What’s UP, Los Baños?

I got this announcement on the mail recently.

Be a part of the CHE Centennial Coffeetable Book: UPLB Eats! : A Centennial Keepsake of Recipes and Food Memories…

Calling all UPLB students, faculty, staff, alumni, residents, friends and foodies…

Let out those nostalgic and recurring thoughts of food in and around UPLB. Help immortalize and celebrate the Los Baños community’s bountiful and colorful food scene. Be a part of the CHE Centennial Coffeetable Book: UPLB Eats! : A Centennial Keepsake of Recipes and Food Memories

Share your food stories and recipes today!

Start constructing those essays on food facts, memories and experiences on:

• Local food folklore
• Traditional and contemporary food and food uses/practices for all walks of life, across the lifecycle
• Food places/hubs/hang-outs
• Food activities and programs

or on anything that has/had influence on Los Baños’ (and its environs’) food use and meanings or alternately on the foodscene’s effects on the inhabitants’. The tentative outline below might be of help to you in starting up.

Send in your tried and tested recipes, artwork (poetry, photographs, illustrations) and other interesting materials relating to UPLB/LB’s food culture.

Prescribed Format for Entries

Essays should be no longer than 500 words. For those submitting recipes, we highly encourage you to submit as well anecdotes/description and photos of the recipes and recipe information as cooking tips, yield (no. of servings), preparation/cooking time and serving suggestions.

Electronic copies of documents and images are preferred. Entries should be submitted in MS Word (for text) and JPEG format (for photos/images). Images should not have sizes/resolution lower than 3.2megapixels or 300DPI (for scanned images).

The entries should include the name of the author/s (articles may have multiple authors), address, email address, phone number, UP batch and course or UPLB position/affiliation.

Let us all take pride of and celebrate our community’s foodways. Write your recipes and food essays today!

Submit your materials on or before April 30, 2008.

For submissions and queries, please do not hesitate to contact:

Prof. Melanie H. Narciso
Institute of Human Nutrition and Food
College of Human Ecology
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Office Phone No.: (49)536-2445
Email: nienarciso@aol.com

Note: The Coffeetable Book Committee regrets that not all entries may be included in the book due to space limits.

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Need to know more about Hydroxycut hardcore?

The graduation will be later today. Check out how UPLB is prepping out for the big event later on…

The stage looks promising, perhaps a waterfall later on?

(more…)

If you were to graduate again, who would you want to be the guest speaker? If I have any say on the matter, ban all politicos – they have nothing to say except promote themselves to the public. We need speakers who will inspire us, who could give meaning on being a UP graduate! With the hundreds of UPLB alumni out there who are excelling in the field, why can’t we get one each year to be speaker? We have many outstanding scientists worth hearing them talk not only on their work but also the wisdom they can share. Di ba kayo naiinggit na walang kumakalat na emails about the speech of a UPLB guest speaker that is worth passing around? A message that would go beyond the graduates, but reach out to others as well?

Since I started this question, I’ll answer it first. You can answer up to three, any person you can think of (kahit na si Superman pa, kahit di UPLB alumni…).

1. Dr. Dolores A. Ramirez – She taught Bio30 to generations of UPLB students. I would love to hear her talk beyond science.

2.Norman Borlaug – how about another green revolution?

3. How about an OFW na UPLB graduate?

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Looking for gifts (like kids wagons) for the holidays?

UPLB Graduation will be on April 26, 2008. For those who are going  back to LB to attend the graduation, here are dining spots you might want to try:

Grove (going to Demarses)

Bonito’s – try their pastas (freshly made), grilled thin crust pizzas, paella, grilled burgers and pork barbecue (Harry Platter, anyone?).

Baan Thai – enjoy Thai food in Los Baños. Must try dishes are their seafood salads, fried rice and curries.

LB Square

Big Dads – their sisig is good! Just hold off on the mayonaise they serve it with.

Jungle Java – great place to hang-out with friends for beer. Try their seafood stir fry for pulutan.

From Agrix to Crossing

Congga – another great place for beer and videoke. If you want to go away from the crowded LB Square, this is the place to go for beer or not. Try their chicken sisig and apple-carrot slush shake.

Ning’s Thai – another Thai place. Try their pa siu noodles, chicken with nuts and spring rolls.

Phuong – You probably know Mrs Phuong who sold spring rolls during the Feb Fair many years ago. She has a wide selection of Vietnamese dishes so just take your pick.

Isis (Icis?) – Great place to chill out, not so loud and smoky anymore. Try their pizza, crispy pata and salads.

Reith (near BPI Family Bank) – the fastfood place for home-cooked Filipino dishes.

Umali Subd

Joes Place (Pearl Street) – for Italian pastas

Ellen’s Fried Chicken (along Raymundo Gate) – no explanations needed.

Bordo’s (F.O. Santos St) – the place to go if you like burgers

Lola Linda’s (near the Mosque) – Filipino food served in a garden setting

These are by no means complete. Just some of the places with good food and a place for bonding with your classmates. And I am not paid for this list, ok?

Happy Eating!

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Shop for watches online. Try Sector watches.

 Last week was the Feb Fair, a much awaited event each year by students and alumni alike. Since I didn’t have any org at all, I was not too keen on looking around the students. I preferred going to the food booths, eating barbecues (I wonder where they go the rest of the year), enjoying the food soold by international students and basically just moving around and mingling with old friends and classmates who came just for this. I met some classmates I haven’t seen since I graduated in 1995 so that was really memorable. The food was good, although I missed Mrs Phuong this year.  Do you recall eating Vietnamese spring rolls during the Feb Fair many years back? Anyway, she has a resto at Agrix so I can go there anytime.