Thai Minced Chicken Salad

Minced chicken salad in red cabbage cups.

                              

With the unrelenting hotter-than-normally-hot weather that currently seems to be sweeping most of the Southeast Asian region, coming up with light dishes that require a minimal amount of time in front of the stove has been quite a challege. 

Mack Attack

Mackerel Ceviche

Although it's hot and humid throughout most of the year here in the Philippines, this month of April has been unusually so.  In all the nine years that I've been living in this country, this was the first time I have ever experienced any kind of heat rash.  Although my rashes have mostly disappeared, I still have been avoiding any kind of kitchen work and have been eating out quite a bit lately.  The same thing seems to be happening to Denise in Singapore, the author of the food blog Quickies On The Dinner Table.

All These Head-Inflating Awards

With the month of April drawing to a close, overall, inspite of a few mishaps I've told you about in my previous post, I'd have to say it's been a wonderful month.  With all these awards I've been bestowed, I can't help but feel my head swell up to the same size as Alaska. 

Batik Corn

Dear loyal readers,

I have been suffering from heat rash for the past two weeks and most of my body is covered with red rashes including my hands and fingers. To say that it's uncomfortably itchy would be an understatement.  This is a common disorder in hot and humid tropical climates.  I have been advised by my dermatologist to avoid engaging in activities that cause perspiration since it leads to heat rash.  So that means no cooking since I live in a small place that heats up rather quickly when I work in the kitchen.

Local Snacks And Delicacies

For my last installment of the Lenten foods that I consumed,  here are some Filipino snacks and delicacies that my friend and her very hospitable family offered.

Grape Seaweed Salad

Before moving to the Philippines, the only type of seaweeds I knew of in existence were those nori sheets used in sushi and kelp.  Being an island nation with a coastline double that of the United States, I suppose it's only natural to have such a large variety of seaweeds available for consumption.

Holy Thursday-Freshwater Prawns In Sour Soup

Even though my mother is Catholic, we never obsereved Lent or Easter when I was growing up.  Since I spent the first 12 years of my life in the Middle East where Islam is the dominant religion, I am much more familiar with Ramadan's rules of  fasting.  It's quite straightforward.  It's a complete abstinence from all forms of pleasure of the body including eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset. 

Holy Week In The Philippines

Being the sole predominantly Catholic/Christian country in Southeast Asia, as in all former colonies of Spain, Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is observed throughout the Philippines.  Holy Thursday and Good Friday are national holidays.  All offices and most business establishments cease operations.  Manila's population temporarily decreases by 80-90% as her inhabitants return to their provincial homes to visit their families and relatives  for the long weekend.

I was fortunate enough to be invited by a friend of mine to spend the Holy Week with her and her family at their farm in Bataan, a provincial town  77 miles (124 km) away from Manila. 

Here are some of the photos that I took on that trip.  Please join me on my trip for a glimpse of a rural Philippine town and its way of observing the Lenten season.

On The Road

On the road.  A view of rice paddies from my car window.