Leftovers? What’s so appetising about leftovers?

Everything! That is if you’re in the Filipino kitchen.

It’s the perfect time to have all those leftovers for Lasang Pinoy 15: Recycled, Reloaded, which Mike is hosting at Lafang. I am also perhaps one of the best persons to talk about leftovers since they make up some of my best childhood memories.

Many Filipinos, rich and poor alike, hold celebrations for a child’s first and seventh birthdays. I really have not dug up the significance of these years but I suspect they have something to do with the transition from one stage of a child’s life to another which also correspond with their growing consciousness (from “wala pang muwang” or a total innocent to “may isip na” - capable of thought). To a certain extent, both the first and seventh years are rites of passage for both the child, whether male or female, and the parents.

It is for this reason that birthdays on these years are big events, not necessarily extravagant but certainly something planned and awaited. Relatives, neighbours and friends drop in on the party, more often than not also bringing food which means the celebration might stretch for days.

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Come visit my hometown and be our guest!

On 2 December 2006, Saturday, Sta. Rita, Pampanga shall hold its 5th Duman Festival. This year, the festival organizers have adopted the theme Duman: Bunga ning Masayang Sipagan (Duman: The Fruit of Joyful Industry). True to their origins, the activities for the festivities are simply what have been customary but on a larger scale. In the place of troubadours who sang to those who pounded and winnowed the unripe glutinous rice, a world-class production of Capampangan music and dance accompanies the rhythm of the pestles hitting the mortar. Where street food and other light refreshments were served those who toiled and watched, a full food fair at the festival grounds features traditional dishes for merienda and dinner.

We should have a full press release soon but in the meantime, below is the detailed schedule of activities.

1 Dec - 12:00 nn - Duman Exhibit (soft opening)
2 Dec - 8:00 am - Holy Mass (Parish Church)
9:30 am - Turung Design Contest (old convento)
6:00 pm - Awarding of the Contest
Food Fair
7:00 pm - Kapampangan Musicale by Arti Sta. Rita

For a background on duman, here’s the most comprehensive post in my archives. Don’t forget to watch the short video clip!

In many neighbourhood bakeries, from Luzon to the Visayas and even in Mindanao, I notice how they sell ‘cupcakes’ that are actually muffins. I do not have the heart nor the nerve to tell them of their false advertising or mistaken identification. I suppose not many people care for the difference either.

Is there really a difference? Yes there is. To put it simply, a cupcake has a lighter texture, with its batter containing a higher oil, sugar and eggs to flour ratio. From the mixture, cupcakes have a slightly rounded top with icing but nowadays there are un-iced cupcakes and iced muffins. In the UK and Europe, cupcakes are also known as fairy cakes, and are more spongy in texture.

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