Pinagpalang Talong

Di ba ang ibang tawag sa lawit ay talong?
Ano naman kaya ang tawag sa talong na may lawit?
Walang ka-berdehen, ang isip ay nagtatanong lamang.

-etchus lang-
Salamat kay Leon sa pamagat nitong ka-etchusan kong ito. :-)

Talangka or Hairy Crabs

There’s a lot of food scare going on these days, and I'm thinking “what’s next?” Wala na bang safe kainin!? From Milk to Eggs to crackers and so on… do we still have any options? Well, for me I just don’t mind them, because I know everything eaten in moderation is just fine. Besides, healthy or not, our time will come and we'll all die. Nyahahaha!
Just like eating Crabs. Oh, I soooo love crabs! Small crabs, alimango (mud crabs), alimasag (blue crabs). I even tried eating damuko.
In our childhood days (oh, don’t count back!), my siblings and I walk a kilometer long to and from our school. Along the road are lots of rice fields and a number of prinsa (it’s a wooden gate for letting the water in and out of the rice fields)
-or irrigation canal, and on these prinsa we can see baby crabs or pakot swimming and climbing up and down the wooden gate. Sometimes, we’d be curious and take a handful of them only to put them back and wait for the peak season of catching small crabs or “talangka.” It’s during the rainy seasons when you’d be able to find lots of talangka in the ricefields. We’ll use a fishing rod with fish bait or bintol (a square net with bamboo frame) or bikbik (made of coconut shell) to trap the crabs. We don’t only have fun then; we also earned some money, especially if we were able to catch more female than male crabs, because it’s sold separately, the female costs higher than male. (Of course females are more valuable… biased me… hehehe).
I really miss that part of my childhood, sighs...
Talangka is now rare in Hagonoy (Bulacan), maybe one of the reasons is the change from rice farming to fish farming and another is the use of fertilizers and processed feeds.
Gladly, I still can enjoy female crabs in this part of the world… not as how I enjoyed it before but a bit close. They are called hairy crab here, very much like talangka but bigger, but I'm sure it’s talangka.

I asked my suki in the wet market for this, “ci maoxie” or female crab, and this is the "smallest" i get when i asked for small ones.

I washed them clean and put it in the casserole. Place it covered on the stove top, of course you should turn the heat on...

and wait till they turn orange-y...

and there they are trying to run away from me….ha ha ha!


That's how i usually cook my talangka - steamed or halabos. I also make burong talangka whenever there are smaller ones available.

The Rain

I don't know why I feel blue when it rains.
I don't really hate the rain, in fact, back home i feel glad when it rains because my Mom's plants in her halamanan will be happy. And of course, she can save a lot of time watering them. Also, it's time for Champorado and Tuyo (fried dried fish) Or Chicken Sopas Or Arrozcaldo. Oh, how I love to eat when it rains.
But, still it makes me sad and I don't know why....

For my Mom

I thank God for you....

Losing My Sanity

I don't know how I’m feeling today...
Something’s strange again...
And this feeling’s still bugging me...
There are times I’d like to quit but I’m fighting still.
I don't know how long I can stand this storm.

There are times that I wanted to give up
I hope you'll be there for me, to keep me strong.
I don't know if you, too, can stand the way I am.

I’m still having a hard time

Coping with this situation
But I’m not yet giving up
I’ll stand until I can.

And if the time comes that I'm losing my sanity
Please tell my love ones... I’m so sorry...
And I hope they'll forgive me,
For all the things that I have done.

author: flip

Storing Shrimps or Prawns

I love shrimps! It’s sweet and juicy specially when cooked fresh. It can be cooked in many different ways and can be added to a lot of vegetable dishes. I believe shrimps are rich in Iron and Omega-3 fatty acids.

There are different kinds of shrimps, but my favorite is called “Swahe” in Hagonoy. In my hometown Shrimps and Prawns or Sugpo is abundant (will post about this in the future). Here in Shanghai they are called duixia, and in the wet market they are often sold swimming in a big basin. 

I bought some shrimps yesterday and store it for later use. I always buy them alive to keep them fresh even if I store them in the freezer for weeks. Dead shrimps are smelly and keeping them in the freezer will make them mushy when cooked and of course the taste is different.

I learned from my Dad this simple technique of storing shrimps, he said you should place it in a plastic container and then cover the shrimps with water before putting it in the freezer so it will retain its freshness and won’t turn orange-y.

And true, to my experience I can keep them in the fridge for weeks until needed.

"Salakab"

"Salakab" ang gamit kapag manghuhuli ka ng isda sa pinitak o putikan o sa pinatutuyong palaisdaan.
Wala pang nahuli si "Oblak." Mapupuno kaya ang dala niyang lalagyan?

Bili na kayo!

Mabibilhan kaya ako ngayong araw na ito? Kaninong pamahiin ba ang "bawal mangalumbaba habang nagtitinda?" Naisip ko lang yun nung kinukuhanan ko ng larawan ang ale na ito, habang dumadaan ang aming tour bus sa isang public market sa Anhui Province, China.

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Is writing for me?

i'm out of words today!
i have a lot to say in mind
but i don't know how to start,
i know it should come naturally,
but is writing for me?

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