Entertaining Made Easy
Prepians Came to Visit
I’ve discovered the secret to entertaining at home—without the stress and spectacle of party-throwing. I do my cooking in batches, usually during those rare weeks when my office workload is lighter and I’m in the mood for domestic pursuits. In one dedicated shopping day, I buy everything I need to cook seven to eleven dishes, my favorites, enough to sustain me for three weeks, sometimes even a month.
Between checking guests in and out of our Airbnb, my all-around assistant, Ric, comes over to help with the grunt work: chopping vegetables, slicing meats and fish, and doing all the necessary prep. I only enter the kitchen when it’s time to season the dish and test for doneness. Throughout the process, I explain, cajole, and—when patience runs thin—bark out instructions to my long-suffering assistant. Once the dishes are cooked, properly labeled, and stashed away in the freezer and refrigerator, we rest.
That is, until friends come calling.
Couples like Magtanggol H. Gecolea and his wife Ofie, with their lovely daughter Kate, visiting from O, Canada; our beloved neighbors from the north, Loy and Alice Sanchez of Seattle, in town for our school reunion; and Chax and Riza from the “new Bilibid Prison,” otherwise known as Muntinlupa, drop by—and suddenly the food comes out. Heated, plated, and spread across my kitchen counter, which doubles nicely as a buffet table.
In a tight condo space, every inch must earn its keep. Two soupy dishes—nilagang pata and sinigang na bangus—simmered on the stove, while three casseroles—pork adobo, Tagalog menudo, and paksiw na bangus—anchored the lunch spread.
Snacks arrived courtesy of generosity. Santy Enriquez, though unable to join us, sent a feast of treats: green Indian mangoes with sautéed bagoong, fresh buko strings in their own juice, and a big cup of Buddy’s halo-halo for each of us. Steaming cups of tea and coffee helped settle all that goodness in our tummies. Still, a leisurely stroll along the promenade by the condo swimming pool—complete with group snapshots—did wonders for digestion and whetted appetites enough to justify staying on for dinner.
Dinner featured spicy ginataang manok with fresh malunggay leaves from our Malibay trees, adobong galunggong, embotido from another thoughtful friend, more menudo, and the pièce de résistance: dessert courtesy of Nanette Inventor—her Aunt Betty’s famous sans rival. Common, ordinary dishes, yet capable of delivering immense pleasure. I grew slightly antsy, half-hoping they might stay on for breakfast the next day.
But alas, it was not to be.
By eight o’clock, eyelids were drooping, speech was slurring, and bodies were clearly ready to hit the sack. The day was done, and we had so much fun. As Apu from The Simpsons would say: “Thank you, come again!”
