Zingiberaceae/ABC Wednesday

Spiral Ginger, Costus

Z is for Zingiberaceae

The ginger family, also known as Zingiberaceae, are a family of flowering plants consisting of aromatic herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, comprising of 52 genera and more than 1,300 species.  These aromatic herbs grow in moist areas of the tropics and subtropics, including regions that are seasonably dry.

Many species are important ornamental plants, spices or medicinal plants.  Spices include turmeric, ginger, galangal or Thai ginger, melegueta pepper and cardamom.  Ornamental genera include the shell gingers, torch ginger, ginger lily and summer tulip.

Source

Ginger is one of the ancient medicines in Asia and India, it's healing properties are popular in alternative medicine.  It is particularly useful in treating chronic inflammation.  Ginger does not cause stomach irritation, instead it helps protect and heal the gut.  It helps relieve nausea and destroys a host of viruses.

At home, we love using turmeric (Curcuma longa) in cooking.  I like its peppery flavor and  mild fragrance reminiscent of orange and ginger.  It is commonly used as food coloring and is one of the basic ingredients in curry powder.  It is also used to treat digestive disorders--it improves digestion, reduce gas and bloating.  Turmeric is said to shrink enlarged hepatic ducts, so it is useful to those with liver conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and jaundice.  It also relieves menstrual cramps and arthritic pain.

Raw ginger is often used here as a throat lozenge.  Salabat, or ginger tea, is a favorite drink in the Philippines during cold season, especially around Christmastime.  This drink is made from boiling crushed fresh ginger.  A slice of lemon or a twist of calamansi (local lemon) and sugar or honey are usually added to Salabat.  It soothes sore throat, eases cold symptoms and stomach aches.  Powdered salabat is now available commercially.

Source

The ornamental gingers are beautiful and this Red Cone Ginger flower is one of my favorite.  I have known this flower since I was very young.  My grandmother had a bunch of Red Cone Gingers around her garden, especially near the well that was the neighborhood's water source since the 1930's. The moist area around the well was a perfect habitat for gingers.

Red Cone Ginger, Alpinia purpurata

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Yogurt/ABC Wednesday

Y is for Yogurt

Growing up, I never like milk.  Probably because I was "forced" to drink fresh milk as a child when I wanted soda.  My father who advocated milk-drinking in the family tried to give us  choices--from canned fresh milk to soya milk, chocolate-flavored milk, Yakult, etc.  My siblings grew up to be milk drinkers, I am not.  And after a few incidents with milk products, I believe I am  lactose-intolerant.

When yogurt became the craze of dieters in the office, I tried it, too, but later declared that the taste was disgusting!  But I do like yogurt when used as salad dressing or as a condiment.  

Yogurt or yoghurt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk.  The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as "yogurt cultures". Fermentation of lactose by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and its characteristic tang.  Cow's milk is commonly used worldwide to make yogurt, but milk in water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels and yaks is also used in various parts of the world.

Dairy yogurt is produced using a culture of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus bacteria. Other lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are also sometimes added during or after culturing yogurt.

I read about the health benefits of yogurt and have been trying to find a flavor that I'd like.  I buy mango or blueberry flavored yogurt and just close my eyes to swallow each tablespoon.  Until I "discovered" frozen yogurt!

Frozen yogurt has the consistency of ice cream, and the flavors mask the tartness of yogurt.  Now, it has become my favorite snack and dessert.  I usually add some toppings like fresh fruits, cherries, nuts (almond flakes, macadamia), and choco-coated crunchies.

Yogurt has been around for centuries.  Records in ancient cultures of India and Iran, yogurt was mentioned by 500 BCE.  A combination of yogurt and honey was considered "food for the gods" in ancient India.  Medieval Turks used yogurt as written in 11th century literature.  Before the turn of the century, yogurt was a staple in diets of people in the Russian Empire, western Asia, eastern and central Europe and India.  18th century doctors believed that regular consumption of yogurt was responsible for the unusually long lifespan of Bulgarian peasants.

toppings

Yogurt is marketed as a health food.  It is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.  It has nutritional benefits beyond those of milk.  Lactose-intolerant individuals can sometimes tolerate yogurt better than other dairy products, because the lactose in the milk is converted to glocuse and galactose, and partially fermented to lactic acid, by the bacterial culture.

Yogurt containing live cultures has been found effective in a randomized trial at preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea.  Yogurt contains varying amounts of fat. There is non-fat (0% fat), low-fat (usually 2% fat) and plain or whole milk yogurt (4% fat).  A study published in the International Journal of Obesity also found that the consumption of low-fat yogurt can promote weight loss, especially due to the calcium in the yogurt. Source 

Linking to ABC Wednesday

U/ABC Wednesday

I was at the Luisita Golf & Country Club over the weekend with a group of shutterbugs.  This 18-hole golf course sits on a 70-hectare area bounded on the east by a sugar central and by a mountain chain on the west.  I noticed these patio umbrellas as soon as we walked towards the clubhouse.  Wouldn't it be nice to sit here undisturbed by city noise and pollution, under the canopy of ancient acacia trees?

