When I say juice, powdered drinks don’t count. They’re not juices — they’re sugar-laden chemical mixes. “Juice” means the liquid derived from fruits, whether freshly squeezed or bottled.

Having low tolerance for acidic drinks, I have learned to stay away from cirtus fruit juices. Very rarely could I drink pure orange juice and not get stomach pains. So, I learned to like non-citric fruit juices. Apple juice, previously considered by my family as a cure for infant diarrhea, became a favorite.

During the past two years, however, we have been experimenting with mixed juices, the kind that contain both citrus and non-citrus. Some are really delicious. Banana and lemon are a good combination; so are banana, orange and strawberry.

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Longganisa and tocino (native breakfast ham), often served with eggs and garlic fried rice, are among the most loved traditional Filipino breakfast items. Depending on which region the longganisa originates, it can be spicy, garlicky, sweet, colored or uncolored. Longganisa for breakfast is so popularly Pinoy that it is served in the humblest carinderia and five-star hotels.

But modern-day health gurus warn the public against them. Much like fast food fare has brought on an obesity epidemic in the West, the rising incidence of high blood pressure among Filipinos is said to be directly related to the consumption of these fat-rich breakfasts. But the fat intake can be regulated if you choose your longganisa and tocino well. Fatless tocino is becoming popular. With longganisa, you can see through the casing to determine how much fat there is. Choose the longganisa with the less amount of white specks and you’re cutting down on the amount of fat that goes into your body.

But is it just the fat content that makes health gurus warn against longganisa and tocino? (Read more…)

I’m not very fond of going to the public market especially in the morning. The stink, the mud, the poor light and ventilation somehow speak of the overall lack of hygiene. But of there’s one thing that makes an early morning trip to the market worthwhile, it is the wide array of rice cakes and native delicacies that you won’t find if you go in the afternoon. In the morning, you can take your pick from at least a dozen varieties of rice cakes — some with cheese, others with salted eggs and the sweet ones often sprinkled with latik (curdled coconut milk).

I was in the market this morning to buy pig’s blood. It’s Linggo ng Wika (National Language Week) and, as part of the school’s activities, students will bring native food. My kids are bringing dinuguan so a trip to the wet market was unavoidable. But look what I came home with aside from pig’s blood.

Soft and moist rice cakes made with brown sugar and topped with slices of salted egg. It was a late breakfast (it would qualify as brunch, actually) but I enjoyed every bite.

Where did I buy the rice cakes? In the market, like I said. There is a section outside the market where long tables are laid out and vendors of rice cakes and native delicacies tempt shoppers with the goods. The cakes are laid out in large bilao (shallow baskets) and covered loosely with plastic. Considering the location and the setup, the rice cakes are actually sold as street food.

Are they hygienic? I must admit that they were quite exposed. Many foreigners balk at the setup of street food vendors but, in Asia, they’re part of the streets. Of course, the hygiene issue has raised some controversy.

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Leftovers from last night’s dinner at Vieux Chalet was today’s breakfast. There’s some roast chicken, osso buco and rosti… for me — liver pate, butter and toasted whole wheat bread.

Liver? Isn’t liver fatty? Actually, you can trim all visible fat from liver. And making your own pate gives you more control over the amount of fat that goes into your body. Ergo, home made liver pate, or pate from a source you can trust, is healthier than eating canned liver spread or frozen liver sausage both of which contain a lot of fat.

The world’s buzzing with swimmer Michael Phelps’ breakfast. From The New York Post:

Phelps lends a new spin to the phrase “Breakfast of Champions” by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.

He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

A 4,000-calorie breakfast, no less. Well, I’m no athlete and I’m certainly not on a quest for an Olympic gold but if there were Olympic Games for cooking, I’d enter this dish and be hopeful for a gold.

What is it? Let’s just say it’s a cross between an omelet, a pudding and French toast — a happy marriage between Elise’s as-you-like-it breakfast casserole and Ree’s sleepin’-in omelet.

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