Healthy Shabu Shabu

When people think of Genghis Khan they usually think “bloodthirsty Mongolian conqueror who began a dynasty that would cover most of Asia and parts of Europe, and father so many children that a third of the world’s current population have their genes in them.”  A much lesser known fact is that shabu shabu originated from the great Khan as a means to efficiently feed his vast nomadic army.  Constantly conserving fuel, the army would dip thinly sliced meat and vegetables into a boiling pot so that it would cook quickly and also preserve the nutrients needed for a world conquering army.

Centuries later, Genghis Khan’s armies (and their shabu shabu pots) have turned to dust, but a culinary delight born of efficiency had taken root, especially in health conscious Japanese and Chinese circles.  In the Philippines, Candy Hwang opened up Healthy Shabu Shabu, which prides itself on sourcing only the freshest ingredients available.  Aside from the standard set of vegetables and fishballs and tofu that accompanies every shabu shabu order, the customer can choose from such meats as angus beef, lamb, pork, or for those who love crustaceans (I am not one of them) a seafood platter.

The bottom half of this post was supposed to be dedicated to the proper process of shabu shabu.  Apparently you don’t just dunk all of those herbs and spices in.  Not that I did that before, mind you.

…

OK, fine, so I did.  I am an uncultured bastard.  Betcha the Khan’s armies did it too.  Anyway, so this was supposed to be a process, but to be honest with you I couldn’t remember a thing.  I remember that you have to mix the spices all into the special sauce, and that you have have to crack open the egg and put only the yolk into the special sauce mixture.  After that it was a blur of dipping all sorts of foodstuff into the pot, and anxiously wondering whether or not stuff was overcooked or not.  Luckily the waiters are extremely nice, so don’t hesitate to ask them for instructions or to help with your dining experience.

One of the best things about eating in healthy shabu shabu is that I don’t fel guilty afterwards.  Normally after a big meal I’ get what I call “fat man’s guilt”, but since everything was boiled and nearly half the stuff I ate were vegetables, I get to go home full and guilt free!

Healthy Shabu Shabu has branches at Powerplant Mall (Tel. No 898.3979/895.6300., The Podium (Tel. Nos. 914.1028-29), SM Mall of Asia (Tel. Nos. 556.0354-55), Robinsons Galleria (Tel. Nos. 633.1979/632.1634), SM North The Block (Tel. Nos. 442.0036-37), Alabang Town Center (Tel Nos. 850.6633/850.6976), Robinsons Midtown (Tel. Nos. 526.2981/529.3983) and  Shangri La Plaza Mall (Tel Nos. 910.3272/632.7532).

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Landscape Practice

Inspired by the book “Dream Worlds” by Hans Bacher

I am on gamepolitics and I am amazed.

The last time I got this giddy was when I won two tickets to the Matrix Reloaded, and my name was spoken on the radio to announce where and when I could get the tickets.  A few nights later, after watching Reloaded, I  was more confused than giddy.

But this post on gamepolitics.com certainly has me in a tizzy, and I’m enjoying my 15 minute of internet fame as long as I can.

In a novel, if certainly controversial suggestion, Filipino game design artist Ryan Sumo argues that video game companies should compete with bootleg sellers in poorer countries by selling products with minimalist packaging and even allowing the pirates to burn the actual discs.

Sumo makes his argument in a guest column for The Escapist:

Piracy supports an underground economy and the livelihoods of thousands… in Asia, especially in countries where most people live below the poverty line. This underground exists primarily because its participants cannot afford the exorbitant prices charged by game publishers…

Publishers and console manufacturers like Nintendo are convinced that once they stop piracy, the money from all those lost sales will suddenly come flowing into their coffers. For whatever reason they never take into account their prospective market’s spending ability…

In the Philippines… piracy isn’t a matter of right or wrong; it’s a matter of survival. To eradicate piracy means depriving people of jobs… It means eradicating the businesses that employ them and negating the taxes funneled to the Philippine government. Developers and publishers will claim a huge victory, but they’ll soon notice that those billions of dollars in lost sales aren’t exactly showing up on their bottom line.

Hell, if I knew the Escapist accepted pitches I would have done this a long time ago!

My Escapist article is LIVE!

I’m gonna try not to overreact because I’m cool and badass like that, but this is one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me.  The Escapist is one of the most intelligent online magazines about gaming, and I’m proud to be on their roster of contributors.  And I get paid too, how sweet is that?

If you are interested in games, piracy, or myself, please clickety click!

Pale Pilsen is annoying

San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen has the peculiar distinction of being the one beer that fails to get me drunk, and yet gives me a massive hangover in the morning.  I never have hangovers with other beers, and they always have the decency to get me properly smashed.

Geek of all trades, master of none

Like a character that’s overbalanced in an RPG, I’ve found myself frustrated at times that I cannot find the devotion to hone myself in a single craft.  I have too much of an interest in too many things, from writing to art to photography to sports to beer to cooking and travelling.  I pride myself on this, and it makes sure that I’ll be more than well equipped to have a conversation with just about anybody, but the pitfall here is that I’ll never be a master of any particular craft.

This wouldn’t be a problem except that career paths require you to be  master of your craft.  The whole point of a career “path” is that you choose the one route to focus your skills on, much like a skill tree in Diablo 2.  I just like to dabble in too many things, stretching myself thin until I’ve wasted so much time trying things out that will never pan out.  And yet, if I don’t try them out, how will I find out what my craft is in life?

Sometimes I believe that world where your emloyment is pre-ordained would be best.  There was a sci-fi book that had that as a story element, I forget which.  You go into a room and they measure your brain waves and hey presto, you’re a plumber for life.  Sure it takes a lot of fun out of life, but I’ll be darned if it doesn’t make things simpler.

My first Seagull pictures

All pictures taken in Baseco, Tondo with a Seagull TLR and expired Provia 100 film.

Coors

It’s not widely known that Coors is being sold locally by Aisa Brewery, but I just had a bottle and I find that I really, really like it.  It tastes somewhat like red horse, but with a little less punch.  Anyone who likes tasting different beers should try one out since it’s ridiculously cheap (costs about as much as a red horse stallion).

Coors light, also known as the “silver bullet” is the third best selling beer in America and is next on my list.

I’ve stopped collecting now.

I came to two realizations whilst cleaning up my junk in the old house for the big move to eastwood:

• Sentimentality and a packrat mentality is all well and good, but the truth is you’re just accumulating junk that no one will ever find a use for
• I was collecting things for the sake of collecting them, and also so that I could easily describe myself to people

The second idea struck me as more intriguing.  How many people do we know use their collections as substitutes for their personalities? I like so and so band and I think this movie was awesome and oh you should read this book, therefore I am this kind of person.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that mind you, but lately I’ve taken to decribing myself by the things I am doing or have done, and less by the things I like or collect.  Whether that’s better or worse is a matter of opinion, but the former is much more suitable when moving into a smaller living space.

Hancock

When Will Smith puckers his lip sand tries to look drunk/badass/mean, he just looks like he was forced to eat a whole lemon.