The clubhouse is a 2-storey classic Spanish architecture with a huge patio offering an unobstructed view of the golf course.  The golf course is part of Hacienda Luisita, a 6,400-hectare sugar plantation estate owned by the Cojuangco family, which includes the late former President Cory Aquino and her son, incumbent President Benigno Aquino III.

This visit was part of the local government's efforts to uplift tourism in the province of Tarlac.  Unfortunately, we only stayed here for about 30 minutes to keep up with another group enroute to the national shrine.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Top-load/ABC Wednesday

T is for Top load

The jeepney is one of the Philippines' cultural symbols.  It is found in roads all over the country---in the crowded city streets, sleepy towns, provincial roads and rural back roads.  Jeepneys are symbols of our street life, the workhorse of Philippine transportation.  Through the years, jeepneys have earned a moniker "King of the Road" because jeepney drivers are notorious for doing as they please---unload and pick up passengers whenever and wherever, violate all kinds of traffic laws like stopping at No Stop signs, drive on lanes and streets where they are not allowed, bust people's eardrums with their blaring music.

Jeepneys have made an impression on our visitors.  I haven't met a foreign guest who has not been fascinated by our jeepneys.  Riding a jeepney is definitely one of their must-try when they're in the Philippines, and I bet they have interesting stories of their jeepney rides when they go home.  An American client was fascinated how the driver can manage it all---keeps track of each passenger, makes sure each passenger pays before getting off, receives fares and gives change while snaking through traffic.  Yes, a jeepney driver is great at multi-tasking!  

I enjoy riding jeepneys when I travel to the countryside.  The ride is inexpensive and it allows you to take in as much scenery as you could.  I admit it's not the most comfortable ride, sometimes it feels like you're in a can of sardines.  The fun part is, you get to meet interesting people when you share such small space with them.

Jeepney rides can give you an adrenalin rush especially when you take the top load---that means sitting on the roof of the jeepney.  There are places in far-flung provinces where trips are few and far between, and commuters have to make the best out of these trips, hence the top load sitting arrangement.  Tourists and thrill-seekers love the top load, photographers get the best drive-by shots.

Law enforcers discourage top load as it is dangerous but drivers allow it, and passengers ride the top load at their own risk.  Maybe I should try this one of these days.:p

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Shoepaholic

If a "shopaholic" is a person who is addicted to shopping, what do you call somebody who is a compulsive buyer of footwear?

A Shoepaholic?:p

I was in shoepaholic's heaven in late April when we went to the "Tsinelas Festival" in Liliw, Laguna. "Tsinelas" is a Filipino word for "slippers".

This festival is an annual event showcasing various types of footwear---flip flops, slippers, sandals, wedges, mules, loafers, slingbacks, flats, in different materials...all hand-made in Liliw.

We even visited a small factory and observed skilled shoe-makers.

These are fun but would you dare to wear these colorful wedges?

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows

Blue Monday
ABC Wednesday

Pastel/ABC Wednesday

P is for Pastel

The soft, delicate pink and green petals are best described as pastels.

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Ottoman/ABC Wednesday

O is for Ottoman

An ottoman is a piece of furniture with a padded seat, usually having neither a back or arms, and used as a stool or a footstool, or in some cases as a coffee table.  Ottomans have often a coordinating furniture with armchairs.  Some ottomans are hollow and used for storage.

The ottoman above was developed for DVF a couple of years ago.  The patchwork wing chair and matching ottoman below were in a booth of a Manila vendor during the Manila F.A.M.E.

The ottoman was brought to Europe from--you guessed it right, Turkey, in the late 18th century.  In Turkey, the ottoman was the central piece of  domestic seating, and was piled with cushions.  In Europe, one of the early versions of the ottoman was designed a piece of fitted furniture to go entirely around three walls of a room.  The ottoman later evolved into a smaller version to fit a corner of a room.

Ottomans took on a circular  or octagonal shape in the 19th century, with  seating divided in the center by arms or a central padded column that might hold a plant or a statue.  As night clubs become popular, so did the ottoman which began to have hinged seats underneath to hold magazines.

The birdcage-inspired sofa and ottoman set below was designed by a Filipino designer and a friend, Carlo Tanseco, and was exhibited at the Manila Furniture show 3 years ago.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Leaf shapes/ABC Wednesday

L is for Leaf shapes

I love textures and patterns and when I see plants, I'm captivated not only by flowers but also with leaves.    Various shapes and textures of leaves are fascinating subjects in photography.  There are more than a dozen leaf shapes but let's concentrate on the L's, shall we?

