https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2023/09/three-hours-excursion-and-dumpling.html
This is a collection of true felt stories, poems, news, ramblings and musings from Marinduquenos all over the world and other miscellaneous topics close to my heart.
Welcome and Mabuhay
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Two Hours of Excursions and Dimsum Lunch at the Black Hawk Museum Today
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Time for Laughter- The Best Medicine
My Quote of the Day: If I try to be like him, who will be like me? Jewish Proverb
Meanwhile here's a latest photo of my patio here at THD showing my bougainvillea is blooming.
Monday, September 18, 2023
Two Weddings and No Funeral this Year in the David Balleza Katague Clan
The David Balleza Katague Clan playing Philippine Mahjong at Alix and Brendan's Wedding{ Playing: Ditas, Carenna, Me and Dinah), Watching: Alex, Dodie and Yuka, September 2, 2023, Berkeley City Club, Berkeley, CA
The first wedding this year was Elaine Katague King, the only daughter of my oldest daughter, Dinah. It was held in the southwest suburbs of Portland, Oregon. The venue was a huge barn in the local winery with big space for dancing and out door activities. It was held on June 24, 2023.
Here's a photo of me with the bride and groom ( Kyle Joseph) taken at the pre-nuptial barbecue party for the out of town guests and members of the wedding entourage. I was the escort of the bride's mother (Dinah)-marching second in the line.
The second wedding this year was the marriage of Alix Carver Katague to Brendan Quinn. Alix is the oldest daughter of my son, Dodie. It was held at the Berkeley City Club on September 2, 2023. The building venue of the wedding was designed by Julia Morgan and is listed as a historic landmark in the State of California. I was also a member of the wedding entourage and paired with the brother of the bride, Philip Katague, second in line after the Groom and his mother, Marianne Caruana Quinn.
The following is a photo of me in my black BARONG with the Bride and the Groom looking dignified.
Carenna Katague Thompson ( my youngest grand daughter and Me) at Alix and Brendan's Wedding Day, Berkeley City Club, September 2, 2023. Carenna is currently in Belfast, North Ireland completing the Fall Semester of her Major in college, International Affairs.For photos of the architectural grandeur of the wedding venue visit:
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-berkeley-city-club-perfect-venue.html
So as of today, I have 3 grand children that are married. The future of my other 3 grand children for marriage in the next year or two is not encouraging. My other grandson just lost his job and marriage without financial stability is a big NO, NO! My other grand daughter is getting her Ph.D two years from now and marriage while in graduate school is also a NO, NO. My youngest grand daughter is only 20 and in college and expect to graduate with her Masters degree in 3 years. So Wedding bells maybe 3 years in the future in the David B Katague clan, unless my other grandson gets a job soon. Meantime, I am anxiously waiting for a great grand child from my other three married grand children, hopefully next year.
Here are more photos from Alix FaceBook page posted after their honeymoon. These are photos from the professional photographers. It looks very professional showcasing the Happy and Memorable Event in the life of Alix and Brendan.
Finally, here are my quotes for Newly Married Couples:
- "Two souls, one heart - a love story that's just getting started."
- "Here's to love, laughter, and happily ever after."
- "Together is a beautiful place to be."
- "From this day forward, you shall not walk alone; my heart will be your shelter, and my
- arms will be your home."
Saturday, September 16, 2023
A Welcome Visit from a Nearby Relative
Yesterday, Linda M and her nephew Jimmy Evaristo (from Concord,CA), visited me here at THD bringing with them, Kalderetta and Leche Flan per my request. In exchange for this delicious lunch, I gave them my THD lunch of egg salad sandwich with Chips and ice cream. It was not a Fair exchange, but my appreciation for the visit and for the food makes it an equitable and fair exchange. Linda's ancestral roots is from Marinduque, Philippines-my second home. http://marinduqueawaitsyou.blogspot.com/
Thanks again Linda and Jimmy for the visit and the Pinoy delicacies. They also brought two Filipino-American Newspaper-The Asian Journal and the Philippine News-Today. Here are the photos of the Kalderetta, Leche flan and the newspapers.
For those of you not familiar with Filipino Food:
Kalderetta is one of my favorite Filipino dish. It is a hearty meat dish using chevon (goat meat), beef, or pork combined with potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, and liver spread or liver paste. This is a popular dish served during special occasions and a regular in every Filipino cookbook. https://panlasangpinoy.com/beef-kaldereta/
Leche Flan is a dessert made-up of eggs and milk with a soft caramel on top. It resembles crème caramel and caramel custard. This delicious dessert is known throughout the world. It has been a regular item in the menu of most Filipino restaurants because of its taste, ease in preparation and long shelf life. https://panlasangpinoy.com/leche-flan/
Lessons for Today: What is Filipino Food? Filipino cuisine has developed from the different cultures that shaped its history; it is like other Southeast Asian cuisines but with heavy Spanish influence. Some ingredients of the Mexican cuisine, such as corn, tomato and chili, have also found their way to the Philippines.
Though its cuisine is not as renowned as many of its neighbours, such as that of Thailand and Vietnam, Filipino cooking is nonetheless distinct in that it is possibly the least spicy of all South East Asian cuisines.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that Filipino food is bland, though. It is just that instead of spices, Filipino food depends more on garlic, onions and ginger to add flavor to the dishes. Painstaking preparation and prolonged cooking time is also a characteristic of most Filipino dishes, and when done properly is often what brings out the flavor of the food, as opposed to a healthy dose of spices.
With over 7,500 islands, the cuisine of the Philippines is rather a mish-mash of hundreds of local, regional, and ethnic cuisines, and without any qualifiers, you would often think of ubiquitous dishes such as adobo, sinigang, lechon,and Filipino-Chinese dishes.