Normally I really wouldn't, but several people would have strangled me if I didn't announce over both Twitter and Facebook that I had finally succeeded in getting an Internal Medicine residency position in the United States. Thanks to all those who expressed their congratulations. My ecstasy is tempered by the sense of responsibility and the determination to be the best physician that I can be. Part of this is determining what's going to happen to No Special Effects for at least the first year of my residency. But first, let me establish a few things:
Medical school can certainly be a strange place for people who went through college together. In undergrad, you take courses in a semi-random order you prefer, but in medical school, everyone has to follow the progression in the hierarchy. So, being naive enough to ignore this, I thought working with my friend, who was a year higher in Biology but now a medical resident (while I was an intern), would be nearly the same as it used to be. Not so. For some reason, instead of my name, she called me "dear."
So, there are a few of you who are probably wondering what happened in the almost 2 weeks I didn't post on this blog. Big changes. HUGE changes. They are changes in plans, though-- as in real life, what I instead have is a giant stop sign in front of my face. You see, I failed to match for a hospital (read: the four hospitals I interviewed for went another way). What followed is almost a week of malaise, juggling trying to "feel the feelings" (as my friend Allen puts it), smacking myself in the head for inadequacies, smacking myself more in the head for realizing that there are people out there with real problems and this: coming to the United States to grab an opportunity, missed as it was, does not even rate. However, even though we can argue about what the factors were that led to this outcome were-- internal or external-- the fact remains that I could only have really influenced the internal factors, and that's what really kills me. (Especially since it worked for some of my Filipino peers, but not for me.)
"It's time to go back to the house, pack your belongings, and go. Home." In all probability I'll give it another $hot. Even though there are $ome problem$ a$$ociated with that. But frantic sublimation a week after falling flat on your face is a little superhuman, don't you think? (The start of the next application period is September.) Though I try to be a Tiffany, I usually end up a Rebecca, which is probably for the best because the last thing I need is Tyra yelling at me how to feel. But I am trying, Tyra! I want to take control of my destiny!
(or, Trains, Trains and Automobiles.) I think I have to make something clear about my travelogues: I don't write about a place where my itinerary isn't up yet. So, when I wrote about Akron, I'd already left. And I'm not going to write about New Jersey, New York, or San Francisco till a few weeks after I've gone back to the Philippines (which is April 4). Now, last January 26, I headed to Reading, Pennsylvania, which was my last stop in my interview tour. It would be self-contradictory to say that it exceeded my expectations, because I had none. Before I applied for the hospital there, all I knew about it was that it was one of the four railroads in classic Monopoly. Trips to Wikipedia and various other sites were needed. And now, I'm going to be one of those sites. I think.
I totally dropped the ball as a commuter, though. After my $45 Amtrak trip to the nearest Amtrak station, which was Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I had to spend $70 plus tip on the 30-minute taxi ride to Reading. And then another $45 and $70 for the trip back. Ouch. Greyhound ($45) would have taken me straight to Reading, though it would have been nearly a 6-hour trip from New Jersey. Although if I'd gone the extra mile and gotten a license valid in the States (and enough driving chutzpah), I could have driven from New Jersey or New York, which would have taken 2 hours. Grrr.
Oh, hello again! Some of you might be wondering what hole I fell into since the last week. What happened was that my laptop finally decided it's tired of this life and severed its adapter jack from the motherboard. I guess it's served me kind of well over the last three and a half years considering in the last few months its battery no longer worked and wasn't really in stock anywhere. So, not super-portable. And since that time, I flew to San Francisco and didn't acquire a new laptop until recently. And nooo, it is not a Mac. I know some design freaks out there poo on PCs, but I don't really get the belly-aching. I work remarkably well with a PC-- we have a rhythm.
Anyway, so I'm out here, and meeting two of my faaavorite bloggers (and, since my social Venn diagram isn't super-expansive, that means they're two of my favorite people as well), Allen and Joe, and Marvin (more on those later). Without my trusty sidekick, I was able to devote a lot of time to doing fun activities with my host family's kids (my cousins), like cooking lunch, helping with the homework, and indulging the occasional need for a playmate (though chess isn't really challenging against a seven-year-old, Mario Kart on the Wii is). And then there is the simple joy of the Wii fit telling you every day to keep up the good work as you go through yoga poses in the exact opposite way you should be (screaming).
Pla Phad Phrik Khing This is my entry to Darlene's Regional Recipes event, this month hosted by Darlene herself, featuring Thailand. Check Blazing Hot Wok on the 20th for the round-up-- and I'll have another Thai recipe up before then. W00t! Also, you might like to read a short article I wrote about my biggest food-related Christmas wishes over at Table for Three, Please.
Again over the past 2 days I've been neglecting visiting my favorite blogs, because of a nagging headache from lack of sleep (to be remedied in... 8 hours ;). Since I got the news that I passed my Step 2 CS exam, my impending trip to the East coast has become more tangible. Of course, I'd booked that January 1 (gulp) flight weeks ago, but there was always that uncertainty, the fear that I might have flushed a lot of my parents' money down the drain if I failed the exam. Thankfully, that isn't the case and now I have to worry about my interviews and how I'm going to spend my days in a very, very, very cold country (it's 80°F-- 26°C here, at night) without valuable parts of my body falling off. At the same time I'm wondering what the hell makes scarves so expensive ($30 on average here), and if it's a bad sign that the super-cute 2-pack of skull and crossbones beanies/skullcaps I found at Debenham's fit me well, even though they're for boys age seven (didn't buy them yet-- looking for a hat that makes my head look... Bigger, apparently).
