Mild or Wild: The versatility of the chicken

Tonight my family went to a Buffalo Wild Wings in Secaucus, New Jersey. The place was packed even on a Tuesday, obviusly very popular for all white meat enthusiasts. It had the sporty ambience, with at least 9 large monitors showing sports events, and T-shirts of most likely famous  athletes framed and hanging on the walls (sorry I am not as conversant with who wears what numbers on shirts.. I only remember Jordan's 23!).
As we started to review the menu, I was amazed at how many choices they have of sauces and spices on chicken wings. There were at least 17 choices for sauces, and at least 5 on spices. Depending on your palate's readiness - from mild to wild to blazin - may include salt and vinegar, sweet bbq, lemon pepper, teriyaki, parmesan garlic, bbq sauce, spicy garlic, Thai curry, carribean jerk, jalapenos...name it! Didnt realize ordering chicken wings is not always that simple or straightforward.
I thought the Philippines was tops in the way we have enjoyed chicken dishes -I know we have a recipe for every part of the chicken - inside (innards) and out (i.e. skin) , and chicken delicacies could be from its head to feet. We also have several ways of cooking chicken - adobado, sinigang, tinola, nilaga, afritada, sa gata, sandwich spread, not to mention  the many ways we use chicken in vegetable dishes and soups.
But when it comes to wings, the place we just went to, at least in my opinion, is hard to beat. It made me think even more about how life in America is so much about choices - there are always too many options in everything. Ordering eggs for breakfast in a typical diner, for example, can run from simple fried to overeasy, scrambled, soft boiled, hardboiled, poached, omelette, yoke only, white only..etc. It's the same thing with potatoes. Do you want fries, hashbrowns, baked, boiled, sauteed, with skin, without skin, cheesy, plain, sweet, salty? Having been to many parts of the world, most of them developing countries, I know that having this choice is a luxury. When you dont have much food to eat, you cant be choosy! So having any kind of egg or potatoes, with even a tiny  piece of chicken would already be a special treat. I am so blessed to have choices in life. Thanks to my family for the dinner treat! The chicken wings were awesome. Go chicken, stay versatile!

Selfies are addicting

After I retired from active duty in the United Nations last February, I found myself having a little more time for facebook, a bit of chatting, and more social emailing. I started seeing a lot of selfies on FB, wondering why would people want to take pictures of themselves? Being from the older school, even with a mass communication background, I was used to being photographed by someone else. But this selfie is a new fad! Then I went home to the Philippines and not only did I enjoy being "selfied", I found myself doing selfie's with family members, and friends. It is addicting. I have also learned the techniques of getting it right - from a certain angle, to make everyone look good, as well as fit into the screen. The monopods have become very popular - extending arms to make a long shot!
I wonder what the next craze would be... Still, I consider myself low techy compared to my nieces and nephews who are so adept with it, as well as with texting without looking. All my text messages often have typos in them even when I look as I type! I either need better eyeglasses, or super large fonts, or just a bigger keyboard for androids!

Pinoy Jeepney drivers - great multi-taskers!

During my recent trip to the Phiippines, I took a jeepney ride  to and from Manila to make it to a doctor's appointment at Manila Doctors Hospital on T.M. Kalaw st. I took a cab the day before but realized we were following exactly the same route as the jeepneys. Paid about P250 plus tips (nothing much really by US standards.. around $7 each way) only to find out (when I couldnt get a taxi the next day) that I could reach my destination at around the same time and distance, for only P20 each way (wow, that's just $.50). My amusement was not so much about the cost and the travel, but more about the Filipino jeepney drivers who are not only very skilled drivers, but were excellent in arithmetic and multi-tasking. A typical jeepney probably takes 15 to 20 passengers at any given time.. and on any given route, a jeepney driver could be dropping off and picking up any where from 30 to 50 passengers on one route, each one paying a different rate according to distance. So whenever a passenger says , "bayad ho, isa lang sa De La Fuente" (here is my money, one person, getting off on the De La fuente street, for example), the driver , as he continues with his skillful driving, and without looking at his money (bills and coins box) knows exactly how much to give back to this person. Sometimes, passengers in 2 or 3 come on board, and say similar things about how many they are and for where, and driver does the same thing.. I have never heard a passenger complain about being shortchanged! So imagine how skillful the driver is - hands on the steering wheel, checking out the street lights (sometimes, cops, when overspeeding), constantly on the lookout for passengers on the road, handling payments, stop and go motions, buying water or nuts from a sidewalk vendor, and sometimes, even singing along to loud piped in music. I salute these drivers, who probably earn no more than P500-P700 per day (about $15-$18 per day) net, after deducting perhaps jeepney owner's tolls called boundaries), and expensive gasoline. It is a hard day's work. And they dont even seem to mind the heat!