things that almost have no connections. It's undeniable that I am quite convincing at times. I don't know. It's just ice cream. I'm tired and weary. I'm sleepless.
It's good I got some pancit canton from this nearby sari-sari store on my way home. It's surely comfort food. But that Magnum ice cream thing, where do I get it? I heard it's like 50 pesos or something like that? What do you think of it?

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Lucky Me Pancit Canton Sweet & Spicy Flavor

pancit canton

Siguradong Kulang ang Isa

Classic at murang mura pa

Kinain ko ito kanina at ngayon ako ay busog na

Mona Lisa's Dear Darla

I just got home and found pizza from Mona Lisa (that fancy restaurant here in Alabang that's above Yellow Cab and Army Navy.

When I opened it, I noticed it's exactly like the Dear Darla concept of Yellow Cab. I can assume that Yellow Cab isn't the innovator of that concept, also because Mona Lisa's tagline is "authentic Italian cuisine", and perhaps this kind of technique of wrapping some herbs in pizza is old only I'm not as "cultured" as you guys so I've tasted it for the first time in Yellow Cab.

I am partial to Yellow Cab's Dear Darla (maybe Yellow Cab's chili oil and flakes play a big part about it). Also, Mona Lisa's tasted healthier as compared to Yellow Cab's lovely greasy pizza taste.

I realized that 10 inch pizzas are too small when I realized that I can finish one whole order of Dear Darla pizza only to myself.

I've never been to Mona Lisa. I don't know the price differences and most definitely the other stuff they offer. But with this product I'm just gonna have to say I like Yellow Cab's better. That's personal preference. There is no objective standard for what rolled pizza with herbs should be like. All I have is an opinion. To each his own.

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The Crispy Pata Philosophy

I went to the gym the other day. I actually worked out longer than I'd usually do. And of course, to reward this anomaly and render my workout almost completely useless: I eat crispy pata the next day.

Crispy Pata: if this is a vice then I wish no virtue.

The vegetarian health buff will argue: crispy pata is bad for your health. You will regret it in the future when your arteries are clogged and you get hypertension. Many aspects of your health is, first and foremost, determined by lifestyle and personal responsibility. You should eat a salad instead.

The vegan PETA member will argue: pigs have feelings too. You have no right to slaughter them just to eat them. There are other means of nourishment like leaves and carrots and whatnot.

The pinko will have a humanitarian argument: "crispy pata is excess," he/she will say, "so many people in the world are starving while you indulge on this gluttonous act of eating crispy pata."

Some religions will forbid you. If you ask them why they'll say it's cause their book says so.

Is it really a race on who lives longer? Is it all about quantity and not quality? Hmm, I don't really care. They can all say what they want. To each his own. 

For me, crispy pata is a form of art, a culinary art to be specific. These "unhealthy" or "immoral" dishes does take skill and talent to prepare. It's magical how tender the meat on the inside can be and yet the skin so crispy. Just thinking about the crunchy skin makes me hungry for more again. It does make me feel bad for those who argue against it or those whose opinion criticizes my liberty to eat crispy pata whenever I want.

I do not force them to change their minds. I am merely stating an opinion, a recommendation based on my own personal preference. Hedonistic and selfish, I plead among those seemingly more "noble" than me. Again, I say, if crispy pata is a vice then I wish no virtue.

Haha, forgive my senseless banter. I am writing for the sake of writing; for the sake of updating and having content. I do get paid for blogging, if you'd recall. Getting paid to lie around and eat crispy pata is not bad at all. :)

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Shi Lin Taiwanese Restaurant in Alabang Town Center

First of all, it's my first time to step in to the new area of Alabang Town Center and can I just say: MIND BLOWN. I can't believe that mall is just walking distance from my house and I've never seen the new building they've made. I thought this whole time that they were just renovating. That whole area that used to be the old South supermarket and the old National Bookstore is gone. Man, that's where my pediatrician and dentist used to be at. Anyway, on to my post: I just ate in Shi Lin Taiwanese restaurant in that area.

Shi Lin Menu

I'm not entirely familiar with Taiwanese cuisine. In fact the popular Xiao Long Bao is probably the only one I've tried so far. I tried it for the first time back in 2009 when I went to Singapore. My cousin who lives there treated us to a Taiwanese restaurant there. I didn't even know what it was called because I wasn't the one who ordered. At the time I just referred to it as siomai na may sabaw sa loob (siomai with soup inside). I actually loved it.

