Family Pasalubong

A while back my cousin Lissa from Houston came to town and as with Filipino families she came with "pasalubong." That's usually the custom when going to visit family or friends where we bring small gifts or something from where we're from. So if I were coming from NY visiting Houston I should be bringing "I <3 NY" shirts but I'm a horrible cousin so I never do.

With her she brought something that was just so awesome! It wasn't a shirt or a key chain, it was so much better than I could have ever imagined! I'm not sure if I should be sharing this as this was a huge gift and I'm not sure if she brought anything for everyone else ... but I have to give props where props are deserved!

Last year when we went there for her wedding, right before flying back to NY I went to Jack in the Box and bought about 20-30 Sourdough Jacks, froze them and packed them up to bring back to NY. I guess this stuck out and made a lasting impression not only on her but on a lot of my family members as they remember it clearly. I even got advice that I should ask them to make it without the tomatoes so that it lasts longer. Lissa came to NY with two Sourdough Jacks, that was more than enough for me! I was't expecting anything but she brought whatever she could and was that a great gift.

I didn't eat it right away as I wanted to save it for later. Only a few days passed where I ended up opening up one of the sandwiches, leaving the other one lonely in the freezer.

When I brought them back from Houston I kept it in the original packaging and then just stuck them all in a plastic bag and froze them. I had a hard time getting her packaging open ... she had each one wrapped in a plastic bag.

After the wrapping of the outside plastic bag, there was the burger wrapped in foil.  It was as close to mummified as possible.  The feeling was that of Christmas morning when you open your gifts that are under the tree, with the gift being wrapped with extreme care.  After the foil as removed there was just one more layer to get through, it was another layer of plastic wrap.  Three or four layers later the wonderful scent of the sandwich was unleashed. 

Taking that deep breathe and then putting it in the toaster oven to heat it, I couldn't wait!  Well this isn't a food review, but an entry on the kindess of family and the thoughtfulness of the gift. It was wonderful as I remembered and it was just great to have that taste of the sandwich melt in my mouth.

Thank you Lissa!  The packaging was extremely efficient and definitely something that looked like it was going to last through the coming apocalypse.  I still have one left and when I do eat that I'll be ready to get it out of the packaging with a box cutter and a pair of pliers. 

I will gladly accept some more of your pasalubong next time you head up north.  I'll trade you some Hop Kee for some Jack in the Box.

+ mon

In and Who??? It's all about the Number of Guys!

Everytime I'm in Cali the ones who I go with make a big deal, a huge deal about In and Out.  They talk about how wonderful it is and how great it is.  To me it's just another burger, it's good, but it's not what I go to Cali for (that's another topic all it's own ... MmMMM Jack in the Box and Salt n Pepper Chicken!).

There has been one place here in NyC that has come close to that In and Out type burger, and it's on the eastside called Blue Burger Heaven.  The reason I sayy the In and Out type burger is because of the way they cook it and serve it to you, and somewhat on the taste, which I still think tastes like a regular good burger. 

Well I've seen this place before but hadn't tried it until recently.  It's called Five Guys Burgers.  Diday brought me back a "Little Bacon Cheeseburger with onions" the other week.  The "little" is only one patty as their "regular" burgers have two patties.  I decided noti to eat it with ketchup or anything else, just however they made it.  Took two bites and I could taste the goodness, instantly an In and Out killer for me.  The taste and meat was just different and better, yes I said it's better than In and Out! 

Two bites into the burger I took a "break" and went into the living room.  When I turned my head back to the dining table, I see my dad eating the burger until there was nothing left!  So I'm guessing my dad likes it too, he ate that thing pretty fast too ... and he just ate dinner. 

I had a chance at my own burger during the workweek as we were trying to figure out what to eat.  But looking at the menu, something else caught my eye ... it was the hot dog.  Unknown territory again ... how would this hot dog compare to anything that I've had before, most especially Gray's Papaya and Weinerschnitzel. 

Here I had the bacon cheese hot dog with mushrooms and onions ... just typing that I could feel my heart struggling for it's next beat!  But it was good! 

One of my favorite things about Five Guys is that they give you fries ... A LOT OF FRIES!  They put it in these styrofoam cups, but once they get all that you ordered in the bag, they dump more fries in the bag!  I can't forget about the Cajun Fries ... these are extremely good and I want some right now!  All I've been doing is craving these fries since yesterday when I last had them. 

All that seasoning on the fries along with ketchup ... I could go without the burger.  Potatoes are healthy right!? 

Taste : 8.2
Price : $ out of $$$
Restaurant : 8 (quick, free peanuts and refills)

+ mon

A Terrible Weakness

With all the temptations out there this one always gets me all the time.  No matter how hard I try to stay away from it, there it is right in my face all the time.  And I can't resist, and I must yield to the temptation ...

McDonalds has a lot of things on their menu that I'd want, but the one thing that constantly gets me all the time is the Sweet Tea.  It's sooo sweet and so good, so refreshing and it's only $1 !!!

I got two sweet teas last night after volleyball and then again this morning to last me throughout the day.  I figure that I'd be efficient and just buy my lunch while I was there and I ended up getting the bacon & swiss angus burger - yeah I'm definitely trying to eat healthy!

Ahhhh sweet tea, sooooooo good.

+ mon