I can cook for two hundred, no problem; or for two dozen with one hand tied behind my back. But for two? Hmmm, hang on one sec.
A friend I recently had over for a hastily nuked dinner at Miles' place, where I'm "house-sitting," asked what I cook when I'm alone. Good question; my reply - nothing. When I'm on my lonesome, I'd rather buy food than cook it myself; which is logical because I don't really enjoy eating what I cook, no matter how good other people might say it is. And I don't really feel like exerting all that effort just to feed myself, so I avidly patronize neighborhood carinderia and other take-out fastfood places.
The one time I really cooked for myself was out of austerity during my student days in Paris, and also as a matter of survival: I couldn't live more than a couple of days without rice! So, to save me time, euros, and from the misery of rice deprivation, I used to cook a whole batch of kanin and ulam at one time, only to freeze it 'til needed (which was like, every day). Unfortunately, one of the major items on my cooking list was adobo, and, no matter how I tried to drive out the pungent smell of frying garlic and vinegar-soy, I always knew that rooms adjacent to my chambre du bonne , not to mention the innocent pedestrians traversing the length of Rue du Chateau were "assaulted" by the sensory stimulations brought about by my cooking. But I suppose that because I had Italian/ Mediterranean neighbors, they had no complaints. And, unfortunately, neither did the two guys who eventually became my roomies when I moved to Justin's - my week's supply of adobo was David and Hunter's pre-midnight snack.
But anyway. I don't really know how to cook for one person, good luck with two - but at this point I know I need to learn. I've been so used to feeding the multitudes that I've begun to miss out on those opportunities to share a meal with just one other human being. Not quite used to scaling down for two - I've always taken the lazy path and just gone out for a shared meal.
So this week I started cooking for two - it was amusing to use less than 1/2 kilo meat in a dish or to experience how fast the preps can go when in the hands of a trained "master." Actually, I've only still been cooking for one - I don't eat regular meals, but Antoine does, and this week I'm cooking for the both of us (he likes Pinoy soups). Good luck, Antoine, hehe...
Cooking for Two
The Story of C+C
Everyone who knows me already likewise knows how much I love to cook. It's a passion that's so much a part of my nature that, when Anak declared, as an exercise in focus, that we must "pick three things!" to do - and do well - with our lives, cooking was on top of that list. Even above travel, even above writing.
But the story of how this little catering gig came about is a little more complicated. I've always wanted to do something like this, whether in a restaurant or however else, but I've always imagined catering to be the way to go - it's less of a risk and more flexible than operating a dining establishment. Plus, I've always been deathly afraid of the so-called "five-year shelf life" that has afflicted many eateries now long gone. I'd even catered two major functions to get a feel for it - my sister's sorority-fraternity acquaintance party (150 very hungry UP med students and alumni) and the unforgettable banquet celebrating Mike G, Jinggay's, and my birthday at He Cares in July 2004. Just try cooking for 400 - spaghetti, fried chicken, lumpiang shanghai, hotdogs - BY YOURSELF. That was the first and - as I promised myself - last time I would ever cook through the night into the morning (not a wink of sleep!). But that was a wonderful experience to celebrate my first month at He Cares, as Father Steve (who celebrated the birthday Mass) reconnected with Kuya JD and began a beautiful partnership over my Honey Butter Chicken...
But anyway. I put that dream on the backburner for the time being, although I kept cooking. The birthday gig ushered me into a "career" as He Cares' unofficial kitchen-mistress...my "office" would thenceforth be the narrow Road 9 kitchen and later the bigger Alley 4 cooking area (anyone looking for me during feedings or other days I'm there knows exactly where to find me). Because KJD likes to wake up early Saturday morning to cook the kids' lunch, I'm usually designated to prep and marinate food for the children on Friday, and to prepare the volunteers' lunch. When I served at the Center on Road 9 on a daily basis, I also cooked lunch for up to 40 drop-in streetkids and the staff: creative cookery on a P200 budget!
Though my BC classes have eaten into my Saturday service as well, I still get stove duties whenever I'm in town (the full-time staff and regular volunteers like to say that you'll know Ate Honey is in Manila when they get to eat especially well on Saturdays, charot). And over-all food duties for special He Cares occasions such as the Foundation's upcoming 10th anniversary this Saturday, the 19th (we already handled the more intimate dinner for 40 during He Cares' actual 10th anniversary on August 10 - and very successfully, I should mention). Because my love language is not Words of Affirmation, I've always tried to brush off compliments on my cooking - but Ate Juwip was persistent in her suggestion that we put up a catering service. After all, she and Mike are exceptionally skilled in setting-up the physical arrangements, and we all have a big network of potential clients. Plus, we've gotten more than adequate experience in feeding the multitudes! And yet, every time she'd mention it (usually when I started setting up the volunteers' buffet), I'd say "sure, why not?" without actually seriously meaning it.
Until a couple of months ago, when seriously meaning it seemed not to be so bad an idea after all. Rico Mac, a friend outside He Cares, was turning 40, and his wife Grace needed help in organizing the party. Rhia, who's gotten to know my cooking over the 16 years we've been good friends, suggested that I do the catering...and Grace agreed. However, I went off to China for more than a week, Grace got panicky and hired our regular caterer, and I got to emcee Rico's party instead of cook for it. But the catering idea stuck. A personal catering service: not your run-of-the-mill food/service supplier that lacks personality, but something that really made a difference with the little, special details.
Lex loved the idea - he's always wanted a restaurant of his own, and heck, his OC'ness and discriminating tastes for high-end cuisine was more than enough to make him an integral part of the team. Judith, whose idea it was in the first place, was thrilled that it was finally beginning to materialize. And Mike, who we invited, on a whim and a hunch, to our first "official" meeting after Kuya Ben's surprise party on July 3, was more than happy to be part of the venture.
Jograd a.k.a. Johanna came into the picture a little while later, and proved to be a real asset because of her interpersonal skills (a.k.a. the most wholesome GRO in the entire metropolis!), and her own OC decorating tendencies. Dr. Neil and Rhia finally completed our new partnership - Neil and I have always wanted to coordinate parties, weddings, whatnot (heck, we coordinated his wedding way before coordinators were in mode) and Rhia provides the financial savvy to make this enterprise viable and rewarding, not to mention the financial backing, hehe...
And C+C? The name came to me a few thousand miles over Shanghai (where I never saw anything faintly resembling a lumpia). Why C+C? It's susceptible of multiple interpretations. Cornik and Cabernet - our Colors editorial meetings would be held over BYOB of Cabernet, and we turned out great work, even if we were paid in cornik. CC is what we Wandersluts like to call Lex...just watch To Wong Foo... and observe John Leguizamo's character very closely, hehe. But C+C really takes off from where most of us first encountered the living embodiment of Who we actually serve: at He Cares, where we found that Christ truly, really, honestly cares. Christ Cares. Christian Cuisine. Cool na Cool (according to Father Steve). This is what we really stand for. This is Who we really stand for.
And thus the story of C+C Personal Caterers Co. But it's only really just begun. :-)
C+C and a Change in Name
OK yes, after many months of neglect, this, in fact is turning into a culinary blog. Why deny one's destiny? Hehe. But C+C Personal Caterers is officially now up and at it, a dream made reality after much prayer, discernment, and planning. So far, it's only been 12 days since our official launch, but we've already catered five major functions (counting one test run pre-launch party and one pre-launch surprise Japanese dinner for 40!). So far, so very, very good - we've truly been blessed with the strength, wisdom, focus, and direction necessary for the gruelling task of feeding the multitudes :-) And thus the change in the blog's name. I shall be back to share more...