Since my much-anticipated trip to Malaga had to be delayed to June 30, I went to mi ultimo destino ... Cebu. O si, Cebu, even if it has become more abarrotado than Manila, is still a favorite destination, at least para yo.
Yesterday, I had lunch at the Casino Espanol (en Cebu) and was very surprised (pero seguro no muy) to see that there were more "chinos" than there were "espanoles" in the club. Not that I have anything against this, as I have many, many Chinese friends and acquaintances; pero es solo que lo encuentro extrano that a spanish club be filled with chinos. Yo no se lo que es mejor: seeing all these chinos or bumping into the annoying Maribel (A) or the bird-brained Carmen (C). Hahaha!
I asked the waiter (and I promised not to name him):
Yo: Dong, vamos ya! Ngano man ni nga fuerteng daghanang insik diri karon? (Come here lad, Why is it that there are too many Chinese people here?)
Dong: Ambot ngano na' Ma'am! Nagka daghan ra man na sila diri. (I do not know Ma'am! They just became plentier and plentier here.)
Yo: Unsa may chismis lagi? Makahibaw gyud ka. (So what is the scoop? Surely you ould know.)
Dong: Ay di man ko maminaw anang istorya-an sa mga guest. Mo-silbi ra man ko. (Oh, I do not listen to guests' conversation. I just serve them.)
Dong: Aw tingali Ma'am na-lanag na sila og kina-on og machang. Tingali og Paella na pod moy ilang gusto! (Oh maybe they got tired of eating "machang". Maybe they want "paella" this time!)
Hahaha! Very well said!
Food was good. It was better. I forgot to ask if the luchado Gema Pido was still a "consultant". You see, when I was in Cebu a few months back, I saw her at the Marco Polo (where I stayed). She pretended not to see me so I, in turn, returned the favor. Later that evening, I bumped into Hans Hauri and asked about Gema. Lo and behold, it turns out that Gema was also a "consultant" in their hotel! Entonces?! I have to give it to the bichesa Gema ... she knows food and knows them well.
Back to the Casino talk, I had my usual canalones and natilla. I cannot help but remember Carmelino's wonder at how I can consider such fare as "comfort food". Oh well, to each her own, di ba Carmelino?
Notwithstanding the changes in the club (some of which I do not really find appealing), I will still go back. After all, why even be a member if one will not patronize, si? Maybe when I get back from my Spanish hiatus, I will find that it has been renamed ...
Ca-chino Espanol de Cebu.
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