03.02.09
My Youngest Son, Aaron
Yesterday my youngest son, Aaron, turned 15. Sometimes life gets so busy, I forget to thank God for all the blessings He’s given me. But when your youngest son turns 15, it’s hard not to stop and wonder for a moment where all the time has gone! And then I realize that about 10 years ago in 1999, when I got diagnosed with aplastic anemia, I didn’t think I would ever see my youngest son reach his 15th birthday. I was told that if I didn’t do anything quickly, I would likely not survive another year. And I start to realize that God has really blessed me. Not only did I survive that year, but I went on to live 9 more years several of those years filled with fun and even travel. This year was even more special in that I was able to spend some time with Aaron, just the two of us, for a couple weeks in the Philippines. Brian and Matthew were with us the first two weeks in the Philippines, then they went home, and Aaron and I stayed another two weeks. And in that two weeks I was able to focus solely on Aaron and really enjoy his company and learn a little more about what he’s like. We talked and read together, it was very nice. I’m happy to say that he seemed to appreciate and enjoy learning about his Filipino side. Here he is wearing his first traditional Filipino shirt, a barong tagalog.
A barong tagalog is the formal Filipino attire for the men. Each one is hand stitched, so “supposedly” there are no two alike, although the basic design is similar to one another.
I knew that Aaron loves to joke around and play around with words, but apparently that’s not all he likes to fool around with. Eh, chicharon is also fair game, especially when it reminds me of Mr. Bill. Yes, I know I’m dating myself again, but those of you who know “Mr. Bill” might appreciate this picture.
I also learned that Aaron likes quite a few Filipino dishes, and one in particular that made me laugh was the pusit aka squid. Here’s a picture of the squid Aaron ate while in the Philippines. I laugh at this picture because he and Matty were eating this squid, but making fun that it looked like little monsters. So I had to take a picture of it and Matty caught me on video taking a picture of it. When they saw this they had to laugh again.
Well, yeah, that does look a bit sea-monster-ish, but the boys still enjoyed eating them, probably because they looked like sea-monsters, ha! So today I decided that since squid is easy to prepare, why not make some for Aaron’s birthday? They way I prepare it doesn’t look quite like the one above, but I like the way it tastes, and evidently it was okay for the boys, too. Here’s what the ones I prepared looked like. Before anyone gets too queezy, these are just calamari minus the batter.
It’s really simple to make. The ingredients are just squid, butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and scallions.
When I developed aplastic anemia back in 1999, I not only changed my diet drastically, but also my family’s. My boys were fairly young back then, so they ended up not getting a lot of Filipino food because for a while we all went vegan (two full years). We were learning how to eat that way, so much of the foods prepared in our home were westernized style foods, and then later more Japanese style. This recent trip to the Philippines really showed me that my kids really haven’t been exposed to much Filipino foods at all. Sure they’ve had a little, but nothing compared to what I had grown up on. So wow, did they (especially Aaron since he stayed two weeks longer than Matty) have some new culinary experiences.
As I was going to prepare the squid, it occurred to me that Aaron might like to see how squid is cleaned. So he helped me prepare it. These following pictures might make those who aren’t used to seeing raw seafoods a bit squeamish, but hey, calamari should be cleaned before cooking and eating, right? Here’s what it looks like before they are cooked.
And here’s how to prep squid before cooking. First you pull the legs off the body, yeah, doesn’t that sound lovely?
Then remove the hard part on the bottom half of the squid by just pinching a hold of it and then pulling it out. The part is embedded on one side of the tubular part (now doesn’t that sound scientific? Ha!) and looks like clear plastic.
Then from the other half of the squid, remove the beak which is located in the center of the legs. Aaron’s got a hold of it in this pic.
Just pinch it and pull it out.
Yep, the whole string thing and all. . .
Some people like to take the eggs out, too, but I like to eat those, so I leave them in.
Rinse off the squid, and I like to soak it in salt water for about an hour or so before cooking. And that’s it.