My home base during that time will be Middlesex, New Jersey, and leave it to me to try to find a way to make the suburbs verrrry interesting (will it be MORE fun than El Segundo?). So far my interviews are in:
Akron, Ohio (staying January 11-13) BRRR!!!
New York (The Bronx), New York (January 16)
Chicago, Illinois (staying January 21-24)
Reading, Pennsylvania (staying January 25-26).
Hopefully there will be more interviews aside from those. I'm pretty pumped about the places I'm going to (would I be Manggy if I wasn't?), but it would do wonders for my confidence now if I felt... I dunno, wanted by more hospitals. But no matter what happens, I'll do my best and enjoy myself as best as I can, and of course you guys will once more be subject to WAY too many pictures! (Hopefully none of me getting slammed into a pile of garbage. New York fascinates and frightens me. By the way, that is a reference to 30 Rock Season 1, episode 20: "Cleveland." I won't spoil it. Watch it. Damn Youtube removed that clip I love so much.)
Sooo... As a substitute, we have Kylie. No reason.
As for meeting bloggers-- I'd love to, but it's freaky to invite myself to things. The main reasons why I had the moxie to ask Todd and Diane and Marvin to meet with me in El Segundo was because Todd and Diane had invited me to a party long before, and a mutual friend assured me Marvin would love to meet me (plus, he's kind of a homeboy, so...). And even then I was deathly afraid of letting them down. Hopefully in a few days I'll get everything straightened out. For sure I'll want to see Ann (and I'm pretttty sure she'll want to see me. I hope). I won't cause any more undue pressure by naming names, but you'll know if it worked out... When I post the pictures :)
Oh, and why aren't there any West coast hospitals? Believe me, I checked. The specific recruitment policies make it very difficult for non-residents of the United States to even think of applying. This is also my contribution to Maryann and Joe'sSeven Fishes Feast blog event! Contribute a fish/shellfish dish by the 19th and you might win a wonderful basket of goodies!
Pla Phad Phrik Khing adapted from The Celadon Restaurant at the Sukhothai Hotel, Bangkok (Gourmet February 2004) This is an extremely easy recipe from one of the high-end restaurants of Bangkok. I'm not sure if it's a function of the brand of red curry paste I used, but I found the end result a tad salty (my dad gave it two thumbs up, though). Since the sauce requires only the barest minimum of cooking after seasoning, you're definitely free to adjust the amount of either dried shrimp or fish sauce without fear of wrecking the whole dish, and it'll be perfect. Oh-- and this is quite spicy. Juz the way I like.
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
About 4 cups vegetable oil (I used about one... come on)
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (preferably Mae Ploy brand)
1 14-oz (397mL) can unsweetened coconut milk at room temperature, stirred well (I used one 50g packet of coconut milk powder dissolved in 400mL hot water)
1-1/2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 lb (1kg) skinless snapper fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Asian rice flour (not sweet-- I used cornstarch)
About 10 Chinese long beans (snake beans or string beans) or 4oz (120g) green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
Grind dried shrimp in an electric coffee or spice grinder until fluffy, about 1 minute. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook curry paste, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add coconut milk gradually, whisking until smooth, then add fish sauce and sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in ground shrimp, then remove from heat and keep covered.
Heat 1 inch oil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan until it registers 375°F (190°C) on thermometer (eh, I wasn't that exact, for once). Pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt. Dredge in rice flour, shaking off excess, and arrange in 1 layer on a plate.
Cook beans in oil 30 seconds and transfer to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 375°F (190°C) and fry fish in 2 batches, turning, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer fish to fresh paper towels to drain. Bring curry sauce to a simmer, then add fish and cook, turning fish gently to coat with sauce, about 1 minute.
Serve fish curry with long beans scattered on top. For styling purposes, I reserved a few drained fillets to place on top and drizzled some of the remaining curry sauce over.
