Chef Popit

After our first 2 attempts at food blogging, the first at S.O.C.O (which we absolutely loved) and the second at The Goose Station (which left us a little underwhelmed), we excitedly leaped at the chance to feast on our third multi-course dinner, this time with Chef Popit.  Unlike in the previous restaurants, Chef Popit had a lot of sets to choose from.  Me and my friends had to do a votation to decide on just one set, and we ended up with the Amelita set.

We were supposed to have this dinner a good month ago, but last minute it was postponed because Chef Popit had to be hospitalized.  Thank goodness he’s back in good health and so we finally pushed through.  The dinner was going to be in his mom’s condo, where the set-up was done in a room that looked like a former library.

We had just one waiter, since the deal is, Chef Popit only serves one group per day.  So it doesn’t matter whether you’re just a couple or a big group, he only serves one group at a time.  So as soon as we were settled, the parade of flavors began:

Fried Tomatoes With Polenta Crust Topped With Tapenade

Our appetizer was an interesting crunchy little number.  It was completely new, yet there was something familiar about the whole thing.  It was funny because I was finishing up the last piece before I realized I was eating tomatoes.  It was a nice start, and it gave a peek at how unique this little culinary journey was going to be for us.

Turmeric Lentil Soup With Popcorn Shrimp

This was an easy sell for me, because it tastes very similar to my all-time favorite soup, lobster bisque.  My untrained palate doesn’t really know what the difference between the soups are, but same or different, I love both.  The soup was served in a tiny rectangular dish which would normally be a too-small serving, but knowing that this was an 8-course dinner, the amount turned out to be just right.

Cheese Soufflé On Salad Greens With Balsamic Vinaigrette

Again, the salad was perfect for me because I don’t like creamy dressing.  It just had balsamic vinaigrette (which is my usual dressing of choice), and it was basically regular salad, but with a twist.  The pièce de résistance of this dish was the cheese soufflé on top.  The closest I could think of describing the taste is a cross between a muffin and scrambled eggs.  I love eggs, so it was a hit with me.  It mixed well with the leafy taste of the greens and the tartness of the vinegar.

Tuna Carpaccio With Lemon-Sesame Oil Dressing

My experience with carpaccio is limited at best.  It’s basically maguro sashimi, pero maarte.  Carpaccio is usually raw meat or fish, so I was glad the chef chose fish because I’m not big on raw flesh of any type of animal, so fish is the least of the evils.  And although I don’t even eat maguro sushi, I must say, I enjoyed this dish, maybe because of the dressing or the preparation, because I didn’t get the usual gummy texture I usually get from raw fish (which I hate).

Spinach Gnocci With Pomodoro Sauce

The dishes that had come out have been bundles of surprises, and the next one was no exception.  It’s basically like taro, or radish cake, with spaghetti sauce.  The gnocci itself has a very mild flavor and that starchy texture that perfectly balances out the full flavor of the pommodoro sauce.  The dance of the different textures and flavors was delightful!  It was a fun dish to explore and it was something I actually wanted a second serving of.

Seared Mahi Fillet With Mustard Béchamel Sauce

This was basically a fish fillet over some raw beets and with a cream sauce.  I don’t like beets at all, but I decided to eat all of it anyway to experience the dish the way the chef wanted us to.  It was quite unique, because I’ve never eaten raw beets before and never sliced this way.  It’s like singkamas but less sweet.  I still don’t like beets, but at least it wasn”t so bad.  My least favorite of the dishes, not because it was bad, but only because the other dishes were exceptional.

Beetroot Roulade

Easily the most unique, the most bizarre, the most unfamiliar of all the dishes presented.  And to my surprise, it also was my most favorite of them all.  It’s so hard to describe, mainly because I’ve never tasted anything quite like it; nothing comes close.  It’s not exactly delicious, but it’s delightfully interesting!  It’s not tasty in the conventional way, in fact the flavors are downright odd, but for some reason my taste buds were quivering with enjoyment.  And after you swallow a portion, a swift spiciness suddenly darts through your mouth then disappears as quickly as it came.  I never tasted the spiciness while I chewed, only after I swallow.  Fascinating!

