Foodhuntress: Connecting the Pepper Dots

I would have wanted to take a long break from blogging for a while due to work, but the cloudy, rainy weather in Manila middle of July just made me want to lean back instead from work and - write blog. Who would want to go out today? Some parts of the city are flooded, and damn, just the other night, our car stopped in the middle of the flooded road I had to get down and push it. How horrifying is it, pushing an old car on a three- hour traffic, andother drivers are blowing horns at you, on a rainy evening? Some kindly men assisted us and, another ironic thing is that when these men started talking to us, they realized they were helping two uniformed women in distress: My sister in her pilot's suit was at the wheel, and I in my chef's whites, had to do the pushing outside. Good thing I had my off the following day.

The following morning, my phone received a message at 8 am. I was still in bed. "I'm on the train- going to your place." My friend/ sous chef Pablo Miguel.

Gracious.

FH: "We can postpone it- it's raining mad outside."

P:"No, I've come this far. We'll cook today."

I jumped out of bed.

Yeah right. I admire your discipline and fierce determination, Pablo Miguel. But dammit. I wanna sleep.

I just looked at my calendar and yes, we're supposed to work on donburi today. Katsu, salmon teriyaki, ebi tempura, unagi, hamburg hayashi, pork ginger stew...

Ok, ok.

So we met the grocery and did the shopping. Was it hard to get a cab! The streets are flooded.

A few hours later after cutting vegetables and arguing over sauces and meat cuts, we were both exhausted.

FH: "Break time. Would you like some milk tea?"
PM: "Of course!"

Earl grey milk tea was served a few minutes later.

PM: "This is better than what I had in Hong Kong..."

FH:" Thanks... Now stop staring at me."

PM: "Why?"

FH: "Because you're making me feel uncomfortable."

PM: "One...two...five... seven..."

FH: "What are you doing?"

PM: "Counting the dots on your face."

FH: "Stop counting. There are fourteen of them. And a Chinese said those dots make me lucky in business."

PM: "They remind me of freshly cracked black pepper..."

"....like the ones we have on this salad...

"...maybe the black peppers fell in love with you they dispersed themselves beautifully all over your face...

"...I want to be like the black peppers."

FH: (Choking on the milk tea) "Shut the hell up...."