We now return to our irregularly-scheduled tour of El Segundo. Anyone who's surprised that I'm able to write TWO posts about a city that's so under the radar obviously hasn't gotten the hang of my posts and comments (though I have a feeling that some bloggers might actually hate my smiley, upbeat comments). Well, that's just the kind of person I am. We're going to finish this series with downtown El Segundo, which consists of Main Street (above)... ... and Richmond Street, just one street parallel to Main. It's a 20-minute walk down Grand Avenue from Sepulveda Boulevard, but you can take the 124 Bus for only $1.25. I did so once, and the token thingy was broken so the driver just let me ride. I was confused when I disembarked (I didn't know you didn't have to pay if the thingy was broken) and I stupidly dumped $1.25 down Ms. Driver's lunch pack. Ms. Driver laughed and gave me my money back, saying she can't accept it. She must have thought it was a tip. I wanted to get a closer look at these young skaters and maybe ask them to do a trick, but many couldn't even manage an Ollie. Plus, I didn't want to appear like the youngest pederast ever so I stole this shot from a distance. I actually saw a bunch of cute schoolchildren walking to school with their teacher, and it was such a perfect scene but I didn't want to alarm the teacher or anger the parents by taking a shot, so I let it go. How would the photographers/ travelers among you go about it? I am paranoid of other people's paranoia. This is El Segundo High School on Main Street. The architecture is so well-done that I actually thought it was a University. Gazebo opposite the school. There was a creepy shirtless guy walking around in circles a short distance from this. It still doesn't compare to the guy I saw tweaking (er, in a druggie way) in front of Westfield in San Francisco. Speaking of which, I saw a shirtless guy and his maybe 7 year-old shirtless daughter or sister enter a Carl's Jr. Am I being too much of a prude by being freaked out or am I right? The still-active Old Town Music Hall. Did not get a chance to go in, unfortunately. :( Beautiful house on Main Street, with an Arts and Crafts Influence-- my favorite style. Halloween-ready house in Grand Avenue. We don't go all-out in celebrating Halloween in this country, so I was quite amused to find that someone went through the trouble of boarding up their windows. Four weeks in advance. The day before I left, my friends who were awaiting their residency interviews discovered I was lurking and insisted that we meet up. Aren't they pretty? Aren't I chopped liver with a sprinkling of ugly powder? (Well, at least when you put me beside them-- they were my groupmates for almost all of medical school-- the ones I was with in story #5 here.) If you spend maybe five seconds with me, you'd know that a nightclub is one of the last places you'd find me. But take note I said "last places"-- not "never". The five of us (the girls' male companions) went to The Shore at Hermosa Beach after a long day of shopping. I ate a $6 chicken katsu (half-off during happy hour) that was okay, but I was more surprised by how much I enjoyed the musical act. If you spend TWO seconds with me, you'd guess correctly that there is not a single rap song on my iPod. There have been several times in the past where I invoke the power of rap to make people laugh (you should hear me do BEP-- or not), because it's so dissonant with my personality. But I was very impressed with Mr. Douglas-- very passionate and angry-sounding.
I did say, "Oh my God! Edward Norton is our MC!" though. Back to the food. This shuttered-up El Segundo bakery is a sad metaphor for the state of pastries in general in the area. A bit of a disappointment for a sweet tooth like me, but there's still plenty of highly-recommended restaurants in the area, in case you have a few hours' layover at LAX. One such place is Big Mike's Cheesesteaks on Main Street. If actual Philadelphia does a better job at cheesesteaks than Big Mike, I'll be beyond impressed indeed. For $5.25 you can get a 6-inch pizza cheesesteak (basically a cheesesteak with a little tomato sauce and herbs), though it seemed like more than 6 inches at the time. I didn't finish it, even if it was so good. From now on, whenever I'm hungry, my mind will return to the few clumps of thinly-sliced steak that I didn't eat. Sigh. After I'd been surrounded by Latinos and Latino music for a few days, I thought it would be a total shame not to eat authentic Mexican food while in Los Angeles. I chose the place that boasted being the "Best in the South Bay", El Tarasco. I had an Enchilada, of course, which came with a chile relleno (my first time), giant chips and salsa, refried beans, and a drink. Though the enchilada was verrry good-- moist and tender inside-- I still preferred the ones at Tia Maria's here in Manila. Because their sauce is slightly sweet, which I realize must be sacrilege to some, but that's my taste. The only disappointment was the relleno, which was sour, not that spicy, and greasy-- just not my thing.
I have another question. If the change is approximate to the amount that you should tip, is it customary for waiters not to bring you your change (or even a receipt) at all? I find this very strange, especially since I was willing to go over the usual percentage. I was supposed to leave a tip of $2 at El Tarasco, but after a long time waiting for my change of $1.89, I had to remind them and I got $1.50 instead, which is what I left as the tip (and they couldn't give me a receipt for some reason), since apparently the $0.39 disappeared into limbo. Another highly-recommended place in Richmond Street is The Second City Bistro. I love bistros-- the relaxed atmosphere, and the good, fresh, and fast food. Since I came in at 5PM (opening time in the evening), I was the only person there and proceeded to freak out the kitchen by taking a picture. It was a rare opportunity for me so I couldn't let it pass (plus, there are no angry parents to chase me with torches). I ordered the pasta with tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, and capers. It was very well-done (and very substantial, given it was only $8.50 and I'm just this wee person), though the tomatoes were very obviously about to go out of season, I think. I ordered the banana phyllo parcel with caramel, chocolate, cream cheese (!!) and peanuts, and it was a joy to eat. Definitely something I'll look into imitating in some way at home (probably very easy to make, too). Eight in ten doctors recommend Canon cameras for icky mirror pictures. Here's a tacky self-portrait of myself in full physician "regalia." I know I keep referring to myself as a wee person but Marvin reassured me that I was average-size height, which was quite a relief the day before my exam-- I was afraid of looking out of place, which would have affected my confidence. I think I did well enough, but we'll know for sure this December. Also helping my confidence was the fact that the weird tailors of the coat made the sleeves too short. I had to wear white inside so the difference wouldn't be so jarring. Originally I had planned to take a picture of what I was wearing each day, but I realized how douchey that sounds so I scrapped it. I received a compliment about my Rockman (Megaman to you Yanks) t-shirt. The cashier at Surfas said, "That shirt is tight!" At first I thought he meant the literal sense, which made me cringe a bit. This picture might have worked out a beeeeet better if I had stepped back a little and gotten the top of the cross. Yeesh. So, that's my summary of my five days in El Segundo. It may be a head-scratcher to some how I was able to stay that long while only occasionally moving to other parts of Los Angeles, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed myself and I was even able to score plenty of really good meals at that. Definitely not a bad place to make your home-base if in Los Angeles without a place to stay. Next time, I'd pay closer attention to the Bus Lines so I can move around a bit more freely. Alternatively I can just get a freaking international license and drive around.
