Cristeta Comerford, EC

There's very little I know about the White House Executive Chef, except that she is a Filipino and she is a woman.

Ang lupit. Astig. Saludo kami sa'yo. Magaling talaga magluto ang Pinoy.

The Old Attic - Revisited

Where I grew up... There used to be an old ricketty typewriter there. And loads of imagination that unrolled itself at my feet.




"The beginning and end of all literary activity is the reproduction of the world that surrounds me by means of the world that is in me, all things being grasped, related, moulded and constructed in a personal form and an original manner." - Goethe

Because You're... Sheep!

No lamb chops today, please.


I was once invited by a very good godmother/ friend at her vacation house. It was a very happy day for me. Because I saw some sheep grazing around.



And a sheep, sheep here…

A sheep- sheep there...

Here a sheep, there a sheep...



Everywhere a sheep- sheep....

But the luckiest Sheep is housed in this cozy cabin..with lots of warmth and food.

**************
Year of the Sheep: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

The Sheep Personality: Born with innate luck being the 8th sign in the zodiac, people born in the year of the sheep are tied with good fortune. It is said that they don’t have to struggle too hard to get the pleasures of life. Highly accomplished in the arts, Sheep people are natural peacemakers. The Sheep is also the most feminine of all signs. They have good taste in food, artwork, and are almost always elegantly- dressed. Dreamy individuals, they resign to their make- believe worlds when reality becomes too harsh for them to bear. In times of disaster, Sheep people are the first to retain and to function with a stylish composure.

Sheep people are: Elegant, Creative, Intelligent, Well- mannered, Sweet-natured, Tasteful, Inventive, Homespun, Persevering, Lovable, Delicate, Artistic, Amorous, Malleable, Altruistic, Peace- loving (REALLY??)

But they can also be: Pessimistic (worry-wart to the nth power), Fussbudget, Dissatisfied (sometimes), Capricious, Intrusive, Undisciplined, Dependent (true to me), Irresponsible, Unpunctual, Insecure (so true)

The Aries Sheep (b. April 20, 1979) The Aries Sheep is a bit of a brawler. The agitation in question glows from within. The Sheep, represented in the Chinese zodiac as the ‘small fire’, herein meets its ‘big fire’ cohort. Aries are snappy warriors. Sheep fight their battles with passive resistance. Conflicting points of view arise within the Aries Sheep. She would do well to use the art or music to calm this nature. In such areas she will shine.
Because Ariens are influenced by Mars, the God of War, and the Sheep are of peace and the arts, the Aries Sheep must strike a balance between the two. Ariens make good military people, surgeons, butchers, firemen , such professions that involve the trade of fire and the spear. The Sheep on the other hand, are natural- born artists, they will flourish extremely where artistic ideas are involved.

Famous Sheep Personalities:
Michelangelo (artist), Bill Gates (mogul), Nicole Kidman (actor), Masaharu Morimoto (chef), Valentino, (designer), Daniel Boulud (chef), Zhang Ziyi (dancer/ actor), Catherine Deneuve (actor), Mick Jagger (musician), Julia Stiles (actor), Coco Chanel (fashion icon), Yo Yo Ma (cellist)… Foodhuntress (chef, blogger :P )

Famous Aries Personalities:
Vincent Van Gogh, Adolf Hitler, Nikita Khrushchev, Elton John, Leonardo da Vinci, Hans Christian Andersen, Arturo Toscanini, Daniel Day Lewis, Charlie Chaplin,

Compatibilities:
Rabbit – topping the list in all zodiac partnerships, this is an excellent match
Pig – fruitful match in both marriage and business
Horse- the courage of the horse inspires the sheep
Snake – cunning snake is intellectually- stimulating

The Sheep In 2009:

Feng shui experts agree that the Year of the Ox will be hard for the Sheep. The Ox is the opposite of the Sheep in the zodiac, the former being pragmatic, has little patience for the dreaminess of the latter. I decide to disagree. I was born in the Hour of the Ox, and my youngest sister, a Leo Ox, has the biggest tolerance on earth for me (or maybe her Leo streak is highly compatible with my Aries sign). The Ox is also said to be a lucky sign because it visited by the so- called Golden Deities (I heard this from Maritess Allen). Of course I agree.

The Year of the Earth Ox is a time for plowing and sowing the seeds, and turning the wheel of fate. If we have been very dreamy in the Year of the Rat, sketching our plans on paper, now is the time to be very industrious to make those plans a reality. The Sheep must take care of its health as work will be hard. She must plan her schedules very well and pay less attention to gossips, politics and small talk. Focus, focus, focus! When she succeeds, the Sheep will change tremendously, leading her to even more successful heights.

