Manila Foodistas: A Month Before Christmas

It's a month before Christmas and most of us are either preparing to gain those extra pounds over the holiday or slaving over our jobs (or student life) just to earn some extra cash for that Christmas shopping.

With all the vacation time we get over the holidays, it's definitely one of our favorite seasons of the year. And after mulling over what to do with all that time we now suddenly have, we take the time to reminisce: What's our fondest Christmas memory?

Danne
My fondest memory has to be opening gifts, not for the gifts themselves but for the fuzzy feeling of Christmas midnight. The thought that almost everyone are in awake, in their homes, and spending quality time with family is so heartwarming. Also, during Christmas season (especially just before Christmas break), everyone's nice-- nicer than usual.

Nicole
It was definitely the day I understood what Christmas is really all about. It's way beyond all those celebrations, get-together and of course eating! :)) Christmas is not just a one day event that happens once a year but it is that one thing we should be very grateful for every single day. :)

Therese
I didn't want to think very far back so I would have to say that my fondest Christmas memory is that of last year's (2010). For some reason, it was especially cold that Christmas break, and I was able to spend it with family and friends. I even remember going to Tagaytay with my relatives on the 26th of December, having dinner at Alfredo's and having dessert at Bag of Beans. It was simple but for me, it was fun! :)

Tiffy

All I remember of past Christmases are the food. Lots and lots of food. And the guilt right after. Of writing down, "Go on a diet." on New Year's Eve. But oh all those food! It was worth it. The best Christmases are those when I have nothing to do--I just curl up with a book (or probably my laptop) and read to my heart's content.

About those "extra pounds"... What food are you willing to earn those pounds on? Any favorite Christmas treat?

Danne
I'd be willing to gain some pounds for sweets! Leche flan is one of my most favorite Christmas treats. I also love home-baked cookies friends give during the season. Plus cake, pastries, food for the gods, I can go on and on!

Nicole
Christmas dinner or not, hands down to my mother's lasagna! I have not yet eaten the lasagna better than my mom's! My favorite is her vegetable version - with spinach, zucchini, and lots of tomatoes! YUUUM!

And as for my favorite Christmas treat, bibingka is the one! There are so many types of bibingka here in the Philippines and what we have in Antipolo every Christmas season is what I call the "pancake" type. I remember two years ago, I was at our city's town plaza almost every night just to buy this bibingka from my suki! :D

Ingredients: Rice flour, egg, cheese, salted egg, and margarine

Therese
Something I look forward to on Christmas (aside from the usual treats) is Christmas ham! I don't normally eat it but because we always receive some, it has become somewhat of a seasonal food for me. Another thing I only get to eat during Christmastime is puto bumbong - a Filipino sticky rice dish. It's a bit sweet and it's topped with coconut flakes.

Puto bumbong

Tiffy

I remember my first Christmas in Japan, and I had work. My good friend Karen was making eggnog (she usually uses rum) that night and told me that she'd save me some. But she didn't--she drank it all. A few days after, I was hanging out at her dorm room and she made some again (under my close watch this time lest she drinks it off again). I'll get her recipe and tell you about it some time!

Christmas wish lists aren't really about others but taking a peek at wish lists not our own help some of us add some more to our list. So... What's on your wish list?

Danne
Number 1 on my wish list would be to get a chance to travel somewhere interesting. Then, I could take really nice pictures and be part of people's stories. Then again, if I should wish for something tangible, it would be to have a pretty camera strap. It needs some replacing!

Nicole
World peace. . . ha ha ha! Seriously, I'd like to have a replica of the Noli Me Tangere manuscript, Lang Lang's newest CDs, and C.S. Lewis' book collection (excluding the Narnia series) =))




Therese
Since we're talking material here, I would love to have an Apple iPhone4S!

Tiffy
I would love to suddenly have the will to be a vegetarian. Seriously. I've tried (and failed) so many times it's ridiculous! But some stuff off my wishlist would be: a new bicycle, something I can read PDF files with (an iPad or something similar), and nice make-brushes (and maybe some make-up as well)!

What about you?

Merry Christmas!

ManilaFoodistas Christmas Post
Get to know your Foodistas better

Happy holidays, everyone! Since it's the holidays, we asked the Foodistas to answer the following questions:

What's your favorite Christmastime food? Why? Is there any specific way you like to eat it?
Tell us about a fond Christmas memory.
What's your ideal Christmas gift?

Bong
Christmas Food and Fond Christmas Memory
Every Christmas since the day that I had consciousness, my lola and the whole household would always cook food for the whole family. Sometimes, I also join in and help. Oftentimes, my aunts and uncles would also bring in food and desserts at my lola's place and we would enjoy the food and each others' company.

There's the usual BBQ, Inihaws, Pasta, Beef Casserole, Lumpia, and a lot more lutong bahay everyone would really enjoy and savor. It was always like this, up until now!

