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All the food and native delicacies that pop out around Christmastime is one of the reasons why Christmas is my favorite holiday (next to my birthday, of course). Puto bumbong is a Filipino pastry that’s usually sold outside the neighborhood church after Simbang Gabi (midnight mass). It’s made out of shredded coconut, granulated sugar, and ube (or purple yam–hence, it’s bright purple hue) and is eaten with more shredded coconut and even more sugar, depending on how sweet you want it to be.

What I enjoy about buying puto bumbong is watching the vendor make it right in front of you. The lady fills bamboo tubes with the mixture, which is called galapong. The bamboo tubes are wrapped in cloth then attached to a steamer made especially for cooking puto bumbong. After about five to ten minutes, the bamboo is removed from the steamer and tapped lightly so the freshly-made puto bumbong comes out. It is then placed on a heated banana leaf and wrapped so you can take it home with you.

It’s been a while since I last had puto bumbong and I’m definitely looking forward to having my fix this Christmas.

Drool over these Puto Bumbong Photos

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A frozen margarita is pretty much the only other cocktail drink I order when I’m not in the mood for a daiquiri.  The first margarita I ever had was a non-alcoholic one at a bar my aunt and uncle took me to in San Francisco, and I loved how the salty rim made a delicious contrast with the sweet and sour drink.  Plus it made me feel very grown-up, sitting in a bar and drinking a non-alcoholic margarita; I was twelve years old at the time.

I held a party at my house a few weeks ago and a friend who took some bartending classes taught me how to make a frozen margarita.  It’s so simple that I can recall the entire procedure from memory.  Take note that this isn’t a very “exact” recipe; my friends and I pretty much just mix drinks according to our tastes.  If we want something strong we put more alcohol; if not, we just dilute it with the mixer or water.
You’ll need a blender, crushed ice, tequila, a margarita mixer, margarita glasses, salt, and slices of lime.  Rub a lime slice around the rim of the margarita glass and dip it into a plate of salt.  Place a shot or two of tequila (depending on how strong you want the margarita to be) in the blender along with the crushed ice and the margarita mixer (again, how much of it you want to put depends on how strong you want the margarita to be).  Blend for five to ten seconds then pour into the glasses immediately.  Garnish the glass with a lime slice, and serve.

In an effort to cut down on unnecessary calories, I’ve stopped ordering beer and switched to drinking cocktails during my social gatherings.  I’m not sophisticated enough to know about the ingredients in every drink; I’ve just taken to ordering daiquiris because I read it in a book somewhere (oh, the Wikipedia entry on daiquiris say that Holden Caulfield mentioned it in The Catcher in the Rye. Perhaps that’s where I got the idea).  Apparently, a daiquiri contains rum and lime juice (or so Wikipedia says) and originated from Santiago, Cuba in the early 1900s.  The name “daiquiri” was taken from a beach in the area.

Purists say that frozen daiquiris, which contain finely crushed ice and other fruit flavors, are not considered “true daiquiris” but whatever.  They taste good, like smoothies but with an alcoholic kick.  I usually get a banana daiquiri but strawberry is good too.

Pictured above is a strawberry daiquiri from Jack’s Loft at Eastwood.  Costs about Php 120.

It’s not the lights nor the garlands on the stairs that signifies the start of Christmas, at least not for me. When my mom has our helpers bring out the baking utensils from the cabinets and the aroma of gingerbread wafts out of the kitchen, that’s when I know that for the Dado family, the holiday season has begun.

I can’t remember how old I was when my mom first started making gingerbread men come late November, but those little brown cookies have always been a part of my childhood, like my pink-and-purple bike except seasonal. As soon as the first batch of gingerbread men came out of the oven, she’d put one of the cookies on a plate and place it on the table. Then she’d bring out a picture book of the story of the gingerbread man and read it to my sister and I. The story, in case you don’t know, is about a baker who bakes a gingerbread man for him and his wife. Somehow the gingerbread man comes to life, realizes his creator’s plans for him, and runs away. Everyone in town tries to eat him but he just keeps evading them until finally, a sly wolf tricks him into walking right into his jaws.

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I remember first tasting Jelly Belly beans as a kid when my grandma brought some home from the States. My grandma said that the White House Chef snuck it away from the stockroom. Apparently, Jelly Belly was the favorite snack of former President Ronald Reagan. I remember sticking my hand in the jar and picking up a random bean without looking so that every bite was like a small surprise. There were times when I’d dig through the whole jar in search of my favorite, watermelon, and eat nothing but that until the jar was out of watermelon-flavored beans.  But most of the time I’d munch on random beans; it’s more fun that way.

At the time, Jelly Belly beans couldn’t be found in the Philippines and I’d have to wait til aunts or uncles arrived from the States before I could have my fix. Now you can get them Candy Corner in bags or in boxes that come with a little guide sheet that tells you which flavors are which.  The guide sheet’s pretty helpful for avoiding the ones you don’t like (chocolate flavored jelly beans are kind of strange) but it’s always fun to try out the beans you haven’t tasted before.

So…I can has watermelon-flavored beans for Christmas?

No other dish is quintessentially Singaporean than Hainanese Chicken Rice, except perhaps for Chili Crab. But for those of us who are a tad allergic to seafood, this dish exemplifies the best in Singaporean cuisine. It’s served everywhere, in hawker centers, fast-food courts in malls, swanky hotels and humble homes all over the city-state, much like the ubiquitous adobo in the Philippines.

In a recent trip to Singapore, my sister brought us to a small, unassuming restaurant along Thomson Road in the Novena Ville area, right across the Novena church, where Catholic Pinoys congregate every Sunday. The Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice & Restaurant has a reputation which belies its humble façade.

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During my history classes back in college, I learned that Filipinos used corn as a substitute for coffee during the Second World War.  They also used bananas as a substitute for tomato ketchup, but there’s nothing unusual about that since banana ketchup is everywhere in this country.  Corn coffee though–that’s something I’ve never heard of.  So when I encountered it at a small artsy cafe in Xavierville Avenue called Rafa’s, I decided to try it out.  Corn coffee pretty much tastes like coffee bean coffee, except it has a corn-like scent to it.  It’s also high in fiber and has no cholesterol or preservatives.  And unlike regular coffee, it doesn’t contain a single bit of caffeine–perfect for when you’re craving for that coffee beverage taste without wanting to spend the rest of the evening tossing and turning.

The packet pictured above was purchased at a food fair some months ago for only 35 pesos. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s available in supermarkets or groceries since I’ve yet to see them in normal retail stores.