Baked Fillet Of Chicken Breast On Spaghetti With Pesto Sauce

Everyone had chicken breast, but because I don’t eat chicken, Chef Popit did the same dish for me, only with fish.  This was an okay dish, nothing fancy, plus I’m not so hot on pesto.  Those are the 2 pasta sauces I like the least: pesto and carbonara.  But to be fair, the pesto was really good, I just don’t like pesto in general.  Plus. I guess it suffered in comparison to the dish right before it, the show-stopping beetroot roulade.  And we were reaching the limit of our stomach’s capacity as well, reaching the end of the meal.

Crème Brulee

There were 5 of us who partook of the dinner, and it was unanimous: this was the BEST crème brulee we have ever tasted in our crème brulee-filled lives!  We couldn’t believe how incredibly creamy that little concoction was!  It was sooo good, verging on orgasmic.  This is what I’m talking about, if I’m going against doctor’s orders and eat sugar, this is the dish I will cheat for!

Summary:

This was what I was referring to when I was discussing what I felt was lacking when we ate at The Goose Station. With this 8-course dinner, I felt like I took a journey, a culinary one, where I was taken to places I’ve never been to before.  I felt excited with each new course, to see if I’d get to taste something new, like the beetroot roulade, or be wowed by a delicious version of something familiar, like the crème brulee.  I also appreciated the hands-on approach that Chef Popit took, by coming into the dining area every now and then to see how we were doing, entertaining questions we might have with the different dishes, and generally making us feel at home.  There’s something to be said about chefs who take time out to fraternize with the clients who patronize his craft.  It’s personal and it’s effective.  But in the end, no matter how gregarious a chef may be, it all boils down to the taste of the food.  And in this aspect, Chef Popit did not disappoint.  If I were shelling out good money on food, I would definitely splurge for a dinner like this.  The only reason I chose a least favorite dish is because the other dishes were stellar.  Overall, highly recommended for taste buds craving for something different.  If you’re looking for new gourmet explorations, I wouldn’t think twice pointing the way to Chef Popit’s condo.  Money well-spent, and taste buds that are happy for it.

The Top Ten Happiest/Saddest Quotes

We were going for glass half-full or half-empty with this one.  If you send in a happy quote, then maybe that’s what you are. If you send in a sad quote, maybe that’s your zone at the moment.  Many people texted that day saying they got a bit confused.  They didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.  Besides, it’s just different sides of the same coin.

July 31, 2009 → The Top Ten Happiest/Saddest Quotes – Sent in by: Astroboy

1. Amber – “The best feeling in the world is realizing you’re perfectly happy without the thing you thought you needed.
2. Charmed - “Smile! You don’t own all the problems in the world. Some of them are mine.”
3. Infrared – “Shared sorrow is half sorrow. Shared joy is double joy.
4. Mrs. G – “With both happiness and sadness, applies the saying, ‘This too shall pass’.”
5. Honeybunch – “Don’t tell everyone about your troubles. Half of them don’t care, and the other half are thanking their stars that it happened to you.”
6. Merski – “If you can’t find a happy ending, get a new beginning instead.”
7. Kitt/Myrrdian – “Forgetting something you’re supposed to remember is nothing compared to remembering something you’re supposed to forget.”
8. Wandering Eneri – “The downsize of getting what you’ve always wanted, is having something that would be painful to lose.”
9. Horcrux – “You won’t find someone who will never hurt you. Instead, find someone who is worth the pain.”
10. Hoyz – “Ang mabigat ay gumagaan kapag binitawan.”
11. Blutots - “The sad situation is not the discovery that my prince is committed to someone else. What’s truly pathetic is how I try to snatch the princess role for myself. When really, I am just the wicked witch who gets in the way.”
12. Drandran – “With time, looking back at tears can make you laugh, and looking back at at laughter can make you cry.”
13. Buchoy and Betchay – “We can do anything, but not everything.”
14. Radiance – “Success is getting what u want; happiness is wanting what u get.”
15. The TWO-ng/Honeybunch – “It’s sad to see someone you know turn into someone you used to know.”
16. Debbie – “Being broken-hearted is like having a broken pair of ribs; on the outside it looks like there’s nothing wrong, but every breath hurts.”
17. AyemMahyo – “The only thing standing between me and total happiness is reality.”
18. KathyPie05 – “For once, I’d like to find someone who’s afraid to lose me.”
19. Raquel – “We always give our hearts to those who care for them the least.”
20. Boknoi – “Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.”
21. Boknoi – “The vitamin that’s the key to be happy is B1.”
22. Cheryll – “When love is short, forgetting is long.”
23. KiD BuKid – “A useless life is an early death.”
24. Palaweña – “The saddest goodbye, is the unspoken one.”
25. Eien17 – “When thinking of giving up, think first of the reasons why you’ve held on for so long.”
26. No name – “The term ‘cool off’ translates to ‘I want somebody else, but I want to keep you as an option’.”
27. Awi – “The saddest part of walking away, is knowing you won’t be chasing after me.”
28. Doraemon – “One of the hardest lessons in life is knowing when to hold on and when to let go.”
29. Iminlikewithyou – “Death is life’s way of saying, “you’re fired!”  Suicide is your way of saying, “I quit.”
30. Blitzkrieg – “Loneliness knows me by name.”
31. Carisa – “Those who forget, don’t matter. But those who matter, don’t forget.”
32. Jarod Kelanen – “Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.”
33. Eien17 – “As I look up watching the balloon fly away, there’s an ice cream melting in my hand.”
34. Eien17 – “No man is truly married until he understands every word his wife is not saying.”
35. Eien17 – “Sometimes, fate draws two lovers together for the sole purpose to later tear them apart.”
36. Basha – “Sometimes the hardest person to get over is the one you never had.”
37. Awi – “Someday, someone will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked with anyone else.”
38. No name – “I’m so sad because I wanna be happy so bad.”
39. MistyBoi – “The greatest enemy of present happiness is past happiness too well remembered.”