That's the Opera House in Los Angeles, taken last March 2008. The picture is my brother's, using the camera that I now own. Originally I had planned on writing one more food post (there are quite a few on queue) before I leave for the States (Los Angeles to be exact) this Saturday, but preparing dessert for tomorrow took a little more time than I expected, plus I'll feel bad about not chiming in on the comments. To get all the details straight:
I'm going to El Segundo, California from October 4 to 9 to take my USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills Exam on October 6. It's a practical exam consisting of 15 simulated patient encounters. Wish me luck!
Tomorrow Genie and Vany are going to help me practice for it, so I'm making lunch.
Oh, yeah, I passed the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge Exam. I just forgot to say so :) Thanks for everyone's well-wishes!
I'll only be armed with my brother's PSP just in case I want to write e-mail. There's never a bad time to bug some people (you know who you are) :) Too bad my laptop is all weird right now.
I JUST learned how to really tie a Half Windsor (and I'm actually screwing it up, still). I'm pathetic.
During the next week you may be interested in my other blog, A Simple Life (maybe add it to your feeds if you like, since I don't write too often there). I plan to write two articles: one about medicine and the elderly, and another about crying on the job. For now, I just recently wrote about a strange dream I had.
I'll be back here October 11, hopefully with a post the next day.
"People do what they want to do. The rest is just excuses." - Maxine, Judging Amy
This is my 200th post. I started this blog May 31, 2007, and back then I had no idea I would ever make this much food. I thought I would be spending all my time designing and writing about life but somewhere along the way it got frappéd into the blog you see today (you should see the cakes I made... Fugalicious). This feels like a great milestone, made only slightly crappy by the fact that I haven't been performing too well in the kitchen lately (I think it's the rainclouds... They make me not want to photograph). So instead I'm going to talk to you about an important milestone in my life.
When I turned 24, I had begun living alone (recently being separated from my flatmates). Some people would probably go mad being incubated with all their 4-11PM thoughts by themselves, but I got to thinking about how I lived my life. I used to be completely obsessed with being respected, being noticed, and being loved (I like to think most young people are). And the GRADES. Man, getting a high grade was orgasmic, especially when they announce it in front of the entire class. Not only do you get respect, but when people turn to you like you're an authority, the feeling is just indescribable. Or maybe I just can't describe it accurately now because looking back it feels artificial and empty.
I don't know why I never realized back then that like all other things, popularity and recognition are ephemeral. You can't base your self-respect on them (castle on quicksand, that's what it is). I had to let people decide who they want to love without baiting them. I had to look inside myself to find a place that wasn't selfish. Changing your whole perspective on life isn't easy (or instant), but listening to the song above ("24" by Switchfoot) did help me to climb out of my rut, to bring the second man in me to life. It sounds maybe kind of corny, but the day I turned 24 was the day I shed the foolishness of youth and took my first clumsy steps to maturity.
Okay, so maybe it's not the best segue into raving about being recognized in a local magazine, but I do want to thank Wysgal of Rants and Raves for considering my blog "click-worthy" among Filipino food blogs. Me blushing. The cover is Amanda Griffin, clearly creating publicity for her reality series, Amanda Griffin: It's Mucoid. No, I kid. How could you not love Amanda Griffin? Among those featured are some of my friends, Joey of 80 Breakfasts and Marvin of Burnt Lumpia. W00t! I know w00t is like a lazy catch-all for all celebration, but I'm just incredibly flattered.
So let's have cake!
Carrot Cake adapted from Olive Magazine I LOVE carrot cake. I've tried so many different versions already, but the fruity and non-nutted kind with sweet cream cheese frosting is my favorite. I actually have a few recipes of carrot cake sitting in my library, such as one from Maida Heatter, one from Jamie Oliver (GASP! I didn't use his recipe!), and one from Dan Lepard. But I ended up using this one from Olive magazine in the UK. I dunno, it looked pretty in the picture! Sue me! What results is a very straightforward carrot cake, but delicious nonetheless. Someday I might use the other recipes (they have additions such as allspice and cocoa-- that's new), but for now, let's stick with this basic that comes together in 2 minutes once you have your ingredients ready. This is a 6-inch cake, perfect for an intimate party or a quick bite.
54g (6 tablespoons) canola or other neutral oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
80g (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon packed) brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
72g (2-1/2 oz) carrots, finely grated (about 2 small ones)
80g (4 tablespoons) crushed pineapple, drained and chopped fine
108g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Spray a 6-inch round cake pan at least 2 inches high with baking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil and eggs vigorously, until well-emulsified. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda and whisk until well-combined. Scatter the carrots and pineapple over the surface and whisk until well-combined. Sift the flour over the surface (a third of the flour at a time), and gently fold in each addition of flour with a spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
90g (3oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
75g (3/4 cup) confectioner's sugar
45g (3 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
Beat together all the ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Pile high on top of the cake (you will have a tiny bit extra for all the sugar fiends) and smooth with a spatula.
