NOT until I had a lively conversation with Johnny Mendoza did I learn of the leaps and advances in fish technology.
Johnny Mendoza is the owner and over-all Chef of the Asian Taste, one of the high-end seafood restaurants in Seascape Food Avenue along Macapagal Boulevard in Manila.
In Johnny’s restaurant, every seafood cooked is cooked live, not dead, and he has about 8 such restaurants spread throughout the prominent malls in Metro Manila like the Mall of Asia and in Bonifacio Global in Taguig.
He sourced his live fishes and other seafood goodies from GenSan, Zamboanga and even along the disputed Spratly Islands.
He has this huge pumpboat that carries about 12 smaller pumpboats along its outriggers and this big pumpboat sails for several weeks and months to fish for exotic fish such as Red Lapulapu and crustacean delicacies like lobsters, shells and other sea stuffs.
The live fishes are transported right away and processed for shipment to countries like China, Taiwan, the US and other countries in the Asia Pacific region.
So how does he transport live fishes and the other crustaceans to their ultimate destination?
Simple.
The fish and other live sea catches are just made to sleep.
Yes, sleep.
They sleep during the travel and are awaken when they arrive at their destination.
* * *
The idea of making fish and crustacean sleep during travel naturally piqued my curiosity.
Johnny Mendoza did not explain how the technology works but he showed me pictures of his live cargo being prepared by his thousands of personnel for travel.
And to add amazement to his story, the fishes and crustaceans are not soaked in water. Neither are they “iced.”
Far from that.
They are just there in their styro containers, lying and looking dead-like.
But once they arrive at their destinations, they are “awakened” and they are back to swimming and blowing bubbles and things like that.
Yes, the fishes and the crustaceans are just hibernating while on travel.
* * *
Johnny said all the fishes and crustaceans served in his restaurants are cooked live, and not cooked dead.
I don’t use salt, vetsin (MSG), oyster sauce and all that in my dishes, he said. I only use patis (possibly the likes of Rufina Patis) in adding flavor. And I use a lot of ginger and garlic, he added.
And that’s it.
To underscore his point, he demonstrated his cooking skills.
* * *
He cooked Tiger prawns, Saang, and other shells, with the prawns still jumping and very much alive when placed in the steamer.
They are steamed for 2 minutes, no more, no less.
This is just enough to slightly cook them, he said.
A little more and they are rubbery already, not good to eat, he stressed. Less than that, and its hilaw, he added.
He also cooked Diwal, about 20 of them. Medium-sized, they are very tender and delicious, unlike in one of the restaurants in Cebu where you have to chew it with vigor because it’s a bit hard to chew.
Kanang atong gikaon, Philippine-produced na, kanang giingon nimo sa Cebu, gikan nas China, he explained to me in Tagalog.
Susko ang prawns, kalami. Tender and very juicy, nakalimot ko nga di man diay ko ganahan mokaon og prawns. But I mouthed about 6 of them and drowned them with a German beer, I forgot the brand.
Then it came to my mind his reason for not using seasoning in his dishes.
He does not need them because he cooked them live, not dead. That means Johnny’s foodies are very nutritious and very safe to eat.
So if you happen to pass by Seascape or you want to devour the wealth of the sea in its majestic flavor and wants to have it at reasonable cost, try to have it at Asian Taste.
There’s also one in MOA.
* * *
Kataw-anan pod ning usa ka mayor.
Dunay kaso giatubang kay gikasohan sa iyang Tiyo kay nangagaw og yuta. Gihatagan og higayon sa Huwes nga motubag sa maong complaint, sumala sa Rules of Court.
Apan naunsang pagka-unsaa nga imbes motubag sa reklamo, mi-file na man hinoon og Motion to Dismiss. Dili ni pwede, gani, mismo ang Order sa Huwes nagbawal niini.
Pero ang mayor naninuod gyod og file og motion to dismiss.
Ang naka-parat ra ba kay feeling abogado pod.
Imbes mokuha og abogado para sa iyang giatubang nga kaso, ang Mayor ra pod mismo ang mipirma sa iyang Motion to Dismiss.
Susmariosep.
Lawyer in form ra ka Mayor oi, but not in substance.
Kon ganahan kang mag-lawyer Mayor, eskuyla sa og 4 years sa College of Law unya pasra ang imong mga subjects tanan unya pasra pod ang Bar exams.
* * *
Ato sang ipasabot ang kaso ha.
Gikiha sa iyang Tiyo ang Mayor kay nangilog og yuta, nangangkon nga sila ra ang tag-iya sa maong yuta kay wala nay laing heridero ang ilang mga ginikanan.
Bakakon gyod ning mayor.
Nagtuo tingali nga di mahibaw-an sa ubang mga tag-iya ang ilang gibuhat mao nga kauban sa iyang inahan, giangkon nila nga sila lang ang tag-iya sa maong yuta.
Nasakpan man.
Sa dihang gikonprontase na, imbes mangayo og pasaylo, susko kay mao pa man hinuon ang dakog yawyaw.
May pagka-bayot man god pod og baba ning Mayor mao nga imbes masolbad ang problema, midako na hinuon.
Og mao kana ang hinungdan nga gikasohan sa uyoan.
* * *
Gimandoan sa korte nga pasubmiton og Answer, not a motion to dismiss.
Pero kay gamhanan lagi kunohay siya, gahimo-himo ra pod siya og iyang balaod.
Mi-file siya og motion to dismiss imbes tubagon ang reklamo sa iyang uyoan.
Ang naka-pait pa gyod kay imbes ayohon niya pagpasabot ngano nga angay i-dismiss ang maong keha, ang iyang gihimo gibanatan niya og pangasaba ug insulto ang iyang uyoan sa iyang gibuhat nga mo-file og kaso.
Nagtuo tingali siya nga mo-believe kaniya ang Huwes, nagpataka lang og yawyaw ang Mayor nga naninuod og pangasaba sa iyang uyoan.
Ang resulta, gilabhan intawon sa Huwes. Aw, dili diay gilabhan, gisabonan diay.
Mao pa tingali kini ang unang higayon nga nakatilaw kining hambogerong Mayor nga sabonan siya og maayo sa usa ka Huwes tungod sa iyang pagpataka.
Unsay nahitabo?
* * *
Siyempre, gi-deny sa Huwes ang iyang gipangayo nga outright dismissal sa kaso.
Asa ka Luis, ngayo man ka dayon og dismissal.
Gawas nga gi-deny, gi-declare pa gyod siya nga “as in default” kay wa man siya ka-file og Answer sulod sa panahon nga gi-set sa korte.
Kay in default na man, mopadayon ang kaso pero di na kaapil ang gisabonan nga Mayor, igo na lang siya padad-an og notice og gihatagan sa Huwes ang kihante og higayon nga i-probar ang iyang reklamo batok sa iyang pag-umangkon nga Mayor.
Tungod sa maong panghitabo, manghinaot na lang kita nga nasabonan na man siya, malimpiyo na unta ang iyang pagka-tawo og mawagtang na ang iyang kahambog, bahala og magpadayon siya sa iyang binayot nga style.
