who wants the last piece?

A couple of nights ago, my family and I went to Capricciosa's for dinner. We ordered our favorite: Salmon Linguini in Cream Sauce and Quattro Formaggi pizza. While we were enjoying each other's company, conversation and the food, before we knew it, there was only one slice of pizza left.


DA DA DA DUMMMMM!!!





I couldn't help but laugh and snap a shot of how the last slice of pizza looked. I then asked why this happens and no one could give me an answer. This is not an uncommon thing with us Chamorros. It is almost inevitable that this will happen if there is food around. When we eat and there's only one piece left of something, it's almost shameful that you take the last piece. But the reality of it all is that if you don't eat the last piece, someone will either have no shame and eat it or it'll go to waste. I ended up being the shameful person that night, but I didn't feel shameful. It could have been because the pizza was too delicious to waste.


So why does this happen every time we eat? Some say it's because the last piece is for the 'Taotaomona' (Chamorro people before us). Do they even like pizza?

Red, Red Wiiiiine....

Remember that song by UB40??? Who doesn't? It would almost be a crime if you didn't know that song or even heard it in your lifetime. Especially if you lived on the islands. That song was so powerful that when it played at a party, a dance club or even on the radio, you couldn't help but sway your body to the rhythm of that song. It was the song that made you feel mellowwww and relaaaaxed. You feel me? Ha ha ha!!!

I'm not a big drinker, but when I want to relax and unwind, I drink some red wine. When I first tried red wine, I thought it tasted awful! It had a punch to your palate and it made me make a sour face. However, that was then. Now that my palate has "matured", I am more receptive of drinking red wine...and without making the sour face. My favorite type of red wine is Cabernet Sauvignon. And depending what the brand of the wine is, sometimes I prefer the Merlot. I'm not a wine geek so don't ask me questions about red wine. The basic knowledge I have about wine is that it comes from grapes, it's smashed, fermented, stored and then sold to people like me who want to enjoy it. Oh, and I also know that red wine is good when eating red meat. White wine is goes will with a white meat dish. I'm not so into white wine. The closest thing to a white wine that I'll drink is champagne, but only if it's mixed with orange juice and turned into mimosas.

So the next time you hear that song, "Red, Red Wine" by UB40, grab a glass of red wine, sip some down and celebrate life!

Orange eggs and mangoes.

So on my last post, I mentioned the start of mango season on Saipan. Now, the mangoes are overflowing that I don't know what to do with them. Even the people we were giving the ripe mangoes to were saying they didn't want them anymore because they didn't know what to do with them.

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Going to the Thursday night street market is a treat for me. I usually get fresh coconut juice and some yummy apigigi (coconut dessert). I also enjoy walking around to see what each vendor has to offer. At the street market, vendors display the food and drinks that they have for sell.

One particular food item caught my eye. Can you guess what it is???

It's a deep fried boiled egg! Now I like fried food and I like boiled eggs, but that is one thing I was not dying to get a taste of. Talk about making something healthy so unhealthy.

I love you like a mango

Mango season has begun around the island, but all the mangoes are still young and not fully ripe. At this stage is when the mango is perfect to become what is known to our local islanders as "koko". For those of you who don't know what koko is, it's basically something pickled. On Saipan, we call almost anything that is pickled, "koko".

Today was the first time I made some mango koko. I was quite nervous as one wrong move in the mixture could mean starting the entire process all over again. But I was confident after verifying the ingredients with my mom. THANKS MOM!

The process begins with a bunch of mangoes that I had to wash and skin. I tried to use a potato peeler to skin the mangoes, but using a smaller, sharp knife worked best for me.

Then the mangoes were cut in half and then sliced. One mango usually makes 4-6 peices, depending on the size of the mango. After the mangoes are all sliced, they're quickly washed and the water is drained so that there is no excess water.

A few light sprinkles of salt is added together with some diced fresh garlic (about 4 big cloves). This is mixed in well and then about 4 table spoons of vinegar is added. I also added a dash of TLC while mixing everything together. That always makes a difference when I make anything :)

Most people add local hot pepper and a little bit of food coloring at this point, but Floyd asked to make this without hot pepper or food coloring so we kept it natural. Everything is then placed into a container, preferably one with a cover that seals well. Thankfully we saved this container and we were able to make just the right amount of koko to fit into it.

And how would you like that drink?

Some people tell me I drink more milk than coffee. What do I mean? Well, I like my coffee with almost 25% of my cup of coffee filled with milk (not creamer). That's the perfect cup of coffee for me. On occasion, I'll want a hint of hazelnut or chocolate flavor in my coffee, but nothing I'd go crazy over. I'm not one of your crazy Starbucks addicts, although I have to admit they do carry some yummy stuff in those coffee shops!

I'm not a real (alcoholic) drinker. I'm not even an average drinker. But when I do feel like drinking, I love drinking strawberry daiquiris and margaritas! Blended. I had a margarita one night and was just appalled when it came in a plastic cup! What the heck?! I'm sorry, but I wanted mine in a margarita glass...the way it should be served. Some people may think that's just being straight-up super anal, but some beverages just taste better in a certain type of cup or glass.

BOTTOMS UP!

Let the races begin...

Today I started my day at 5:30am. I was assisting at PIC's aid station, located not too far from PIC. There was less than 20 volunteers, but we were all there on time, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

We passed out fruit, water and Gatorade. After I left, all I could hear replaying in my head was people yelling out: "water...Gatorade..."

The Winter Festival of Runs started out this weekend. The first runs of all runs was the Saipan Marathon. This year, they had a total of about 600 runners for this morning's marathon! WOW!!! Next weekend is the Xterra Saipan Championship and the weekend after that is the Tagaman Triathlon. Just thinking about all of that makes me tired.

Nardo helps out a runner by handing out some Gatorade...

This morning I saw a wide range of runners. Some serious runners, some happy runners, some tired runners....but when I saw Minnie Mouse running towards our aid station, I couldn't help but snap a shot!

Food challange: Flour Titiyas

I was in the mood to cook last weekend so I made some of my Auntie Jean's famous flour titiyas. The last time I made these things was when I was attending college in Las Vegas. To my surprise, it turned out pretty good, considering it has been over a decade since I made it!

Coming from a family of cooks, I realized that my titiyas wasn't perfect, but it also wasn't a disaster. The taste was there, a bit too sweet for my taste so I figured I'll cut the sugar content down the next time I make tityas. It also lacked the "fluff" in it and I felt it was too flat. Floyd said it was perfect and my BFF Kiki said it was super good.

Sometimes I don't know how to take a compliment.