My college buddies and I met up the other day -- the first of hopefully several get-togethers this year. Except for a couple of weddings, two kids, career turns, and a promotion or two over the years, things haven't changed much -- to my relief and delight. Everyone's as kooky as ever, with the same wry humor that first drew us to each other as freshmen at DLSU.

This particular lunch date was in celebration of a birthday (Me-an's), Christmas, New Year, and Valentine's Day all rolled into one. We unloaded gifts that had been in storage for goodness knows how long (it hasn't been easy getting together these days), and just generally caught up on each other's lives. Minus the mindless prattle about upper-classmen crushes (we're happily past all that!), the conversation was as scintillating as ever.

At the Greenbelt bridge pond:

Me-an: Oh look there!
Hail: Wow! Are those swans? (to David, Hail's 6-year old son) Look David, swans!
Annie: No, I think they're too small to be swans.
Me-an: Yeah, their necks are too short.
Hail: But they seem too big to be ducks.
Jennie: Oh maybe they're geese! They could be geese!
Annie: They're ducks.
Me-an: Yeah, they're ducks.
Hail: Ok then, they're ducks...(to David)...look David -- ducks!
Jennie: Well if they're ducks, they're certainly not pinoy ducks...

At Restaurante Pio y Damaso (Greenbelt 5):

Me-an: The Lengua sounds good.
Annie: Wow, Ostrich Beef! Let's try that.
Jennie: How about the Tapang Usa? The waiter said it's a bestseller.
Me-an: Please, let's not order anything that could be endangered.
Jennie: Why, what's "usa"?
Hail: Deer.
Jennie: Oh, yeah...I wouldn't want to eat Bambi.
Annie: Let's just order the ostrich.
Jennie: An ostrich attacked me once. In Subic. So yeah, let's order that.



Annie: What do we drink?
Me-an: I ordered a pitcher of Tubig ni Maria Clara.
Hail: What on earth is that?
Annie: Who cares?


Hail: Is there anything here a child can eat? I have to feed David.
Annie: Hmmm...what to feed David....
Jennie: Does he eat adobo?
Hail: Yeah, he can eat that.
Jennie: It says here that it's chicken, pork, and liver adobo.
Me-an: (to waiter) Can you serve that without the liver? I hate liver.
Jennie: Uh, Me-an...that's how they cook it, with the liver.
Annie: You don't have to eat the liver.
Jennie: And they just put that in for flavor. It's not the main ingredient.

The Adobo arrives in a small bowl that doesn't look like it can hold much...adobo.

Hail: There's still bringing in another bowl, right?
Annie: Uh, I think this is the only bowl.
Hail: What.
Jennie: Don't worry, David can have that one piece of chicken. I'll eat the liver.
Hail: Really? Thanks! At least the liver chunks are big.
Me-an: Ugh. Liver.
Annie: So where's the pork?

And so, except for the liver-filled adobo, we had a great time. We actually recommend the Ostrich Beef. But being who we are, we just couldn't leave without letting them know what we thought of our dining experience. Below is a note we wrote on the paper table mat addressed to Padre Damaso himself and signed by Peping and the three Gomburzas:


We ended the day with huge chocolately desserts at Max Brenner Chocolate Bar...

Hail: Wow, are all the waiters here really supposed to be bald?
Annie: Of course! That's because Max Brenner...is the brother of Yul.