Along with the squid, Aaron’s brother, Matthew, wanted to make something for his birthday, too. He decided to make some sushi for him. This is his first attempt. Not bad!
He has tuna, cucumber, avocado, and rice wrapped in nori. Matty followed the instructions to make the sushi rice from a sushi recipe book. I think the ingredients are rice vinegar and sugar mixed into freshly cooked sushi rice.
Brian made Aaron some pancakes this morning out of organic pastry flour, egg, cashew-sesame milk, and a little baking powder. We make cashew-sesame milk out of blending raw cashews and sesames with a little water in the blender. We use this in place of cow’s milk. It whips up just like regular pancakes and cooks just the same on the griddle, too. It goes really well with maple syrup. I should have taken a picture of his pancakes, but they ate them too fast!
Andrew, Aaron’s oldest brother, contributed to the affair by eating everything. Well, that’s not entirely true, Andrew did cook a loaf of bread, too.
I really thank God that I’ve been able to live to see this day. I have to remember that each day is precious, and I should not wait until birthdays to remember that. I thank God for my family and am so happy that I have these days to spend with them. Another thing that magnifies that is on this same day the fire department was busy trying to coax a man down from the top of a church a few blocks away. He was up there naked trying to commit suicide. How is it that some of us what to live so much, while others just want to end it all?
Nice but crazy day, Aaron’s birthday was. . .
Marlakins
patti said,
March 2, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Marla,
I love your stories and pictures but I gotta tell you – squid? Oh yuck!!!!!!!! I’m too American, I guess. I will never do sushi, squid or calamari. I’d better never say never but you get my point!
I’m so glad you are here too and that you could enjoy Aaron’s b-day! May God grant the two of you many more celebrations together!
patti
Kim said,
March 3, 2009 at 11:17 am
Ok, pretty cool eating sea monsters. I love the way your kids embraced the new way of eating when you were sick. Yes, you have truly been blessed by God and I am sooooo happy for you, as I am not only a big fan but a friend!
Laura Evans said,
March 3, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Very cool to see how to clean squid!!!
Administrator said,
March 4, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Hi Ladies!
Thanks for the comments, and yes, Patti, “never say never!” Ha! However, I don’t know if it’s a matter of being “American” that you don’t or won’t eat squid or sushi because I would “guess” that there are some other things other American’s eat that you still wouldn’t eat. Just the other day I was reading one of the posts on another forum where this guy from Kentucky ate “possum.” Now I suppose I “might” try possum (I’m guessing that’s the same as “opposum” which I only know of as road kill here in Los Angeles), but my understanding is possums are from America and you generally wouldn’t have other nationalities but Americans eating that. Besides that, I know lots of Americans love raw oysters, caviar (raw fish eggs), calamari, and even steak taretare (raw beef and in some other countries raw horse meat), etc. I mean just take a look at all the seafood restaurants and bars that serve the stuff. It’s everywhere! I think it’s more of how you are brought up.
Having said that, there are some things that I would have trouble eating like high meat, aka rotten meat. Yes, there are some who eat that. I remember reading of a guy in Europe who wrote about a delicacy there that is basically rotten meat, but it stinks so much that he has to eat it on his balcony, ha ha! The odor is too strong to eat indoors. And I think the Inuit have been known to eat some rotten meat, too. But it’s not called rotten, but rather “high meat.” Now it’s not like you eat loads of it at one time, but in small amounts at a time.
Years ago I was in Amsterdam, and there were this little carts where vendors were selling food. One of the things on the carts looked like “belts” all lined up in a pile. I asked what they were, and the guy told me they were smoked eel. So I ordered one. He cut it up in short 2″ strips, and they were actually very good! But honestly, I don’t know if I could prepare one myself and I have a phobia of snakes and worms and such. Last May when Brian and I were in London there was this culinary program on TV where they wanted to go back in time and eat like royalty or the upper class. One of the dishes had eel in it and they showed the woman preparing this eel. She got it live, and it was a BIG eel, too, not no little tiny thin one. Well, she was screaming in the kitchen because even “after” she killed the thing, the muscles still flexed, so she could feel it squirming even while she was chopping it up! LOL Aaaaahhh! I don’t think I could do that! It has to stop moving!
