Regardless of your race and stature and regardless of what he happens to be on his table, a true Filipino will invite you to join and sit with him to partake of the same meal uttering with a smile the words "Kain tayo?" (Let's eat?). Even if you happened to walk in on a family with food barely enough for themselves, you will still get invited to squeeze in to share the meal-- that is true Filipino hospitality for you. Now before anyone goes of their rocker to call me racist, let me stop you. I am not. I just love my country and people a lot.
Today's lunch is a common Filipino beef dish which obviously was of Spanish origin having been under their rule for more than 300 years. Every Lola (grandmother) has their own version of it and this one is mine (no I'm not yet a Lola and I don't intend to become one anytime soon) because unfortunately, I was too young to have been a lucky recipient of our Lola's legacy who to me is the greatest cook of all time simply because she took care of 10 kids without help and still managed to cook every meal from scratch on a wood-fired stove. Gordon Ramsay ain't got nothing on my Lola, see? I know for sure that if I had to do that in this day and age, I'd be writing this blog from inside a heavily-padded room with a 24-hour security detail right outside. I have only 2 children and yet there are days when they are able to drive me to the brink of insanity-- of course I'm saying this with nothing but love and affection in my heart.:-)
A tip for putting beef in a lunch box, it is best that you cook dishes such as the one here a day before because a.) the flavors develop fully and as a result tastes better the next day and b.) you can actually skim off the fat so your kid can enjoy a grease-free beef lunch.
Today's Lunch: My Beef Calderetta (spiced with Pimenton dela Vera) topped with Homemade Crinkle Cut Fries, Steamed rice.
Kain tayo? :-)
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