pinoy tapas

i thought that spanish "tapas" meant an array of small bite sized appetizers that one consumes when drinking an alcoholic drink. very much the definition of "pulutan". my other thought is that "tapas" would be similar to chinese coldcuts, or starters.

in the most technical of definition, my understanding is partially correct.

"tapas" really is anything as long as it is small and served with your drink. interestingly, it doesn't even have to be spanish. more interesting is that our notion of "tapas" as main course is not entirely correct, the spanish refer to that as "tabla".

eating "tapas" has a certain tradition attached to it, contrary to the thought that it is a starter or an appetizer, when one consumes "tapas" you continue until you are full. a night in town in spain "to go for tapas" mean going from one bar to another, order your drinks and eat "tapas" on the side.

traditionally, "tapas" is served as a slice of ham or cheese placed over your drink. as to the reason why this is so, spanish tales mentioned that it was to keep the flies out. another story goes that a king issued a royal order that drinks should always be served with some sort of food, a wise decree considering that consumption of alchohol on an empty stomach can cause early intoxication.

if you're in the mood for "tapas", moon cafe may provide you with good choices. last sunday, i had my version of "tapas" without the drinks. well, alcoholic drinks to be more precise. i ordered pasta ala gambas (pasta in garlic, olive oil and shrimp), tocino (cured pork meat) and beef tapa (dried strips of beef).

my bill came up to about Php 300. the best part? i didn't have to pay for a single thing. i had a reward card that allowed me to claim three hundred pesos worth of rebates for thirty stickers claimed from buying Thirsty shakes and juices.

i don't think i'd be visiting "Thirsty" anytime soon - my system can only consume that much fruit shake in one month.

at least in this case, i won't have anyone complain that i ate only the "pulutan" :)

- Moon Cafe, IT Park

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visit my blog for more incessant rambling

Comments

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7:06 PM
Cacho said…
well thank you mr. anonymous :) this single comment probably increased my hit rates with all the major keywords included in your comment ha ha ha.
5:53 PM
Diane Veloso Blanco said…
wahhhh tapas!!! one of the things i miss the most about spain. and mooon cafe gambas are YUMMMMMYYYYYYYYY
10:35 PM
Anonymous said…
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7:37 PM
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