Diets Always Begin Tomorrow

We ate a feast during lunch today. We had charcoal-grilled fish head ( tangige panga ); edible sea weed ( which I like to call sea grapes but which is locally known as lato ); chicken soup with malunggay and ginger; white rice; and charcoal-grilled squid stuffed with ginger, onions, garlic and tomatoes. It was a marvellous meal which reminds me so much of our outings at the beach.

I literally stuffed my mouth full of these delectable goodies. I even made a special sauce or sawsawan for the grilled fish head meat. I combined diced fresh tomatoes with shrimp paste ( bagoong ), sweet vinegar ( sukang pinakurat ) and calamanasi juice. The sauce complemented the white flesh of the fish. It brought out the natural sweetness of the fresh deep seawater fish which is locally known as the tangige.

The Japanese have their tuna, and we Cebuanos have our tangige. The tangige is like the tuna fish although with a bit more character. The tuna fish and the tangige both live and grow under the deep sea waters. Like the tuna fish, the tangige is a carnivore. It has sharp rows of teeth and a pointed snout. Unlike the tuna fish, the tangige has white meat.

The tuna fish's best part is the belly but the tangige's best part is the head. That's why the locals love to grill the tangige's head. It is where most of the flavor is concentrated. The locals still consume the body or the belly but the meat in those parts are more flaky.

Forgetting my diet, I consumed a huge portion of the white fish. I pecked at the grilled squid's lateral fins and its tentacles. I stuffed my mouth full of the edible sea weed which I added salt to. I paired all these yummy foods with warm white rice. To finish off my meal, I sipped the chicken soup last.

The chicken soup was just the right temperature. It was also the right spiciness. The ginger didn't overpower the chicken. The flavor of the chicken meat and its bones had transferred to the yellowish broth. I didn't find it necessary to eat the chicken. I just concentrated on enjoying the full taste of the chicken soup and munched on the slightly bitter green malunggay leaves. I experienced pure delight as I finished the last drop of the soup.

After my satisfying meal, I ate Rocky Road ice cream. The chocolate ice cream had lots of peanut bits which I thoroughly enjoyed. I ate one full cup of the calorie-laden ice cream.

Today, I have forgotten my diet. No matter. There's always a tomorrow. As they say, diets always begin tomorrow.