The Pork Party

(Vegetarians, vegans and everyone else pretending to have a healthy diet...look away! This post is not for the faint of heart...and those with heart conditions!)

So it started with but a simple request, an amusingly silly craving, if you may. But I guess it came out as a sad and desperate plea, much like what an addict who's going through a terrible case of withdrawal would make.

And my friends are my enablers.

That was how Saturday night became a porcine feast night, when merry indulgence was the spirit and the wonderful aroma of pork fat filled the air. A&L, two amazing friends, pulled out all the stops and labored to create a table laden with food - so memorable and heartwarming they transported me back home even for a while, so much that it can actually feed a whole town during a fiesta and so ridiculously good even if they were all bad (like trans-fat-laden, cholesterol-heavy bad). Yes, the dinner was the stuff last meals are made of. Food-wise and company-wise. We toasted to good friends, good times and good food. We laughed, we ate and we shared stories. But mostly we ate.

And long after we've unzipped our pants to breathe, waddled our way back home, drank copious amounts of tea to flush out our sinful eating and prayed that the dreaded "bangungot" (or as the medical world bluntly calls it Sudden Death Syndrome) will not descend upon us as we slept that night, we gratefully remember how blessed and how rich our lives are when shared with family and friends.

Truly you can never ask for anything more.

Adobo sa palayok (adobo cooked in claypot - the indigenous slow cooker and my favorite childhood toy), adobong binalot sa dahon ng saging (adobo with rice wrapped in banana leaf and steamed). Did I mention that it was all pork?

Fried pork belly. With skin on. 'Nuff said.

 Sisig. Pork cheeks, pork ears, chicken liver. Spicy, rich and good....Andrew Zimmern, this is your stuff!

 Salted eggs, tomatoes and balo-balo (fermented rice with fish/shrimp). You have to taste it to know how good it is.

 Biringhe. The Kapampangan Paella. It was actually the first time I've had it. And it was really good!

Sis Lorina's specialty: Sans Rival. An appropriate name indeed. (and it's all mine!)

Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes (brought by J). Just because you can never have too much fat, cream and butter!