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I was at the DMV office the other day to renew my license. I could’ve mailed in my payment but I missed the deadline.

The DMV has a new system of servicing customers. Instead of having people form lines, people are asked to pick a numbered stub upon entry. They are then asked to go to the waiting area which now consists of rows of chairs for them to sit on. The rope and stanchions have been removed. A person approaches a window when his or her number is called out by an automated voice through the speaker system. The number of the window is also given. Several TV monitors also list the numbers and designated windows that have been called out. I think this is a much improved method of waiting at the DMV. Although the wait is still long, people are more comfortable and less stressed. One need only be attentive to his or her number being called.

I remember this one time I waited in line at the DMV sometime last year. When I came in, I was greeted by a line that snaked around the lobby and went through a hallway leading to the outside. So there I was at the end of the line. Less than a minute later, a middle-aged lady came and lined up behind me and let out a loud sigh. She then proceeded to let out a sigh every minute or so for the next forty-five minutes as we inched to the front of the line. I was thinking, “Lady, what do you expect? This is the DMV!”

I always come prepared when I anticipate long waits like this. I bring a book. Waiting in line is a great time to catch up on my reading. Unproductive time becomes productive time. Of course, with the new waiting system at the DMV I can’t be too engrossed with my book or else I’d miss my number being called!

In Filipino-American households, dishes like adobo, laing and dinuguan sit side-by-side with the stuffed turkey, ambrosia salad and pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving banquet. EthnicGrocer.com can provide you with the ingredients necessary to concoct these non-traditional recipes.

Too bad its Philippine section does not have a wide selection of products. One glaring omission: Banana Ketchup. Or rather Banana Sauce. Did you know that the U.S. FDA has outlawed ketchup not made from tomatoes? Philippine exporters such as Del Monte, UFC, Jufran and Mafran have had to relabel their banana ketchup as “banana sauce” for the U.S. market. Here’s an excerpt from a related article:

Ketchup is a combination of vinegar, sugar, spices and some solid. There are ancient recipes that use almost anything but tomatoes - walnuts, mushrooms, gooseberries, even anchovies - as the solid ingredient.

…the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was not a big fan of ancient recipes. If something was going to be called ketchup, it had to be made from tomatoes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s a Tabo! It’s a Bidet! It’s Tabidet!

Finally, true-to-life representation.

(Well, not quite. An ’80s sitcom called, get this, E/R featured a Filipina receptionist. She was played by a Japanese actress, however. The show starred Elliot Gould and a young George Clooney!)

Side note: Bend it Like Beckham’s Parminder Nagra joins ER as well.

UPDATE: How could I forget? Lea Salonga guest starred in ER a couple seasons ago.

…when I “see” food, I run! Hehe, I’m allergic to shellfish. Lobsters, crabs, shrimp and prawns are off-limits to me. Yes, I know, I know, I’m missing out. I can eat other types of seafood, however, but not crustaceans. So this evening when the whole family went to Market Broiler, I ordered myself a plate of garlic-laced linguini and clams. I passed up my usual order of Arizona tilapia to try something different.

Here’s a T616-captured image which I sent to my Mac via e-mail. It costs .40¢ to send so I’ll be glad when my bluetooth adapter for my iBook arrives. Oh yeah, check out Market Broiler’s daytime webcam!