Xiao Long Bao

I got to talk to a Taiwanese schoolmate back in college and we talked about Xiao Long Bao. He says, he doesn't understand why our siomai doesn't have soup inside. He even tells me that their siopao already has sauce inside. It makes sense because you don't have to put siopao sauce anymore if the sauce is already inside.

Was the Xiao Long Bao I ate as good? Hmm, I don't know. It's possible that it isn't as good because I wasn't really as mind blown as when I ate it for the first time in Singapore.

Taro Dumplings

These taro dumplings on the other hand are excellent! It's something I would seriously recommend if you're planning to eat there. It's so unique and yummy. It's also has this really fresh taste. Supposedly, all their ingredients are imported from Taiwan. I really loved this dumpling preparation. I actually wish we ordered more of it. It's only 110 Php for 6 pieces. It's really really good. 

Spicy Jellyfish

The spicy jellyfish was really yummy. It's the type you'll see in cold cuts usually served in Chinese restaurants only it's served with sesame seeds, chilis, and this sauce of some sort. It's really really good. But then maybe I'm partial to this at the same time I like spicy food and so combined I was really satisfied.

They didn't have wifi though. Wifi is a big factor for me when eating. It probably roots form the Into The Wild rhetoric that "happiness is only real when shared". I love sharing eating experiences. That's why I have a food blog, right? Haha. All restaurants should really consider having wifi. It's instant and free marketing for them because of Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and other random social media stuff.

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North Park and Pho Hoa in Alabang Town Center

After hanging out with a bunch of friends in TJ's last night in Westgate Alabang, we decided to go to North Park after a talking about the beef tendon soup/noodles thing they had.

North Park Beef Tendon Noodles

I got the regular beef tendon noodles for 158 and ordered extra rice. Their rice was a bit expensive at 40 pesos per cup but it was really worth it. What I do is I get all the beef tendon and eat it with my rice and with their chili oil and I eat my noodles and soup on the side. It's really quite affordable and filling when you think about it. They even make you choose what kind of noodles you want.

It feels very unhealthy but my friend pointed out that tendon isn't half as bad as fat and is actually good for you according to some studies. Maybe I should write about my position/thoughts on health paradigms when I get the chance.

Pho Hoa

Then just a while ago I ate some takeout beef pho from Pho Hoa, just beside North Park. I do love Vietnamese food. There's just really something so natural and fresh about pho. It feels very healthy and at the same time very yummy. I do love the leaves you put and of course the sriracha sauce.

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Molecular Gastronomy and Modernist Cuisine

I first got introduced to molecular gastronomy and the modernist approach to culinary arts in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode when he went to elBulli restaurant in Spain right before it closed down. The restaurant was owned by world renowned chef Ferran Adrià whose philosophy and methodology when it comes to preparing and serving food just blew me away. It is surely an episode that I would recommend to all of you.

Ferran Adrià

I wasn't really a big fan of fancy or "michelin star" types of restaurants, cooking, or food; probably a bit similar to Bourdain's views in Kitchen Confidential. I'm more of the street food and authentic type, I would like to think. But then the whole concept of molecular gastronomy and the approach of chefs like Ferran Adrià is just so mind-blowing and intense that it somehow changed my mind about it all.

The way Adrià describes his approach and philosophy makes him much like a renaissance man of sorts whose expertise goes beyond cooking and into fields like chemistry and other sciences, history, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and others. Imagine all that, with very intricate attention to detail, all put into cooking and the dishes he serves. Aside from being innovative, it also feels a lot like being revolutionary of sorts. I'm really just out of words and I don't even know how to explain what I mean. 

Nathan Myhrvold

It just so happened that I just watched Top Chef season 9 episode 9 and they featured Nathan Myhrvold, also a renaissance man when it comes to molecular gastronomy and author of "highly coveted" series of books on Modernist Cuisine and I got so reminded of the elBulli episode and am now learning so much more about the modernist approach in cooking as more of a revolutionary movement than just a methodology.

It all just reminds me so much of freedom, art, passion, and the desire to change the world. Of course, it's also making me really hungry.