Forecast and advise:
Use the inherent sharpness of the Arien spear to increase focus. Plan your wars strategically. Be industrious and defy the unpunctuality of the Sheep trait. Use your Sheep luck to its fullest potential by being very disciplined. Not an excellent time for love affairs. You have work to do (and five restaurants to open- OMG!), and duh- get real! (This is going to be another great year- better than ’08, Lucky Sheep - so don’t worry). Plus, numerology is 2009= 11, (1+1) which becomes #2. My birth number is 20 (2+0) =2. Ergo, 2009 which totals at 2 is highly favorable for those with birth #2.

Now, go back to work!


With notes from: The Book of Chinese Chance by Suzanne White (and good prophecies from elsewhere)

Foodhuntress Comes Home

After all the gallivanting in the wilderness (and crouching in a messy warehouse) , I have finally decided to put an end to my nomadic life. My own place at last! For all the cliché that there is no place like home, it has always my belief that a house, no matter how small, shelters our dreams.

My place officially opened first half of last year, and physically moving in required some obedience from my mother, who, although she never believed in feng shui her whole life, told me, “Don’t move in at the last days of the year…It is best to move on a new moon.” (Omg, since when??)

I acquired my own apartment unit way before I got a good paycheck. And how I was going to pay the monthly amortization, I just stopped worrying and started believing. Imagine crossing an ocean without a raft nor a boat- just the hope that a raft or a boat would fall from the sky. When I first visited the site, it was a barren piece of land, with bulldozers and cranes and full of dust. How I visualized myself living there just took a little dwelling in grand illusions, for at that time I was struggling with a somewhat costly post- grad program. It took over a year to wait, and every day I was chanting a mantra that I soon I will have a place where I’ll be free to dream, to create and to grow.

Forget-me-nots at the sidewalks. This is love.


A glimpse at my bedroom window. Some bamboos, and the building of the school for pilots.

A yellow hydrant. It looks so happy. I don’t know why I have such fascination for these things.


So here it is. Situated in the hot heart of the city, it is about 15 minutes from the international airport where I long had visions of flying up in jet planes and visit the places I want to see in the world. Now the jets are just a stone’s throw away.

But this is the Secret: Long before I was granted the title for ownership- without me knowing how it would be possible- I already started collecting all the small things I wanted for the place and imagined how they’d look there. Or the things I would need when I bathe in the pool or how even floating on the water would feel like. (Yes, I am that ASS-YOU-ME-ing- assuming!). A fridge magnet, a wine rack, a chime, some cappuccino cups… until there were the brocade curtains and Japanese mats and fancy bed sheets and glasses for lemonade during morning swim – each and every small thing leads to the great possibility of the bigger things. See how faith moves mountains! (– or rather, gets you a house). Aren’t I lucky!

A great find. I haven’t gone around the neighborhood 100%- but for sure I can’t miss out this one.

Oh, yes. And what about the dream castle? Some Count will take care of it. For now, I’ll enjoy what I have.

Happy New Year! – and a Few Notes on Making a Chinois Banquet

Last day of 2008. First, you wake up on a blue- gray morning.

The lamp posts are still lit.

Then after a quick shower and coffee, you take the train, and walk down the deserted streets. Don’t wonder- it happens all the time. You welcome the fact that cooks like you have to go to wwwoooorrk. Period. That’s the spray of asters I was holding.

Kitchen yesterday, kitchen today, kitchen tomorrow….

Long story of mise en places… we focus on the pointers of how to prepare a Chinese banquet.
First, the ‘lucky colors’ must be there. The reds, the greens, the yellows… The reds most specially.

Second, the ‘lucky shapes’ must be there, too. The circles, the globes… the Chinese are fond of the term ‘infinity’- whether it is health or love or prosperity.

There you go, Red Crabs in Garlic Butter with Leeks; Steamed Rice, which, when I was at the height of non- resistance, I played around with the parsley.

Third, ‘heads and tails’ must all be included. Thou shalt not serve a headless fish, nor shrimp. Featuring Tiger Prawns in Tomato Coulis & Concasse and Cilantro; and Steamed Grouper with Soy- Sesame Sauce

Fourth, make it very appealing and colorful to the eyes. The Chinese are very visual people and food is no exception. For the Roasted Beef with Red Wine Reduction, pipe along the Garlic Mashed Potatoes (use star tip for the nozzle- they will notice) on top of the buttered vegetables.

The Chinese are also sincere people. The way they ravage the banquet you made is an expression of their gratitude.

(My humble camera wants to give you its sincerest apologies- it knows it could have done better).

Happy New Year!!

Love Grows in the Wilderness

Before something ends, it is customary that we look back a little and wrap up on things- events that occurred, places we went to - anything that transcended our lives.

My love story commenced this year.

