Summer of Long Ago

Summer officially begun last Sunday - June 21, 2009. It reminded me of the photo below taken one summer of long ago.

I don't remember who took this photo, where this was taken, for what beach event, or even the common bond between these ladies. All I know is that all of them have left Iligan already. Memories and summer.

10 Things I Miss in Iligan

A lot of things may have changed in Iligan, but I was in a reminiscing mood lately and thought about some of the places/things I still remember (and now miss) in Iligan.

Timoga - the all time no. 1 place to miss;

Barbeque Inn - despite the mosquitos, the size of the meat serving, and the dimness of the place;

Old House - cakes to die for;

Ma. Cristina Hotel - where everything happens : conventions, receptions;

St. Michael's Cathedral - always overflowing with the faithful;

Lechon bayug - hmmm, need I say more;

Sinugba nga panga - super yummy for Sunday lunch;

Pala-o market / Iligan pier - just because;

Cafe Hermoso - for those small cozy gatherings;

Sunburst - not the chicken, but the kinilaw;

Should I include NSC or not ? I don't know. I do not miss NSC as a place, I just miss NSC as a group of people.

What do you miss in Iligan?

Missing Pinakurat?

Missing that authentic hot and spicy suka? Here's a recipe for homemade pinakurat from the files of Joseph Ronald Cañedo.

Ingredients:
1-liter white coconut vinegar (bahal na tuba) or white sugarcane vinegar
1-cup hot chili or siling kulikot
1/2 cup garlic
1/4 cup ginger
1 - 2 cups fish sauce or salt

Procedure:
1. Prepare a very clean blender machine or food processor.
2. Initially pour 3-4 cups of vinegar, and add all other ingredients into the blender machine.
3. Blend everything and observe the texture and fineness of the mix. The finer the texture, the better!
4. Add the remaining vinegar and blend it again for a few seconds or a minute.
5. Prepare a clean and very fine strainer in order to separate the sediments from the liquid. (optional)
6. Add 1-2 cups of salted fish sauce and stir. If salted fish sauce is not available, substitute with ground rock salt.
7. Stir well.
8. Store in glass bottles only never in plastic or metallic containers to avoid chemical reactions.

I have not tried this though - but for anyone who will -- send me your feedback.

Click here for more recipes of Joseph Ronald Cañedo.

Thanks to my friend A, who sent me the link.

Bowling Memories

This post was originally in my personal blog, but I received a comment which I like to share with Life After Steel readers. . . (para sa gimingaw sa Iligan)

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My post (with few edits):
We went bowling yesterday.
Bowling was a favorite activity of NSC employees before. Yes, before Facebook and blogs and chatting, there was bowling. Being new to Iligan and with nowhere else to go on Saturday nights, bowling was the coolest thing to do then. Some relationships even started in bowling dates. That was when bowling scores where written manually on a score sheet. When pins were picked up and arranged manually by small frail boys.

Bowling has changed. This time, all one has to do is throw the ball and your score is automatically recorded on the computer monitor. No more pinboys as pins are mechanically arranged. It has been a long time I played, yet it rekindled memories of Jackie Lanes, Shang-rila and Midtown Lanes. Those good old days in Iligan City where bowling was a favorite recreation and a dating technique. Any bowling memories?

Comment by Anonymous:
I doubt if any of those bowling lanes you mentioned still exist now. Years ago I went to play at Jackie Lanes. What I saw was a dilapidated place, with ceilings falling apart. We were the only ones there. 'Twas a sad sight as we've seen its glory days when it was always full and you have to queue for a chance to play. Anyway, I still insisted to play as I was excited to play again my favorite game. To our dismay---the lanes were rutted. You have to place the ball in such a way that it doesn't fall to the canals unnecessarily. Some of the pins were decapitated, for heaven's sake why it wasn't thrown away or replaced, I don't know. The balls were not round anymore and in different sizes, peppered with holes and cracks. Worst, after a game, the pinboys would rush outside for no apparent reason. We have to look for them and beg them to go inside. Finally, we were done and that was my last. Don't know if it's still there---the Jackie Lanes that was.
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Is Jackie Lanes still there?