Holy Week = Ginataan

My memory of Holy Week when I was growing up was always of Ginataan.  

My Grandmother would cook different kinds of ginataan for merienda, halo halo, mais or munggo during Holy Week.

As early as 9 years of age, I was already known as the Mah Jong Queen. I could win 7 consecutive times.  

My Grandma would set up the mah jong table, each corner would have a mound of 25 cents.  My family and I would take turns playing with her.

The ginataan was always our merienda.

At 3 pm on Good Friday, we would pause for 5 minutes and then resume our game.  

37 years ago, that was our idea of family bonding.  It was not really gambling, in my opinion, but a way to interact with family members.

Hahahahaha our entertainment choices were either to play Mah Jong or watch, Quo Vadis, where the Christians were fed to the lions.

I asked Hermie to go to Guadalupe to buy coconut this morning.

My Goal: Ginataang Mais.

I called up Mona to ask her how to cook it.

I already know how, kind of, but she cooks it better than I do.  

My only problem is she does "tancha" and I always measure everything. I can't "wing it".  

So, I put the coconut milk and glutinuous rice in the cooking pot and then started browsing through FB.  I haven't had the luxury lately of checking out FB.  

Suddenly, I smelled something burning.  I thought Hermie was grilling eggplant.  

Then.... I remembered I was cooking ginataan!

Ooops! Tostado!

I transferred the salvageable rice and coconut milk into a teflon coated pot.  

I swear! Rice and eggs are my kryptonite! 

After the burnt incident, I just stood by near the stove and stirred it every so often.

My Ginataang Mais....

When I was in Boracay, I loved the  Ginataang Pinakbet.  I recreated it today, a meatless Ginataang Pinakbet.

That's just like cooking pinakbet but add coconut cream at the last minute.

Hermie grilled the Tilapia.  

I  could not grill it myself because it was so hot! Even if my house has a crosswind ventilation, I physically could not do it anymore.

I ate the fish with the boneless bagoong I bought at the Pinoy Food Fair.

My craving for  today is Hopiang Baboy with Condol!

Credit to Arnel Patawaran

I saw the picture of Arnel in FB this morning and I can't get over it. I wanted to take an Uber to Binondo just to eat hopia! But 300 per way is too steep for a P9.50 piece of hopia at Wan Kee bakery.

Now this is really torture and sacrifice for me,  there is something that I want but can't eat it.

Yet.

I am abstaining from something this season of lent but that is more for me than for God.

People say that we should abstain from things which give us pleasure during Holy Week.

Nothing wrong with that ... but for me, what is more important is to have a kind and pure heart.  

To be sincere in prayer and be thankful for the sacrifices that Christ had to go through for us.

I think that is what Jesus would want us to do.  To appreciate what he has done and not really recreate the "suffering" whatever form it may be.