Before I started blogging, the only things I ever really baked were these chocolate chip cookies. The recipe is the urban legend, a false copy of Mrs. Fields' recipe that was rather good anyway. Good enough for some of my friends to ask me to make big batches for Christmas for them to give away. They remind me of my friend, Ads, who at one time while we were hungrily waiting to leave the campus for a teaching excursion, gave me some pinwheel cookies that were surprisingly moist: my savior. I promised her these cookies in return after the Christmas break (hoping to knock her socks off). Mission accomplished.
Our surnames were close together so we hung out a fair bit, being the best friend of the girl here. There were times that we did fight (because I was a tight-assed leader and couldn't readjust her schedule for her birthday out of fear the world would fall apart-- stupid me). But I mostly remember the good times-- Karaoke, her being the only one to congratulate me for my first commissioned poster (well, I pulled her arm to see it), and eating at my first French Patisserie. The lot of us had ordered several petit gateaux, and I told her I was pretty sure the Opera was a classic gateau with a recipe out there (oh, the days before blogging!) and that one day, I'd make it and she'd be the first one to taste it. But my fear of messing it up (and baking in general) hindered me from getting off my ass to make it until several years later.
There are times when I'd see a girl with long hair who moves a certain way who I'd think might be Ads, and I'd get excited thinking about all the things I've made since and how Ads would be so proud. But I snap out of it and remember that they couldn't possibly be Ads. Two years ago this day, she passed away.
I was shuttling between Manila and Batangas (3 hours away south) for my stint in community medicine, so I was shocked to receive a text one weekend I came home that she had lapsed into a coma. And a few hours later, she was gone. There were a lot of regrets expressed, many fingers pointed, blame passed, anger burning between the interns, doctors, nurses, and hospital administration. I still remember the anguish of her parents, and how her father screamed at all of us.
I don't know why we ever thought we were so invulnerable. That somehow helping the sick gave us a karmic barrier. But she was only 23 (I was 24). Diseases that make children ill (and at the Philippine General Hospital, many children came in fulminating states) easily latch on to us (this is an assumption, by the way-- there was no conclusive evidence that she contracted a disease from the hospital in the first place). I don't know when we thought the machinery was more important than the components-- that keeping the service running smoothly was more important than her welfare. But Ads was worth than that-- if I only knew, if I could turn back time, if I'd seen her-- I wish I could have told her to make sure she's okay before she continued on. Everyone would understand if she missed work. In the end, she gave up her life instead, being the dedicated doctor she was until she couldn't any longer.
Sorry, I'm ranting. The anger isn't there anymore, but somehow it's revisited on this day.
Please don't take the subtitle to mean that I consider myself to be a one-Michelin-starred chef. It's just that I was influenced to make this poached plum tart from browsing Gordon Ramsay's "Recipes from a Three-Star Chef", which has that inscription on the protective box. I doubt a star counts when you give it to yourself. But if I were to put down my actual star status, it would be No-Star Chef (and not even a chef), and if it just read "Chef" above my tart, you might think I'm talking about Lenny Henry's kitchen comedy. And if I were entirely honest about my non-chefness, it would read No-Star Nothing, or just nothing, and I'd have no subtitle.
But I will give myself one star for at least this piece of news: I passed the first step of my US Medical Licensure Exam! And not a bad score at that. I figured anyone who would care whether I passed or failed would be reading this blog. I just told my parents (left it to them to tell the family), and one friend, and one Internet friend. It's hard to gauge if your own friends might think you're a blowhard for being so excited about passing an exam they passed weeks or months ago (I'm the last among my friends to take the exam). Apparently there are people you'd give a kidney for, and somehow you still don't know whether they actually care about tiny details of your life. So I'm just putting it out here in the slight chance that you were worried about me.
Now, back to the tart: you might be wondering what I'm doing just browsing a cookbook/coffee-table book when I could just buy it and get it over with instead of coming back to the same dog-eared copy each time you visit the bookstore (er, I'm just kidding, I do handle it with care. It's still quite pristine). You see, for a giant cookbook, 3-Star Chef only has slightly more than 30 recipes, showcasing the exquisite taste of truffles, ceps, lamb, foie gras (I'm guessing), gold, and Fabergé egg omelets. It does have about 10 dessert recipes that look divine, but I've enough problems getting my own basic plated desserts off the ground here. That, and it costs at least P2800 ($62).
Here are a list of things I want that cost much, much less than that: 1. A cast-iron skillet P1050 ($23) 2. A tiny stovetop espresso maker P1700 ($38) 3. Digital instant-read thermometer with probe P1400 ($31) 4. Francois Payard's "Chocolate Epiphany" P1400 ($31) 5. Pichet Ong's "The Sweet Spot" P1200 ($27) 6. A microplane grater P700 ($16) 7. Petite dessert rings P415 each ($9.20) And for a few hundred more: 1. Guitar Hero Les Paul Wireless Controller P3200 ($71) 2. Ben Sherman sweater ($73)
I'm not really a big-purchase guy. I like slowly eroding my savings away with small purchases like CDs, DVDs, ingredients, and old magazines. It looks like the most reasonable and probably useful thing I want up there is the skillet, though I'll be busy and away for a while in the future, so it's not so wise to buy it now. The reason I'm not so good with following up buying big-ticket items like that damned sweater is that half the time I'm thinking, "I can buy 3 cast iron skillets at these prices!" At least it keeps me from getting broke.
