I look forward to reunions of friends and family. But there is this one reunion I always hate going to. I won’t say which and I won’t say who. I just hate the forced cheerful togetherness, meeting each other’s relatives and new girlfriends and boyfriends and seeing old relatives always thinking that’s how you would look like 20 years from now. And then there’s this usual catching up as if you’re really interested.

But it has everything I like, too. The elaborate food preparations, the presents, the kids and the long day spent largely outdoors in a beautiful well tended garden. I also like the monotony or sameness of it. We do this every year. Same people coming in late. The extremely good food especially my tita’s kare-kare. And the breezy and starry night.

I guess it’s not too bad after all. Writing about it made me appreciate the reunion more. This year, I might focus on the people and learn to like them even just a bit. This year, I won’t focus on how good the smell of each dish is. This year, I will focus on the faces around it. I promise.

I went window shopping for furniture at the hip Cubao Ex this afternoon and I came across this store. The store features a lot of mid-century modern furniture ranging from seatings, tables, case goods, lighting and accessories. You won’t believe how fascinating those pieces from the 1950’s. I wanted to buy a few of the chairs but sadly, they cost a fortune. The price ranges from 10,000 to a staggering 50,000 for a single chair. The lighting fixtures are amazing as well. I especially like the murano chandelier but guess what, you can buy a second-hand car for the price of that thing. You can find pieces designed by Russel Wright, Hans Wegner, and Herman Miller.

murano chandelier

retro sofa

lucite chair

scandinavian influenced dining chair

Visit KARMA showroom:
Unit 58 Cubao Expo, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City
(02)4370748

If you only have to go to one place to shop during weekends, I suggest The Lung Center. And you can find similar weekend markets in major parts of the metro. But what makes it amazing is that it doesn’t only sell food, but has a clothing section, decorative items, handicrafts and artworks and it’s relatively inexpensive. If I had to compare it to something, it’s almost like an upscale version of our ‘palengke’ but bigger, more pleasant-smelling since it’s outdoors and cooler, if you do your shopping in the morning. My favorite things to check out: tofu, native delicacies and viands, gourmet breads, organic vegetables, antiques, handmade soaps, shower gels and lotions and the dessert displays of some shops.

Whenever I go there, I always buy Callos from this vendor. I have been there 4 or 5 times and have never been disappointed. Each time, I wanted to ask her recipes but was too shy to actually do it. You can also eat there. There’s a long table and several stools and it looks more like a carinderia. No fuss, just efficient service by very pleasant staff and of course, the food…Yummy!!!

There’s also a regular fruit and vegetable market plus fresh cheese and poultry. I wish I took pictures of my last visit but I was in a rush. I wanted to be early so I could get a decent parking. That’s the only problem with weekend markets, the PARKING!!!

My daughter is exhibiting a new attitude these days. After her therapy, we usually go straight home. This has been our routine for more than a year now and in rare cases, we would eat out or I would do my grocery with her. But for two weeks now, she cries whenever we go straight home. She would say only three words. GROCERY, SM or TRINOMA. Which means she wants to go to any one of these places. And I’m left with no choice.

So we tried out another restaurant in Trinoma. The place was CYMA. It’s a nice enough Greek restaurant. Homey, no frills, well-lit with open kitchen that contributes to the already warm temperature of summer. I think it targets families more than sweety-sweety couples because of the lay-out of the restaurant and the big tables, comfortable chairs. Service is just ok and and the restaurant is fully-staffed–from someone greeting you at the door and taking you to your table, a different person to take orders, another one to serve the food and refill your drinks to yet another staff to hand you your bill.

We ordered Saganaki Mozzarella for appetizer. I wanted to order the other version which was with goat cheese but the waiter suggested mozzarella because the kid might not like the goat cheese. It’s just sizzling mozzarella cheese served on a hot plate with garlic bread. It was reminiscent of what I do with leftover Quezo De bola during Christmas season. I slice it thinly and put in the microwave oven for a few seconds or until it bubbles. The saltiness of the cheese is not so strong anymore and chewy and rubbery texture is just like mozzarella.

For our main entrée, I had Kotopoulo Lemonato (grilled chicken with lemon, oregano, olive oil). It’s the Greek version of our adobo. But without the soy sauce. The chicken was tender and the sauce was a bit sweet and lemony. I kinda enjoyed its straightforward home-style cooking. I might do a similar version of this at home. It was served with potatoes instead of rice so I ordered Yemistes, stuffed bell peppers filled with rice, raisins and pine nuts. The Yemistes was delicious. My kid who is a picky eater loved this even though she hates bell pepper and spits her food whenever I try to feed her this at home.

My son ordered Fillet Mignon. He’s not adventurous when it comes to food. He orders what he knows and eats what is familiar. He tends to shy away from food that has too much cheese and pungent herbs. I didn’t taste his dish anymore because I am trying to avoid beef and pork ever since I started my detox more than a week ago. But I’m pretty sure it tasted just like any other piece of grilled steak. But this one comes with a slice of cheese. What kind, I don’t know. I forgot to ask. I originally wanted to order dessert but since we were too full to even take another bite, we refrained from ordering. I would have tried their Baklava.

The menu is full of interesting dishes– from appetizers, salads, soups, main entrées of beef, chicken, lamb, fish and seafoods to a myriad of desserts. But they forgot to mention that almost every dish in the menu comes with several slices of potatoes. I wouldn’t even be surprised if one day, they serve iced tea with potatoes. I’m not a potato person especially when there is rice available. I only get to finish my potatoes if it resembles anything close to McDonald’s french fries and Wendy’s Baked Potato. I kinda feel bad not finishing my plate and seeing all those sad, oil-drenched potatoes. I would have told the waiter to serve my entrée devoid of the vegetable. Well, next time hold the potatoes please. ButI would definitely go back if only to try their salads and moussaka and to hear the kitchen and wait staff shout “Opa!” when your orders are brought to your table.

“Opa!”