The leaves in the top photo are called acicular because of the pointed tip.  It can also be described as a linear leaf because it is long and narrow. 

The sharp, lance-shaped leaves of this plant has been compared to a mother-in-law's tongue.  It is also called Tiger's Tail and Snake plant.

Another lanceolate-leafed plant is the Walking Iris, also known as the Apostle's plant.  The name Apostle's plant comes from the belief that the plant will not flower until it has at least 12 leaves, the number of Jesus' apostles.

Papaya leaf is called palmately lobed because the divisions that do not arrive at the center of the half blade.  Aside from its interesting shape, papaya leaves have wonderful medicinal properties.  Juice from the leaves is used as skin cleansing agent, it also heals open wounds and sore.  Fresh leaves are edible; when boiled in water, it is an effective cure for malaria, and can be made into tea to treat bladder and menstrual problems.

These leaflets have fragmented blade, also called compound leaves.

One of the most interesting leaves I have seen so far is that of the Kalanchoe daigremontiana, or Mother of Thousands.  It has oblong-lanceolate leaves with clusters of leaf-like along the edges.  The tiny leaves form roots while on the plant and they grow into young plants.

"Nature will bear the closest inspection.  She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf,  and take an insect view of its plain." ~ Henry David Thoreau

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Jagged/ABC Wednedsday

J is for Jagged

These are jagged granite cliffs of Coron Island, one of the 80-plus islands in the Calamianes in northern Palawan.  The craggy cliffs have been slowly shaped by the elements over millions of years, they jut out of sea like some mythical creatures.  The caves in northern Palawan are also home to balinsasayaw (Collocalia whiteheadi), a species of swift endemic to the Philippines that produces a prized saliva---bird's nest, a delicacy for Chinese diners.  Price of bird's nest is no joke---a jaw-dropping P80,000 (roughly US$2,000) a kilo.  But the jolting fact is, the bird is endangered...so please stop eating bird's nest soup even when you have the money to pay for it.

The mysterious Coron Island is an ancestral domain to the indigenous Tagbanua.  The island and the rest of the Calamianes attract thousands of nature lovers every year. There are  lakes, coral gardens, rocky coves, cave systems and sugar-white sandy beaches.  For the adventurous, there are about 12 dive sites around this area, mainly Japanese shipwrecks sunk in 1944 by US Navy action.   It was a joy visiting this slice of paradise.

Busuanga Island is the jump-off point to anywhere in the Calamianes; Coron Island is just a 20-minute boat ride across the bay.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Guava/ABC Wednesday

G is for Guava

Guava is a tropical fruit native to Central America and northern South America.  It belongs to the Myrtle family, genus Psidium (or pomegranate) with about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees.  It is known as Goiaba in Portuguese and Guayaba in Spanish.  Guava fruit is often bitter when unripe, soft and sweet when ripe---tastes something between a pear and strawberry, tangy with a citrus flavor.    The fruit is usually green before maturity, but becomes yellow, maroon or light green when ripe.  

Guava is one of my favorite fruits, and one of the first trees I climbed when I was a kid.  There were a couple of guava trees in our yard and I virtually lived on guava trees--my grandfather called me a guava-eating bat.  

Source

The guava in our yard has small fruits, about the size of a lemon, and has a distinct aroma when it ripened.  The pulp also turned red when the fruit was ripe.  It's the kind of guava that is used as a souring agent in sinigang, a popular Filipino soup dish.

Guavas produce fruits all-year round.  My mother used to cook ripe guavas in sugar and coconut milk---it was my father's favorite dessert.

There  is  a  fruit  stand  a few blocks from my apartment  selling guapple, or  Apple Guava---I buy 2 kilos every 3 to 4 days.  From  cookies, chips and  chocolates, I've switched to guapple, a  healthier snack.  Guapple is an extra-large variety--a fruit weighs about 500 grams, about  5 to 6 inches long  It has a thick and white-fleshed fruit, and the crunchiness of an apple.

Guavas  are  a  good  source of  Vitamin C  and A,  dietary  fiber,  folic acid, potassium,  copper  and manganese.  It has a low calorie profile, and a  single guava fruit contains about four times  the amount of Vitamin C of an orange.  Fruits are usually eaten raw, ripe fruits can be processed to jelly, wine and jam preserves.  

Apple Guava, Psidium guajava

Guava leaves have been used in folk medicine for as long as I can remember.  Decoction of leaves in water is a good  cure  for  diarrhea---my mother still treats my dog with this concoction when he has the runs.  It  is  also used as an astringent,  mouthwash  for  swollen gums,  reduces fever and anti-spasmodic.  Bark  and  leaves  are  used  in  childbirth  to expel  the placenta.  The bark is recommended in making complex cosmetics.  Young tender leaves chewed or crushed applied to tooth cavity acts as eugenol for toothaches. 