Besides, I've already ripped off the decorating techniques of Ramsay's pastry chef: I didn't use this top view when I posted about my vacherin because the chocolate design became flaccid after 15 seconds of the summer heat.
Deeba tagged me to name a few songs that were currently stuck in my head in a good way (because: look at Ashlee Simpson's new video. Or not. Don't say I didn't warn you). A Bad Dream by Keane - anti-war song. The faux guitar solo (it's a distorted Yamaha CP-60) at the end is reminiscent of Lauryn Hill's Ex-Factor, which can't be a bad thing.
Get Back by The Beatles - I realize it's slightly appropriate because it's about immigration (not that I'm immigrating, but it's kind of tangential). But it is a really catchy song. Under Attack by ABBA - I'll admit I watched Mamma Mia! and it was okay. I actually like ABBA music, but mostly the non-hits. The layering of the vocals in the chorus is simple but it's damn catchy. By the way, this wasn't in the movie. Knights of Cydonia by Muse - I heard this was supposed to represent the Four Horsemen, which is a tad creepy now that I think about it, but as long as we're talking about layering: listen to the overlapping guitar and keyboards. In the VERSES, no less. Muse's signature undulating chords are insane.
Crazy on You by Heart - I read that this song was written under the influence of mushrooms. I wonder how it ended up making sense. Nancy Wilson's opening acoustic solo is jaw-droppingly good. Original Sin by Elton John - just a beautiful song about your first love. It makes me kind of starry-eyed and sad.
Yesterdays by Switchfoot - I was planning to use this song in a future post. If you don't feel anything after listening to the lyrics, you're a robot.
Poached Plum Frangipane Tart The concept for this I derived from Recipes from a 3-Star Chef but I got the corresponding recipes for the crust and the frangipane from Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson's Tartine. The creme anglaise is from Flo Braker's Simple Art of Perfect Baking-- I used it because it doesn't call for any cream. The sauce is supposed to be plum sauce made from sieved poached plums in syrup, but I ran out of plums because I'm not made of money so I used just the syrup. Obviously it turned out too sweet, so we just skipped it for the rest of the servings. I barely had enough for a big 9" tart and a single tartelette. I'm glad because the photo of the big tart looks freakily neon-- I didn't stage the photo shoot well enough.
Flaky Tart Dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
75mL (1/3 cup) very cold water
225g (1 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
150g (1/2 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and frozen (OMG GET A SCALE)
Stir together the salt and water and maintain very cold. I made this dough by hand, but the principles are the same when making in a heavy-duty food processor. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and scatter the butter over. Work the butter into the flour with a pastry blender until it forms large crumbs and some pieces of butter remain the size of peas. Add in the salt water and combine with a fork until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Shape into a disk 1 inch thick and wrap in cling film and chill for at least 2 hours.
Ideally you should be working in a very cold kitchen but I "developed" a method for lining a tart pan with a removable bottom very easily (actually it's from necessity-- the heat was making the dough too greasy, and you definitely don't want that to happen if you want a flaky crust). Grease the ring and bottom of a 9" tart pan. Working quickly, roll out the disk of dough from the center out in all directions (to ensure an even crust) over the removable bottom only until the dough circle is 1-1/2 inch larger than the removable bottom. Carefully lift the entire set-up (bottom and dough) and plop it onto the tart ring. Neatly and without stretching, drape the dough against the sides of the tart ring and roll the rolling pin over the edge to get rid of the excess. Chill the shell for at least an hour.
Classic Frangipane Coincidentally this is also Ramsay's recipe.
100g (1 cup) almond meal
100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
100g (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch of salt
10mL (2 teaspoons) brandy
1 large egg
15g (1 tbsp) whole milk
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and salt until creamy, then add the sugar and almond meal and mix well to combine. Add the brandy and egg and mix well. Keep covered with cling film in the fridge until ready to use.
Poached Plums
1kg (2 pounds) just-ripe plums, pitted and cut into 8 neat wedges each
400mL (1 2/3 cup) water
400g (2 cups) granulated sugar
In a pot, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the plum wedges and poach for about 5 minutes. Leave to cool and store in the fridge. The longer you let them sit in the syrup, the redder they will become.
Set a rack in the middle third of the oven and preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Fill the chilled tart shell with an even layer of frangipane and bake until the crust is golden and the filling is set (a knife should come out clean), about 45 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature. Drain and arrange the poached plum wedges on top in a decorative pattern. Chill until serving time. Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before serving.
It's my great pleasure and an absolute honor to host the 15th Edition of The Blog Rounds, a blogging event for the Filipino medical community organized by Dr. Remo of The Orthopedic Logbook. The topic I've chosen for this cycle is "Sex and The Clinics." No, it's not as plain as it suggests; I just wanted a snappy title. And I didn't choose it because I'm a perpetually tumescent 26 year-old man (haha). But I did excited when I saw that the previous blog rounds have not yet touched on gender issues in medicine. I remember when I was still in my fourth year of college, there was a lot of apprehension among my female classmates because of a perceived strictness in candidate selection for medical schools. This, along with several issues and curiosities I encountered during my 5 years in medicine, were all things I pondered on but could never really grasp. Until now, that I am asking you guys to write about it. There are so many possible topics to talk about:
I once heard that in the applicant interview for females, they ask if they have a boyfriend, presumably so they could weed out girls who might get pregnant and drop out of med school. Is this true? Do you think it's appropriate? Do you think it's unjust?