Weekend Picker-Upper

For some strange reason, I really need something to pick up my spirits before I start the week.  I don’t why, but my emotional gasoline is running really low.  Nothing wrong, really.  Just off, I guess.  So I decided to post 2 videos that really pick me up when I need it:

Khamaka Brekker

Please tell me this is real!!!  Please don’t let this be some comedy skit made to seem like the real thing.  I NEED this to be real!  I was giggling like silly the whole time I was listening.  I want to be his friend.

Combined Effort

I’m a mess, I tell you!  I was a puddle of goo after watching this.  2 tone deaf teens, warbling a misbegotten audition piece, reducing me to mush.  I need help…

The Top Ten Lines From A Sexy Movie

Not surprisingly, some of the funniest lines in film come from bad sexy movies.  There’s nothing more hilarious than a misguided attempt to be sexy.  And if you fail miserably at being sexy, it becomes funny.  Just ask anyone who regularly crashes and burns.

July 30, 2009 → The Top Ten Lines From A Sexy Movie – Sent in by: Humdinger/Johnlang

1. Kid Bukid – (from a bisexual-themed film) “Ang bibingka mo pala, mas masarap pag may itlog na maalat sa ibababaw!”
2. RC and Cess – “Matigas ba yang tindor mo? Baka pag tinusok mo sa puto ko, mabali lang.”
3. Jameson – “Halikan mo ako na parang spaghetti…pababa ng pababa.”
4. Joeshred – “Ang gusto ko cat style…parang doggy style, pero sa bubong.”
5. Doraemon – “Sisirin mo ang perlas, malapit lang sa pusod ng dagat.”
6. Gooey Kablooey – “Bilisan mo at kakayurin ko na yan para makuha mo na ang gata.”
7. Maximo – “Malaki na pala ang mga papaya mo…puwede nang pitasin.”
8. Hellgirl – (from Machete) “Nagsasarili ka no? Kaya ka di nagpapahaba ng kuko no?”
9. OscarDelaHopia – “Ang makakapasok lang sa kaloob-looban ko ay ang lalaking may matigas na paninindigan!”
10. Keigh – (from Temptation Island) “What is a beach for but for bitches to bitch around with other bitches?”
11. Chorizo Solomon – Teacher: “Bakit mo dala-dala ang pusa niyo?” Student: “Nadinig ko po kasi yung nobyo ng ate ko, sabi niya sa ate ko, ‘mamaya kakainin ko pussy mo’.”
12. Amia Jo’s Dad – (from older woman to younger man) “Mas may asim pa ko sa sinigang ng nanay mo!”
13. Gracia – Secretary: “SIr, meron akong bad news.” Boss: “Ayoko ng bad news, gusto ko good news!” Secretary: “Sir, hindi kayo baog!”
14. Astroboy – (Woman sees man carrying many babies) Woman: “Lahat yan anak mo?” Man: “Hindi, nagbebenta ako ng condom. Mga customer complaint to!”
15. Greg – Teacher to noisy student: “Para kang sperm, ang sarap mong palabasin!”
    