But there's  one use  of  guava  leaves  that would make  you shudder.  In  far-flung areas of the country where traditional circumcision  method is  still  being  practiced,  pre-adolescent boys who undergo this procedure are given  guava leaves  to  chew  on to  distract them from the pain.   The  chewed  guava  leaves  is  applied to the cut foreskin with the dressing.  It is believed that guava leaves  have  antiseptic and  anti-hemorrhagic  properties. I  remember over-hearing  my  brothers  and male cousins  talking  about  some  boy  we  knew  in  childhood who swallowed the chewed guava leaves instead of spitting it out in the middle of traditional circumcision.  Poor boy!  But I couldn't help but laugh at the thought!  I hope I wouldn't run into the guy in one of our elementary school reunions.:p

Guava has been found to be beneficial to people suffering from asthma, bacterial infections, convulsions, high blood pressure, obesity, oral ulcers, poor circulation, prolonged menstruation, scurvy, swollen gums, toothache, and lung congestion.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

Frangipani/ABC Wednesday

F is for Frangipani

Nothing evokes that tropical feeling quite like the Frangipani.  Its colors remind me of sunsets.  If you've been to Hawaii, I'm sure you would associate Frangipani blossoms and its sweet fragrance with the tropical paradise.  In the Philippines, we associate its heady perfume with death.  Death because Frangipani, or Kalachuchi as it is known locally, is mostly used in sympathy wreaths.  Frangipani trees are often planted in cemeteries, not because of any cultural significance, but because they are tough plants that can survive neglect, heat and drought, and still fill the air with wonderful scents.

My grandmother had an old Frangipani tree in the garden, and it was a source of my childhood imaginings of  ghosts and otherworldly beings when its perfume filled the night air.  Frangipani flowers are highly aromatic at night--the white flowers are more fragrant than the pink ones.

It is called Flor de Mayo in South America where it is a native, although there are claims that Frangipanis are indigenous to the Caribbean and were taken to the Americas by Spanish priests.  Frangipani is related to Oleander and there more than 300 species.  They are relatively small trees growing to only about 5-6 meters tall, with gnarled branches, long leaves and distinctive flowers.  Frangipanis are deciduous and sensitive to cold weather, spreading and sparsely branched. A cut made on any part of the tree will produce a milky, sticky sap that is poisonous to both humans and animals.  

There is a theory that Catholic missionary priests spread Frangipanis around the world as they traveled.  This may explain why the Frangipani is popular and common in the Philippines and Thailand but very rare in China and Vietnam.  Thailand and the Philippines welcomed the Christian missionaries while in China and Vietnam, they were persecuted until around the 1850s.

Little-known facts about Frangipanis:

• Many Haiwaiian leis are made from Frangipani flowers
• The colorful caterpillar Pseudosphinx tetrio feeds only on the leaves of Frangipani (Plumeria rubra)
• Frangipanis are good hosts for dendrobium orchids
• Frangipani is the national tree of Laos, where it is called dok jampa.  It is regarded as a scared tree and every Buddhist temple in that country has Frangipanis in their courtyards.
• Frangipani is the flower of Palermo in Sicily
• It is also the national flower of Nicaragua and is featured in some of their bank notes
• Frangipanis won't burn except in extreme temperature (over 500 degrees)
• Frangipani trees were once considered taboo in Thai homes because of superstitious associations with the plant's Thai name, lantom, which is similar to ratom, a Thai word for sorrow.  As a result, Frangipanis were thought to bring unhappiness.
• In Caribbean cultures, the leaves are used as poultices for bruises and ulcers; the latex is used as liniment for rheumatism.
• The Frangipani is associated with love in feng shui
• In India, Frangipani is a symbol of immortality because of its ability to produce leaves and flowers even after it has been lifted from the soil.  It is often planted near temples and graveyards, where fresh flowers fall daily upon the tombs.
• In Hindu culture, frangipani flower means loyalty, and Hindu women put flowers on their hair on their wedding day.
• In Vietnam, it is used for its healing qualities
• In modern Polynesian culture, the frangipani can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status.
• A Mexican myth believes that gods were born from Frangipani flowers
• In Malay folklore, the scent of frangipani is associated with a vampire, a pontianak

Frangipani names around the world:  Tipanier (Tahiti), Cocaloxochite (Aztec), Flor de la Cruz (Guatemala), Phool (India), Amapola (Venezuela), Pumeli (Hawaii), Kemboka kuning (Malaysia), Jepun (Indonesia), Pomelia and Frangipane (Italy), Kang Nai Xin (China), Kalachuchi (Philippines), Hoa Su Ma (Vietnam), Sacuanjoche (Nicaragua)

 Source

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NF Blo-Ma