It seems that some specialties turn out to be boys' clubs while others appear to be sororities. What do you think of "gender-neutral" specialties? What is the equalizing factor in these fields? Do you think some specialties are inherently for men while others are for women? Or do prevailing traditions among each batch of residents that graduate perpetuate the fallacy? Are you a doctor who is in the "minority?" How has the experience been?
Do your patients expect their doctors (gynecologists, pediatricians, urologists, orthopedic surgeons) to be a particular gender? Have people encouraged/discouraged you from entering a particular specialty for this reason?
Do you find that many male/female patients are uncomfortable with doctors of the opposite sex examining them? Do they ask for chaperones like they should? Or do some patients actually prefer the opposite sex?
Do you think that men/women in the medical field are treated better/worse than the other sex? Do you sense preferential treatment or abuse? Is there a particular mentor/colleague who has exemplified equality for you?
Are you a gay/lesbian doctor? Do you think that being out has changed the way patients or colleagues perceived you?
These are just hints; please don't limit yourselves to these topics. The only prerequisite is you talk about a general or specific gender issue in medicine. Heck, it could even be about that naughty video that your colleague's ex has spread (just kidding; don't do this, though I will say that it happened to a poor soul back in my school). Guidelines below:
E-mail me at manggy (sa) gmail (tuldok) com with your preferred name and the URL to your blog post by Monday, July 7, 2008 11:59PM Philippine Time. Please also indicate if you want to be included in the well-moderated mailing list (just for announcements) if you are not already.
I'm looking forward to your entries!
General guidelines for writing entries related to medicine: So far in The Blog Rounds, everyone has been wise about patient confidentiality, so that's good. Remember that your entries are your own responsibility; no one is forcing you to write something you don't feel comfortable with. Always maintain a critical eye to the names and places you mention if the matter is a delicate one; hide them well and do not allow others to bait you into revealing them. Leave those commenters alone as they are making trouble. After finishing your piece, give it a run-through once (after any passion/ impulse has passed) and see what needs deleting. Make your entry an enjoyable one, but most importantly it must be enlightening.
Hi everyone, I'm sorry I forgot to tell most of you guys that I have a very important licensing exam (US Medical Licensure), and it's TOMORROW! My employment as a foreign medical graduate absolutely depends on a performance that is better than most Americans', so I can't neglect my studies. After tomorrow, the second step of my exam is on August 15, so there's a bit of time to dilly-dally and cook before I start studying like a maniac again.
So, here's the schedule:
Before 9AM - mass, light breakfast (so I don't go to the bathroom too often)
9AM-5PM - The TEST!
Vomit
Heavy, luxurious dinner (or a McBurger, whatever)
Sleep like I've never slept before
Morning gym session to burn off my nervous munching during studying
MARKET! And hope for great seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables that are exciting
Ogle all your delicious new entries over the past 2 weeks. Which now number over a hundred in my RSS feed.
Now the question is: how do I reawaken this blog with something exciting?!
Allen of Eating out Loud recently impressed me with his many talents, and it got me thinking about the last time I did anything crafty that didn't involve food. Sure, I got a design job again (will post about it sometime soon, when it's public), but it's been a while since I did some serious sketching. So I picked up my pencil and searched Google Images for pictures of one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite) actress Kate Winslet (and boy, my girl is NOT too shy to show off her goods). I didn't use a transfer or grid, I just did the stare-at-computer-screen-sketch-on-paper method, so some proportions may be a bit off. I love the freedom anyway. (Click to enlarge. If you like what you see, please check out my other sketches. You can also ask for a huge scan if you really like it.) Er, what do you think? I hope I captured some of her essential features (full lips, great nose, chinniness). I knew of her since Titanic, but lordy did I hate that movie. I really took notice when she was in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which was enough goodwill to erase Titanic and even gave me the strength to sit through the big, honking chick-flick that is The Holiday (I mean, seriously, she's the only reason to watch that movie). Some of my other favorite actresses include Gillian Anderson (also weirdly chinny, not to mention she also has an English accent) and Ellen Page (and all of this is out of X-Men 3, I kid you not). It's a little difficult for me since I don't watch many movies and my other favorites have a nasty habit of signing up for horrible, boring projects (Uma Thurman, Meg Ryan).
Speaking of Ellen Page, Entertainment Tonight recently featured the cover of the new Vanity Fair Hollywood issue, featuring: "Anne Hathaway... Jessica Biel... Juno..." Excuse me? Her name is not Juno. It is Ellen Page. Morons.
Anyway. I was hoping to get this out before the ice melts:
Click here to listen to a digital recording of me playing Tori Amos's "Winter." It's a song about a father's lesson to his daughter about learning to love yourself. I sang it and played solo piano for the graduation ceremonies of Class 2006 of UP Diliman Biology Majors (year above mine). I thought it was apt. My adorable friend Arnel told me once I'd finished, "So Manggy, when you gonna make up your mind?" Hahaha, he funny.