Hi Kim!!!!!
Aw shucks. . . yer makin’ me blush. . . But the truth be known, I’ve always admired YOU! Because I’ve always felt that you really have a gift of encouragement, and so I liked you right away. I thought Josh was lucky to have a mom like you as I remember how you supported him so much. Like with his drumming. When I met you he was still kind of starting out with it, and I remember how you would take him to Sam Ash to get more sticks and stuff, and take him to his lessons which were a ways away, even building a special music room for him because of the noise, and later even help him set up his kit when he started playing at gigs. Its no wonder he’s such a good musician now and able to have a job that he just absolutely loves! The world needs more moms like you! There are so many kids who don’t have that kind of nurturing. And yes, I am happy that we are friends and that we have stayed in touch even though you moved away! Wah!
You know I don’t know why the kids were so easy regarding changing their diet. It never seemed to be much of an issue. We just explained it to them, what we were doing and why, and they were good with it. However, there is one incident that showed me that Aaron has a little trouble with it once. I picked him up from school one day and noticed he was chewing gum. . . Since we didn’t eat candies or gum, I was surprised to see him chewing gum, so I asked him where he got the gum. His answer? He picked it up from the “floor!” Aaaacccck!!!! I was horrified, but at the same time I thought, “poor guy must have wanted it badly enough to pick it up off the floor!” So I just had him get rid of it, and that was that. Told him how filthy that was, and it never happened again, ha! Funny how now he’s the pickiest of my three sons regarding the cleanliness of his food.
Hey Laura!
See, now you can prepare your own calamari and not crunch down on some plastic or hard part, ha ha! You can even chop them up and stir fry them with noodles or fried rice. You know there is a Vietnamese recipe I have that I have not yet tried that stuffs the squid with minced pork, onions, garlic, cellophane noodles, and the chopped up tentacles. The ingredients are firmly packed in the body of the squid and sewed up and then fried. Looks yummy to me, and the picture in my cookbook has the ends closed off with a toothpick. In case you see it at another Vietnamese restaurant, it’s called Muc Don Thit.
Okay, take care!
Marla
patti said,
March 8, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Marla,
I had to come back here because I thought of something that would make you laugh. Ron’s mom used to make squirrel stew. No kidding. He’d kill a couple of squirrels on their place (they lived on an acre), he skin em, clean em, and she’d stew them. Yuck! But you’re right, it’s perspective. Because a lot of people wouldn’t eat that and his whole family loved it. Said it tasted like chicken. Ummm, if a depression comes we may end up eating squirrel stew.
– oh yeah, they were east coasters then but I KNOW people do that out west.
patti
Administrator said,
March 10, 2009 at 11:44 am
Hi Patti:
Ha! I had never heard of eating squirrel. I mentioned it to Brian, and he said, “Oh yeah, people eat squirrels. . .” So I looked it up online and sure enough it seems to be more of an eastern US thing such as in New Jersey. This one person said they got a hold of a book that had a squirrel recipe in there! But you’re right, if a depression hits bad enough we might be hunting squirrels for meals! Yikes! Actually, I had my eye on pigeon or raising quail, heheh.
Brian’s other comment was that in so places of the world they eat whatever moves, ha ha! I met this guy once who told me about his dining experience in one of his African visits. This restaurant had meats from all sorts of animals, and these guys would walk around and you would just call the guy over to your table to get some of the type of meat they had. Reminded me of dim sum style serving. But basically he was saying that they had lots of different game meats that is not ordinarily served in the US like elephant, zebra, etc. Horse meat was another one that surprised me because I was never brought up eating horse. However, it’s a delicacy in many other countries in Europe and parts of Asia, I think.
So yeah, never say never.
Marla