Since then, me and my cousins would always hang out, exchange stories and chismis(es), until now. The only difference, I would say today, is that we do it over some booze and cards. What better way to spend Christmas than with them, right? I love my cousins and my family and I always, always am excited for Christmas :)

Ideal Christmas Gift
I can say a ton of different gadgets and gifts that I would want to receive (Like DSLR, Cook Books, Trips here and there... I wish, right?), but I guess a simple dinner with my friends and or family at a new restaurant with great food and wine, will do :)

Hannah
Christmas Food
I would have to say that I have inherited my father's penchant for Cebu lechon (must have crispy skin!), and the lechon derivative that follows, Lechong Paksiw, which i enjoy on the mostly sour side. Although this year as a gift to the world and to myself, I will be foregoing meat and having a meat free Christmas.

Fond Christmas Memory
My fondest Christmas memory would have to be spending Christmas with my family at a beach resort in Sogod, Cebu, where we feasted on lechon every night and cracked open sea urchins that we collected ourselves.

Ideal Christmas Gift
Most people would tend to side with the more immaterial gifts for this one, but I stand firm in my belief. My ideal Christmas gift would the perfect neck pillow.

Harrell
Christmas Food
Sapin-sapin! Sticky, sweet, and yummy! The perfect way to end any Christmas feast! I cut a large portion from the bilao, I then add latik on top until it's COMPLETELY covered (it has to be overflowing), I eat it part by part (the whole thing can't fit inside my mouth), then I scoop up the latik that fell back on the plate so it won't go to waste.

Fond Christmas Memory
When my ninang gave me my first Power Ranger toy, the Megazord! It started my chain of buying Power Ranger toys. I even went to Hong Kong just to buy some of the figures (Thunder Assualt Team, Red Dragon).

Ideal Christmas Gift
T-shirts! You can't have enough. :)

Joey
Christmas Food
I have three :) One is my mother's molo (Filipino wonton) soup, because we live in a relatively cool area and hot, heartwarming, familiar soup is the perfect thing to tuck into on a cold December night. The next is my dad's turkey, which is always, always one of the things my family and I look forward to during the holidays :) I love my dad's cooking and this once-a-year treat is absolutely one of my favourites. It's absolutely perfect with a generous serving of gravy (which my dad always makes sure to make a lot of because he knows I consume gravy like I would soup). Finally -- this is actually something I enjoy year-round -- I love(!) apple pie/apple crumble/apple whatever! If generous in cinnamon, with still slightly crisp-textured apples and a not-too-sweet, not-too-tart taste, I'd consume this in great quantities, if left unchecked.

Fond Christmas Memory
Too many! Haha :P I love the holidays! Last year's was particularly special ♥ and one of my favourite things to do on Christmas eve is to put a little santa hat on our shih tzu, the baby of our family, and take an excessive amount of photos of our too cute doggie ♥

Ideal Christmas Gift
I never know what material thing I want for Christmas :) I usually never want anything in particular, haha, which makes it such a pain for people to find me a perfect gift. But, if pressed to give an answer, an ideal Christmas gift for me is, honestly, just to be able to spend my holidays with those I love the most in the place I love the most, doing the things and eating the food we love the most :)

Mark
Christmas Food
I'd probably have to go with lechon. Sure, it's not Christmas food per se, but it's the closest thing we have to a Christmas constant. And sure I might regret it a few years down the road, but during the holidays you gotta forget about diets or whatnot, you gotta live life!

Fond Christmas Memory
Every year when I was a kid, waiting at my grandparents house for the clock to strike twelve so we could finally open all the presents under the Christmas tree. It was along and antagonizing wait, but it was absolutely magical once the presents were opened.

Ideal Christmas Gift
Stuff from Gourdo's! Or weird cool gadget things :)) Whenever I go into Gourdo's or gadget shops I just feel like a kid in a toy store again because there's just so many cool, uncommon things to see.

Pats
Christmas Food
Bibingka because I just love it. I eat bibingka with puto bumbong because I think the sweetness of puto bumbong goes with the salted egg in the bibingka.

Fond Christmas Memory
Every Christmas is a fond memory.

Ideal Christmas Gift
Ideal Christmas gift? Anything. Haha.

Tiffy
Christmas Food
I love puto bumbong! I love the butter and the coconut and the sugar. I like 'em sweet! I love it. I love lengua -- my aunt serves it whenever we have family get together dinner during the holidays!

Fond Christmas Memory
I love going to my aunt's house for our Christmas eve dinner. I LOVE eating during Christmas. It's an excuse to get an extra helping. Plus, I've got absolutely ADORABLE nephews and nieces -- that counts for something.

Ideal Christmas Gift
A bottle of tequila or a new jacket -- yes?

So what about you? :) What be your answers to these questions? Give us a link to your blog for your answers or your Christmas experience and we'll link you up!