April 1st, 2008 - Sent to some of the staff and interns

Hello dears!

I have a sad confession to make. (Pause for dramatic effect.)

I ate meat! I'm not vegetarian anymore! Gasp! Press release!

Ah, we all saw this coming, didn't we? Manila is the worst place for vegetarians! It's impossible to enter a restaurant without the smell of cooked meat wafting through the doors, inviting people in. I didn't want to just end my love affair with rabbit food just like that, so I devoted an entire day to sampling the goodies that I've missed.

The first on my list was sisig – essentially a sizzling plate of everything you don't want to eat in a pig, but chopped, diced, minced and marinated to gustatory perfection to make you forget that you're ingesting the guts of a once-living being. Sisig is served on a charcoal-black platter, and you can hear the meat crackling as it is set in front of you. The smell assaults your olfactory nerves, and what can balance the savory taste of grilled flesh is a tiny squeeze of lime juice. People usually eat this with soft, sticky rice that was sautéed with garlic. I was in college when I first had this; I was a late-bloomer for a carnivore.

Since I was already there, I had my first taste of lechon – essentially a pig roasted on a spit. I am told that lechon lovers enjoy the skin the most – who knew that swine skin could be so crispy and tasty, kind of like popping Doritos? Crunch, crunch. I was with a group of meat enthusiasts and we succeeded in stripping off the bottom half of the poor pig. It's funny how it looks naked – it looks like it lost its pants. Out of sheer inspiration, I "repainted" it with ketchup, tomato slices, and bell peppers. It looked like it was dressed for a luau.

So to wrap up my day, I had one of my favorite things in the world that I hadn't had in years – adobo. To the Latinos, it's a spice; to Filipinos, it's an entire dish. It's essentially meat that's been marinated and stewed. The rich texture of meat steeped in soy sauce, topped with the fragrant infusion of garlic and black pepper, makes it one of the yummiest meals ever! Whee! I am so happy I could die. I went home tired from chewing but completely satisfied. I passed out in bed.

Mmmmm. Flesh and blood and entrails. So. Bloody. Good.

Meat is murder. Tasty, tasty murder.

And then I woke up.

Happy April Fools' Day!


Lots of love,
Cathy


P.S. This was for YOU, Mary Eileen Halpine! Happy happy birthday! Besos muchos! I miss you lots and lots!

P.P.S. For those who still need their morning coffee, let me spell it out. This was just a joke. :-D But if I do end this veggie spell, it will be as delicious as I imagined, or probably more! (except for lechon, which I could never eat)

P.P.P.S. You know, I've been rereading this and I don't think I was very convincing. I think I just succeeded in disgusting myself with the lechon part. Bleh. I just traumatized myself anew. Oh boo. Hey, I tried. Miss you all! Have a great week ahead!