16. Gracia – “Para kang kahoy, ang sarap mong sibakin!”
17. Herman – “Kapag tumibok, halikan mo…”
    
18. Chorizo Solomon – (2 kuto nag-uusap sa walkie-talkie) Kuto1: “Saan ka na, over!” Kuto2: “Sa buhok sa ibaba ni ma’am. Ikaw saan ka na, over!” Kuto1: “Dito pa rin, sa bigote ni sir!”
    
19. Sorento – “Cheap ba kung magmamakaawa akong mahalin mo ko?”
    
20. Young Indy – (from Pila Balde) – Pimp to gay customer: “Hindi kayo lugi diyan! Lakatan sa haba, saba sa taba!”
    

Girl Throws Puppies In River

**WARNING: contains images of animal cruelty**

Unbelievable brutality.  I know many would argue that on a daily basis cattle, pigs and chickens are slaughtered daily, and under much worse conditions, but I guess it’s the sheer randomness of the act, and the glee with which the hooded girl undertook the lurid task.  She was enjoying herself throwing the puppies to drown in the river.  I was sick to my stomach when @januaryfive sent me the link to this act of savagery.  YouTube refuses to host this video due to the graphic cruelty.  Micahel Bay supposedly even offered a reward to whoever can identify the girl in the video.  Many have said that the girl is Bosnian, and that Bosnian authorities are already looking into it.  The worldwide reaction has been so strong and equally violent, that LiveLeak.com, which hosts the video, has released this statement on the video site: “Whilst we appreciate publicising this video could lead to information that could be passed to authorities we would like to ask members that no personal information is posted here nor should any threats be aimed, or “action” taken, against this person other than to pass information to any relevant authority.“ Many fear for the safety of the young woman.  Many websites and blogs have used this as the springboard to discus the mob mentality that often pervade many sites and forums.  We know cruelty to animals is out there, alive and kicking, even in places we don’t even think it exists.  But this puts a face and an image that burns itself in the minds of animal lovers.  I think even if you’re not really into animal rights, you would be appalled at the display of callousness to life.  It hit a raw nerve in me because one of my cats, Aras, was a rescued kitten.  He was supposed to be drowned in the ocean by his owners and we decided to take him home instead.  I realize this could have been Aras’ fate.  So sad that there are still people out there who don’t value animal life as a valid life form, deserving of kindness and compassion.  But I had to realize that I could not use the word compassion and wish the girl harm in the same breath without reeking of hypocrisy.  Inasmuch as the video brought out, as ashamed as I am to admit it, violent thought in my mind, I realized the cycle of violence has to stop somewhere.  I’ve seen vlogs of people saying if anyone should see that girl, that they should punch her in the face.  Violence begets violence and it’s equally sad when people use violence to protest violence.  My only wish for this whole thing is for the hate and violence to stop, violence against animals and violence against humans.  Here is the video in question:

LiveLeak.com – Twisted Girl Throws Puppies in R…, posted with vodpod

Skin: A Nude Photography Workshop

As an amateur photographer, I’ve always explored where the next step will lead me.  From taking up basic photography, to studio lighting, to travel photography, to landscape, I’m always in the pursuit of whatever else there is to learn about the hobby.  Sometimes, you take lessons only to come out of it learning that it’s not your cup of tea.  It’s not a waste of time, because sometimes, the only way you’ll find out if you like it or not is to try it out.  I’ve always been interested to take up nude photography for the longest time, but I’ve shied away from it mainly due to the stigma attached to it.  There’s the idea that people only get into nude photography for the sheer prurience of the experience.  But since photography is about as close as I can get to an artform, I was up for the challenge.  Is nude photography just porn in formal attire?  Or is there art in the naked human form?