I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I don't think my presence in the blog world was prominent enough to name other blogs back when Anh from Food Lover's Journey awarded me with a "Droolworthy Blog(ger) Award" back in November. I didn't know many other bloggers at the time and I have to thank Anh for her part in my progress here; her linkage and good words have certainly helped me out. The award is for food bloggers who take great photos. I thought of awarding it only to men, but that might be highjacking the award and I don't want to be an ass (maybe I'll make the manly men food blogger award in the future, who knows?). I've refrained from including some very dear people who have helped me out big-time in the aesthetics department, but they are by now multi-awarded (not to mention with this specific award already-- specifically my bro in blogland Graeme of Blood Sugar and the lovely, lovely Jen of use real butter), so I thought I'd pass it along to other great blogs I've been loving recently. I feel a little funny handing this out as I'm not a pro and I use a semi-automatic camera for goodness' sake (my older brother's Canon Powershot G7).
Eating Out Loud with Allen. How did I find this blog? He linked to me and I found out via Technorati (he hadn't even commented on this blog yet, sneaky). I visited the site out of curiosity and it turns out he has a smashing blog of his own! Even if he just recently got a DSLR, his pictures are quite droolworthy already, and they really give you a sense of the imaginative home-cooking that is his blog's signature. Really a cool guy.
Spicy Ice Cream with Lisa. I'm not a designer (I just, uh, dabble), but Lisa is the real deal-- a young, vibrant pro designer. On her downtime she likes preparing food for her family in Australia, and I like her classic taste in food and uncomplicated style of cooking.
Cooking is My Passion, Baking Is My Adventure with Thip. This is a very young blog-- we're talking a month old, here. Already you can see great things in the future for the blog of this professionally-trained chef. I love desserts (NOOOOO. REALLY.), and even if she's just starting (?) her "adventure" in baking, I feel like she's been doing this forever, what with all the fantastic pictures and all.
La Vida en Buenos Aires y Afines with Sylvia. I promise that you will be very impressed with the amount of thought and effort she puts into each of her pictures. Sylvia has that magic touch-- she can even make black pasta look like fine velvet.
Fresh From the Oven with Mandy. I don't know why bakers in Singapore all have lovely photographs. Is it something in the air? Does the government give them a camera and studio when they start up? Ha ha ha. If you love desserts, your monitor will soon be violated by your tongue constantly licking the screen when you visit Mandy's blog. Everything really does look "Fresh From the Oven."
You can visit any of the other great food/food blogger links on the right. They're all on my RSS feed aggregator. I've removed food indexing sites such as Tastespotting from my feeds, because I really have to get a move on studying for the medical licensure exams. When it's all over, I'll put it back on. However, that also means less entries for this blog (not to mention I'll be making a short trip to California next month). Priorities! :)
So I was busy just a few minutes ago constructing a cake. It required tempered white chocolate, but just as I got the chocolate to the right temperature, the water under the bowl splashes and a drop of water enters the chocolate, seizing it and destroying it completely. I thought I'd be able to save it by remelting it, but when I got it to temperature again, water splashed into it AGAIN, so I thought I could save it by carefully throwing out the wet portion, but it was too late and it seized again. So right now, I am really tired and will try again in a few hours when I've screamed as loud as I can into a pillow. Kidding. I'm just sullen now, the same feeling I get when you perform heart compressions on a patient who coded but after 30 minutes of pumping his chest, he still dies. Of course, the latter is ten million times worse. But I still don't want to see chocolate for, oh, a few hours. Whereas if the patient does live, then it all suddenly becomes worth it.
Tori Amos playing iieee, one of my favorite songs from her From the Choirgirl Hotel album. Followed by Raspberry Swirl, another great song. Sorry the sound's so muddy.
The last time I screamed into a pillow? Was when I was working hard on retouching a giant antique photo, filling in all the tiny rips and spots of decay. OF COURSE, the power goes out (my brother for some reason switched the AVR off) and OF COURSE, I didn't save it one bit. He was very apologetic and I didn't get mad, I just said blankly, "I just need to... lie down..." AARGHHHHHHH (into a pillow)
So part of the therapy is sharing some random weirdness I snapped with my camera phone. This is from my favorite second-hand bookstore, Booksale. Amidst all the cookbooks, you will of course find the "Great American Deserts." My gestalt impression of the title was just as dumb as the sorter's, so I excitedly flipped through it and wondered why I was looking at huge pictures of sand. Classiest. Brand of paint stripper. EVER. Purified water distributors are a big deal in the Philippines. So how do you stand out? By paying tribute to 19th-century England. This is an old picture I snapped of the men's room at the Operating Room men's locker. Ladies, if you haven't been in one, men's rooms are nasty. I won't go into detail, but if there's no custodian standing by 24/7, pretty much anything gross you can think of related to going to the bathroom, you will find. I've been (very quickly) in the Ladies' Room at University, and wow, there was a vendor inside selling feminine things and a lounge. Not that a vendor can stand ten minutes surrounded by the stench of a men's room. For your information, "maraming bakla" means "lots of gay guys" and "badings" means "gays." And the drawing on the bottom left corner is apparently a muscular surgeon being pleasured by a woman. Also for your information, not all male doctors on the can become completely juvenile when given a permanent marker.
", which has that inscription on the protective box. I doubt a star counts when you give it to yourself. But if I were to put down my actual star status, it would be No-Star Chef (and not even a chef), and if it just read "Chef" above my tart, you might think I'm talking about 
