What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve heard described about you? Is it that you’re the spitting image of a famous Hollywood celebrity? Or you smell like raw mushrooms after an hour on the treadmill? Or perhaps you sound like a hyena when you laugh?

Mine, I got when I was abroad. Entering an internet cafe in Dubai sporting a red headscarf and large silver hoops, the attendant happily asked me if I was from Ethiopia, her home country. To be honest, I had to steal a glance at my reflection on the mirror behind her before politely answering, ‘No, I’m Filipina.”

Then it happened again… on three separate occasions! I was being mistaken for an Ethiopian lady by no less than Ethiopians themselves. So I decided to make it my source of amusement. Every time I was out meeting new people who couldn’t divine where I’m from, I played this guessing game with them. Surprisingly, very few would get it right. Probably because I sound slightly American to non-Filipino ears. For those who’d finally give up, I’d then do the ‘shocking reveal,’ declaring that I’m a native of Addis Ababa. Ha! The look on their faces! As it turned out, no one I met there knew much about this predominantly Christian country in Africa (except perhaps that it’s the home of Haile Gebrselassie because he ran and won the Dubai Marathon) that whatever factoids I dished out about ‘my grandparents’ village and the state of economy back there’ were accepted without question.

It was my lovely Ethiopian work colleague who told me that I do look like some of the ladies ‘back home’, which of course prompted me to google some images to support this claim. Ok, I didn’t exactly find one that resembled me but that did not stop me from learning more about this Northeast African nation. When she invited me for an authentic Ethiopian lunch, I jumped at the opportunity.

The meal was a hearty one. We ordered different meat stews accompanied by spicy pastes that were all dumped on a basket table lined with injera, a spongy sour flatbread that you tear off with your hands and use as a utensil to pick up your food. I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. I felt perfectly at home eating with my fingers as many Filipinos are no strangers to this practice.

And no Ethiopian meal is complete without coffee. Usually, a full coffee ceremony is performed but since we were in a small indoor restaurant, I got to witness only the serving bit of the ritual. My friend showed us how they pour (from a great height!) the freshly boiled coffee, letting the stream of piping-hot brew fill tiny white china cups. Being a certified caffeine junkie and a collector of coffee brewers, I openly declared that I’d love to own a jebena, the Ethiopian clay coffee pot that they had in the resto. And being a truly nice person that she is, she gifted me with one, complete with coffee powder that she ground herself.

Today, I’m marking my birth anniversary with Ethiopian java done from scratch! Thank you Ileni for this wonderful present. With practice, I reckon not only will I continue looking Ethiopian, I may even get to serve coffee like one too. With popcorn!

xxx

Karima

Most foodies I know are not scared of using their kitchens. They’re not shy about dressing it up either. Invite them inside a home store and I’d bet top dollar they’ll head straight to the kitchen section. Even if they planned on buying bathroom curtains that day, they’ll come home with new pans, casserole dishes, even spatulas that they don’t really need. If there’s a name for this affliction, whatever it is, I’m suffering from it too!

So deciding to take control of it, I sat down one afternoon and made myself a list. I divided it into three categories:

1 Must-Have
2 Lust-After
3 Gotta-Get-These-Coz-They’ll-Soon-Be-Gone-Forever

The ones that you absolutely need in the kitchen fall under the Must-Have’s. Tools like the Microplane zester, the immersion blender, the heavy-duty stand mixer. You’ll use them over and over. If you attach a particular high-end brand to the item even if there’s a cheaper alternative, move that to the middle category.

The second group contains kitchen items that are great to have but not essential for everyday cooking or food preps. Examples are the ice cream maker, Staub cast iron cocottes, copper cookware. I noticed that I tend to put in this list those that I think will prettify my kitchen counter or are pricier cousins of the must-have’s. I figured without help from anyone, it’ll probably take me a while before I finish crossing out all the items here.  Also, I’m aiming to consider buying one from this section only as a reward for getting myself at least five of the essentials.

The last group includes pieces from the first or second category but with restricted availability. The limited edition’s. Since they’re only available for a period of time, you won’t snag them anywhere once the season is over. Like the sauce dishes above.

They belong to the Pistahan Collection at Gourdo’s, one of my favorite kitchen stores here in Manila. They’re made to look like sapin-sapin, the multi-layered, multi-flavored rice sweet native to our shores. The dishes look fabulous on top of a banana leaf-covered buffet table. Definitely cries, ‘Fiesta!’ Today, they take on a different mood atop a charcoal hot mat, since I’m feeling a wee bit like Picasso. I’ll fill them up later with different compound butters.

With a huge grin painted on my face, I reached for the list I’ve made to cross out the sauce dishes. Did the third category really help control my affliction or did it just worsen it?  As it turns out, contrary to my initial assumptions, the Pistahan Collection is a permanent feature in the store so it’s not going away soon.

Hi. My name is Karima and I’m an addict.

xxx

I’ve had a long, beautiful love affair with glass. I still do. The closest of my friends and family know this all too well. When I see glass, I drool.

Clear, colored, smoked, printed — doesn’t matter. I like ‘em all. Well, ok…except ugly ones.

There’s just something so romantic and charmingly old world about glass. The dresser looks uber-stylish when crowded with vintage glass perfume bottles; a simple cake or cheese plate seems more elegant under a clear pastry dome; even the very mundane dishwashing liquid is elevated to supermodel status when decanted into empty olive oil bottles.

Over the years, I have collected different glass items, the largest group of which is my drinkware. I generally prefer drinks presented in their appropriate vessels. Like I wouldn’t want my martini served in a tumbler. No — no no no — no no! There’s my Pyrex collection too — casseroles, mixing bowls, measuring jugs. It’s not so obvious that I like to use my oven, huh?

Then one day I discovered Michael Smith on the telly, a Canadian chef who hosts the cooking show Chef at Home. As the program title suggests, it showcases his very own home with the kitchen as his stage. I fell in love with that pantry of his. Every imaginable spice, liqueur, herb, sauce, grain, nut and chocolate has a place in that room. And each is kept fresh in its own glass mason jar.

Yep, you heard me. GLASS mason jars. They’re my new babies! I can think of a million uses for them: petits pots au chocolat, coddled eggs, pies-in-a-jar, creme brulee, homemade vanilla extract, individual shepherd’s pie, fruit syrups, scented sugars, butterscotch sauce… Right. Drool alert. Excuse me while I fetch a towel!

xx

Karima