Easter And Ever After

This year’s Holy Week was very true to theme—dying and resurrection, beginnings and endings.

I’ve always liked to observe how people come together, how friendships are formed over a chance encounter, how distinct sets of friends intersect, find histories, habits, or interests in common, and decide to merge into a motley group.

ASG, my friend from long, long ago attended Jethro’s christening and was able to meet my favorite “older couple” during the lunch. Over Tom yum goong (Thai prawn soup), they found they shared not a few things in common, age being one of them, he he. Much to my amusement, they exchanged phone numbers, made plans to have drinks, and maybe meet up in Bacolod for some good conversation. This makes me happy, when the people I love appreciate each other’s diversities and find pleasure in making new acquaintances. Maybe they’ll develop into good friends as well.

And so to start off, during Holy Week we all had a seafood lunch at the Peacepond.

Exotica on the table: squid-ink black rice, pitik-pitik (a local specie of crayfish) Inday’s version of spicy Tom yum goong, and crispy fish lumpia.

We just talked and laughed like old friends all throughout lunch. They explored the possibility of new business ventures, they discussed how it is to hit forty, we pondered about how all families are the same and yet different, how our lives have spanned friendships that have changed in so many wonderful and surprising ways. ASG even went home with 7 kilos of pitik-pitik, bottles of pure all-natural vinegar, sinamak (a vinegar dipping sauce spiced with chillies, garlic, ginger, peppercorns), and I know, a happy memory.

What’s amazing is that, five, six years ago, with all our complicated histories, there is no way this lunch would have been possible.

At the end of that week was Easter, bringing with it an apt reminder that forgiveness, and sometimes the end of things, is necessary for beginnings to unfold.

It is summer, and yes, life is so good.

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Comments

[melissa]

You're welcome, Gigi gurl. I'm also filing away this recipe, I have a PDF folder of these. {I'm a closet foodie} :)

[Gigi]

Oh wow, I didn't mean for you to go through all the trouble to type it up! Thank you, thank you! My taste buds and stomach (inside, not outside -- as in protruding tummy) thank you too. :)

[melissa]

Hi Gigi!

Here's the recipe, happy cooking and bon apetit!

Download Paella Negra.pdf (37.4K)

[Gigi]

I MUST try this rice dish! I love anything with squid, and I can't give up rice (South Beach be damned). Do you know where I can find a recipe anywhere for this? I can't get this out of my head now (and why did you have to link to even a larger, more luscious, picture of said dish?)!

[kaydee]

you should try that same dish with black (squid inked) spaghetti instead of rice! delish! :D

[melissa]

LOL Diet! Well, you would have loved this rice dish, it's black from the squid ink, and fragrant with spring onions and fried garlic. Very summer!

[kaydee]

i love squid!!!