That Lady in Red, Explained

One of the great things about social media is that the mere act of going through one's feeds ascertains that one will usually not be left too uninformed about current trends. Well, beginning one or two weeks ago, I began to notice pictures of this lady in red, with a red suitcase, showing up on my feed, usually in memes or similar instruments of comedic effect. It wasn't until last Monday, when the image below crossed my feed, that my interest was really piqued:

Okay, so upon some research, the original lady in red pulling a red suitcase is Daniela Mondragon, a lead character in an ABS-CBN teleserye with the title Kadenang Ginto played by actress Dimples Romana. Apparently, in a scene from the show's current season, Daniela found herself dressed to the nines, fully accessorized and color-coordinated, but walking along a busy street in a working-class neighborhood, and the internet went crazy.

I could be wrong, but from how I understand things, it isn't even important exactly why she found herself in that situation, Filipino netizens simply loved the disconnect between her attire and her circumstances - and I'm fascinated by the question of why exactly that is..

Let's face it, there's something about scenes like the one described above that touch a chord within our collective national psyche. Just a month or two ago, I was discussing cheap luggage with a friend of mine. We were imagining a woman, otherwise expensively dressed and walking imperiously through an airport terminal, suddenly have someone chase after her with a wheel that had fallen off from the luggage she was pulling; we both had a good laugh out of that. I also remember a gathering I was at, years ago, where someone talked about how good the "Cliffhouse" sandwich was at UCC Cafe. Someone else then pointed out that the former probably meant the "Cliffhanger", which, in fact, he did. Immediately, a third person thanked the second person for the correction, stating that she would hate to be in the position of being at UCC, and ordering the "Cliffhouse" in a somewhat snooty tone, only to be told that there is no such thing. Everybody cracked up.

I don't know exactly why we find so much humor in such situations. Mabenta so to speak. Is it because we are fascinated by the financial ups and downs of people's lives and are much titillated when we encounter evidence of lifestyle inconsistencies? Is it because we dislike social climbers and celebrate gleefully when we see them meet a comeuppance we feel they rightfully deserve? Is it because we all remember occasions  of being slightly embarrassed when we need to dress up formally and therefore have a need to make light of such instances? Is it because we daydream of a world that we deem beyond our reach and thereby choose to just joke about the unattainable? I really don't know, perhaps it's a little of all of the above.

I do think that whatever the reason, or the combination of reasons, it does hint upon an inferiority complex we all share, borne out of being part of the Third World. I think we've all been conditioned to believe, and instinctively assume, that people in general will always try to seem more affluent than they really are, and so we find it hilarious when we feel such "projections" have gone awry.     

 

Schnitzel with Noodles

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells
And schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

This is meant to be an ever-expanding post containing my favorite foods. I've gone to great lengths not to use the word "best" so please don't give me a hard time. 😉 Taste is such a subjective, personal thing under the best of circumstances; and experience has also taught me that mine are not exactly similar to the majority, usually..

FAVORITE WINGS : Buffalo's Wings N' Things

THE WHY : First, the weird of it.. I take my buffalo wings without the sauce/dip that they are meant to be tossed in. If you tell me that it is therefore not Buffalo wings that I like but just plain fried chicken wings, I would agree totally. A BWNT wing, even with the sauce set aside, is seasoned in and of itself, and the amount of coating is perfect for my tastes. Lastly, the ligaments are all there, perfect for me to chew on and savor.

FAVORITE COOKIE : Mo's (also known as the Mess Hall Cookie)   

THE WHY : I couldn't tell you why because I don't know why. I only know that for me, as far as cookies are concerned, there's Mo's and then there's the rest.

FAVORITE PALABOK : Susie's
 

THE WHY : I'm not certain about the exact difference between Pancit Palabok v Pancit Malabon v Pancit Luglug. I think Malabon usually has thick noodles that are cooked in the sauce and topped with seafood. Palabok is on the other end of the spectrum, thin noodles that are only boiled and then topped with the sauce and some variant of pork. Luglug falls somewhere in between, more similar to Palabok but with thicker noodles, though not as thick as Malabon. Susie's serves Palabok and Malabon. I like their palabok very much because the thickness and firmness of the noodles are perfect for me. Come to think of it, the thickness of Susie's Palabok Noodles are probably more Luglug than Palabok, but Palabok is what they call it.

FAVORITE ICE CREAM : Baskin Robbins 

THE WHY : Because it's not too creamy. That's probably a statement of weirdness right there because there's "cream" in the name "ice cream", and I know that premium ice cream brands talk up how creamy they are, so most people must appreciate the creaminess.

But well, like I've said previously in some other shape or form: Shoot me.

A piece of trivia, in Japan Baskin Robbins is mostly referred to as "31 Ice Cream". The obvious probable reason being that 31 is much easier to remember for a non-english speaker than "Baskin Robbins" or even "Baskin". So even though there are literally thousands of Baskin Robbins branches in the Land of the Rising Sun, never look for it by name. Look for "31 Ice Cream".


FAVORITE FRIED CALAMARI : Chili's

Like everything else at Chili's, the fried calamari is priced a bit on the high side relative to the value proposition of this particular restaurant. This shouldn't take away from the fact that it's pretty good, and what I really appreciate is the consistency. With some smaller restaurants sometimes you can't be quite sure what you're getting, I guess it's not exactly easy to source calamari regularly. So I've noticed that sometimes you can get calamari, sometimes you get squid, sometimes you get large squid (lumot) and sometimes even cuttlefish. At Chili's, probably because it's a large chain and has stricter rules governing it's purchasing and sourcing and a more stable supply chain, you almost always get exactly what you thought you'd be getting when you order. Since my tastes are pretty bland, the vanilla-variety tartar sauce is perfect for me, and you do get a slice of lime that can give you a tinge of flavor that you can control precisely to your preference.




FAVORITE BOLA-BOLA SIOPAO : Emerald

This is not to be confused with its more famous celebrity cousin, the Emerald Siopao. The legendary Emerald Siopao is more than twice as large as this, has other ingredients like sliced asado, chicken strips, and of course, a section of boiled egg in there somewhere. However, what I have come to realize through the years is that after all is said and done, the best part is really the ground pork mixture that we have come to know as bola-bola. (it's called that probably because it is, essentially, a meat ball). Emerald's has a distinct flavor that I could identify even with my eyes closed. I couldn't say the same for the other ingredients of the Emerald siopao like the asado and the chicken strips, which, if I may say so, are fairly ordinary; so for the past few years I've come to prefer the bola-bola siopao. It allows me to focus on the best part. 😃