So when my photography guru, Leo Castillo came up with a nude photography workshop, I jumped at the chance, since I’m very comfortable with Leo having taken many classes with him in the past.  To a degree, although the genre is daunting, to say the very least, the teacher was pretty much a comfort zone.  But the actual teacher for the 1-day session was Raymond Latonio, also a former student of Leo.  So it felt pretty much like a family affair.  Of the 6 students, I was 1 of the 2 who were first-timers.  The others already had previous experience shooting nude models so I guess only the newbies were a bit nervous.

There were no lectures, everything was hands-on (but hands-off, modelwise).  We learned what we had to, by actually shooting.  We’d see our mistakes, and learned the lessons as we shot our model.  Personally, I’ve always felt that portraiture was my weakest genre in photography, and studio lighting my waterloo.  Even when clothed, I have a hard time communicating with models because I’m just too shy to tell them to pose in the way I want them too.  I just can’t seem to get the hang of it.  If you watch America’s Next Top Model, you see the photographer inspiring their models by egging them on, talking to them, getting them to react.  I have the tendency to just stand there, wait for the model to pose, then shoot.  This time, it was doubly hard knowing that the model did not have a stitch of clothing on.  Communication was essential, and I had no choice but to step up.

Frankly, after the first few sets, I got so wrapped up in finding the right shot, looking at the light instead of the model, and challenging myself beyond my limits, that seriously, I even forgot that the model was nude.  The novelty wore off quicker than I expected.  After a while, it was less a naked body and more of an empty canvass, from which we were to derive a hopefully compelling image.  It was hard.  We did about 9 or 10 different set-ups, different lighting, different backgrounds, that by the 5th or 6th set, I was physically and emotionally drained.  Trying to find creativity under pressure is harder than you think.  Per set-up we were given 3 minutes each to take as many photos as we could.

And of course, there is the matter of the thin line between art and porn.  Of course you can always argue that one man’s art is another man’s porn, and you would be correct.  I’m sure you can locate a man who would find the Venus De Milo an erotic piece of marble fetish, but deviance aside, one could always differentiate between a genuine attempt to artfully document the human anatomy and a soft-focus attempt to soften an otherwise hardcore porn pic.   But for those who can actually think beyond the narrow confines of the nudity=porn logic, there is a thin but sturdy line that can actually separate the 2 creative regions.  This line we tried to delineate, and hopefully we were successful.

If it’s a sexy shot, does it automatically qualify as porn?  Or as long as you avoid a frontal assault on the senses, does it remain safely under art’s wing?  Does it have to be clinical in it’s approach, like a photo of human bodies in anatomy books?  Or is it possible for a nude photo to be sexy AND tasteful?  These questions have raged on for as long as nude images have existed.  Many films have argued on these questions when defending their movies against conservative critics who label their magnum opus as pedestrian erotica.  Of course as a newbie, such a lofty dissection is far from my concern.  On my beginner level we just want to find as artful an image as our untrained eyes could muster.

By the end of a more than 5-hour shoot, I was exhausted!  In fact when I got home, I just ate dinner then practically collapsed into my bed and was knocked out by 8pm, the earliest I’ve slept in decades!  But I must say, it was nice to be challenged to find art in the naked human anatomy.  It forces you to examine where your borders lie in the realm of the question, “what is art?”  I don’t really know if we succeeded or failed in our search to find art, but we surely tried.  Maybe you guys might find some of my photos artful, while some raunchy, but I guess that’s the beauty in the exercise.  Inasmuch as it’s a challenge for the photographer, it also serves as an exercise for the viewer.  I must admit, it was a challenge to find which of my many photos are fit to publish in my blog.  I didn’t want to cross that line as far as my readers are concerned.  But at the same time, I didn’t want to dilute the concept of a nude photoshoot by posting pictures only from the neck up.  Kinda defeats the purpose.

So, that’s it!  Finally I got to experience a nude photoshoot.  I really learned a lot from the experience.  Being more of a travel and landscape photographer, it was truly a novel experience.  I’m still kinda scared of portraiture, and still clueless with studio lighting, but at least I’m a little less scared than before.  Would I do another nude photoshoot?  Why not?  It’s really just nice to be taken out of your comfort zone and see how you rise to the challenge.  Definitely an enriching experience.

Well, in case you’re interested, check out facebook.com/raymond.latonio and skin.photoworksacademy.com. They have another class on October 16, 2010.