It went like this. I was innocently playing in the field like a sheep in spring when this… this tall, hairy brute that looks like… (scroll below), bottle in hand, appeared among the trees then walked towards me in long strides and said, “I love you (hic) … and I want you (hic)… so badly.”

I was thinking, albeit a little hesitant to pay attention because he looked intimidating, Who the hell are you, deranged lunatic?

Admittedly, for all my being commander in chief at the kitchen, I am extremely aloof with men in real life: the first to be nervous, and the last to decide – when yes means no, and no means maybe. On the other hand, I am always expecting that the man should impress the woman -a woman is nature’s most impressive creature anyway, she doesn’t have to try too hard.

Anyway, I saw this - let’s call him for now, Attila the Hun* - and what made me a little half afraid was the possibility that in the middle of the night, he’s most likely to shout, “Spartaaaaaa!!!”- at the height of passion than whisper sweet nothings in your ear.

Would you trust this man?

Talk about being wooed. This barbarian has a hypnotic charm that just got me.

The persistent wooing of Mr. Hun took some weeks until my heart softened like butter for pastry… and I started asking a few questions to him. In my heart, an unmasked affection blooms.

It is said that sheep people are secretive. Soon, myself and Mr. Hun had to escape the mad crowd of our working lives and sought some privacy in the field. Mr. Hun turned out to be a perfect gentleman despite my lunatic first impression.

Fortunately those trysts (where we rolled in the grass like animals gone wild) have never been in vain as I learned many things of my trade, reinvented my soul, and spoke amorosities in four languages (an ability I never knew I ever possessed). We read Neruda sonnets and food odes, ate ice cream, and talked what little we know about philosophy, existentialism, and Bushido and paintings and monks, watched the seasons…kissed like there was no tomorrow… until the stars disappeared in the horizon. We both agree too, that the Cirque du Soleil can give you that high without having to take off your clothes.

But one great lesson I learned is, for the survival and propagation of the species, bed skills are more important than kitchen skills. Oh yes!

FH: At a scale of 10, how would you rate yourself?
AtH: At what?
FH: In… bed?
AtH: (laughs) Hmmm…I know you’d ask me that...
AtH: 12.7?

No comment.

To cut the story short, oh, yes, despite the tugging and pulling, and loving and the resistance, the Huntress did have a strong emotion towards the Hun. He had about a dozen knives and is very skilled with all of them; can hunt, fish, and wrestle than me much better… and has a strong temper he could bomb cars (has no effect on me, though). And the truth is, I like men better when they have fire in their eyes. They are the ones who blaze the trails of life. Which he definitely has.

But what Mr. Hun has told me- and I too believed- love is not about the postcard perfect-picture of lovers nor the ring on our finger. While all of that is necessary us being physical and social creatures, them too will fade away for in the end , we are ethereal and spiritual creatures (his favorite terms). At the end of the tunnel, everything is posted with newspapers. Love, then, is all about formlessness. It has no structure- no cookie cutter expectations about how one should be. It doesn't matter if both of you are seriously flawed- love is continuous and seems to be always existing. You use it – to change your life, straighten your path in the woods, or rearrange your destiny- and love will never wear out.

Love manifests in the NOW – who you are, who you were, and who you will become.

Of course, my love story with the Hun, inexhaustible and perfect as it is…continues. The universe only adds to that which we already have.

*************

“…In you, the tongue receives a kiss, from ocean night:
Taste imparts to every seasoned dish your essence;
in you, I taste infinitude. “

-Pablo Neruda, Ode to Salt

*Name has been changed to protect privacy. We have to borrow photos…because it is a crime to publish his.

Love – and the Crème Brulee Analogy

Good thing blogging was ever invented. Whenever I write here and I write for myself – it is like casting thoughts out there in the universe – and know that the Source does respond in return. That is a good thing, isn't it?

I have a few thoughts on love.

For all that reputation in my brigade that Foodhuntress is an enigmatic, career- obsessed, man- hating Ice Queen (or once- and this really got me in a funny way- a client had said- “She looks like she’ll karate you”- hahaha), perceptions are welcome, but truth be told, yours truly is very much a crème-brulee romantic.

Can you extract poetry every time you eat crème brulee? Like, you tap the hardened sugar surface and there you taste the crème all infused with vanilla or kaffir lime leaves or lemon grass… and it softly melts in your mouth.

On the other hand, I observe too, that I had never mentioned in any one of my posts that I had a…lover...nor cooked for, nor mentioned ‘that sweetie’, 'that mon amour', etc.. For all this love discussion, maybe it is indeed time that I write about him.

Anyway, before 2008 comes to a close, I will be the first to admit that in this amazing year did I realize I had a…a… soulmate. (Or such).

Until next.