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Rice Into Garlic

December 17, 2009 By PaulK 21 Comments
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It's a BEE - AY - YOU - TEE - FUL SABADO (Sabado) [Saturday] today.  Were I anywhere else, I'd say it is the perfect "lazy" Saturday - made for relaxing in a hammock or at the beach or simply anywhere, with a cold beverage of choice and pulutan (pulutan) ["finger food" or snack served with "beverages of choice"] at hand. (Before I forget:  “Awan Curriente!” [No Power – Brownout!]  I said it was beautiful, not perfect.) Here in the agricultural barangays of many Ilocano municipalities, it's definitely not a "lazy" Saturday.  Work is afoot.  It's everywhere that the eye can see, especially in the fields. Here, today, is the answer … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Paul Tagged With: Agriculture, Daily Life, Filipino Culture, Food, Ilocos Norte, Living in The Philippines, Pasuquin, Paul Keating, Weather

Up North: UPDATE

November 5, 2009 By PaulK 22 Comments

So very much can and does happen in three months time.  Has it been three months already?  Let’s check the calendar and see.  We arrived home in mid-July and November is replacing October on the calendars. Yes, I guess we have been here for about three and a half months – time for an update on what could and did happen.   There have been dry, sunny days as well as typhoon-induced windy and rainy days.  There have been good days, great days, and days better left to history alone.   I’ll highlight the better-known (and reported) incidents.  They are, however, just the tip of this tropical iceberg called Live in the Philippines, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Paul Tagged With: Agriculture, Daily Life, Expats, Filipino Culture, Food, History, Ilocos Norte, Living in The Philippines, Luzon, Paul Keating, PLDT, Provincial life, Rainy Season, Rice, Travel

Fascination with Rice

October 1, 2009 By PaulK 29 Comments

Surrounded am I!  No matter where I look, there it is – RICE.  Whether glancing at a plate of mouth-watering morsels of the finest local cuisine, or looking out my window to the fields beyond my fence, rice takes a most prominent place.  Even my “Breakfast Joy” from Jollibee presents garlic-fried rice for my pleasure.  To say rice is a staple here in the Philippines is an understatement.  Just about everyone eats it and, if available, eats it in large quantities. My adventurous nature took a slight twist toward curiosity regarding this grain.  I needed to find out more.  No, I HAD to find out more – feeling my OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Paul Tagged With: Agriculture, Ilocos Norte, Living in The Philippines, Paul Keating, Provincial life, Rice