As for the May and June dates, we owe that tradition to the Americans as well as the Proclamation No. 266 (1988) by former President Cory Aquino. Proclamation No. 58 may be the more legal and formal basis, but nobody seems to mind that the de facto and accepted dates for Mother’s and Father’s Days happen during in the summer months instead of in December.
Now that we got the nitty-gritty technicalities of the “holidays” out of the way, here are some ideas that you can do to treat (for some of us, and especially for me) the most important woman of in our lives.
Breakfast in bed
Treating our moms to a meal need not be too expensive nor complicated. Whip up some eggs, fry some slices of bacon or ham and toast some bread together with butter before serving it on a tray. It only take some effort and waking up before she does; besides, nobody refuses the idea of having breakfast in bed. Add a hand-written letter or heart-warming card and there’s no better way to start a day dedicated to moms the world over.
Flowers
Fresh flowers would perfectly compliment that breakfast tray of food. Skip the flower shops inside the malls and head over to Dangwa Flower Market in Dimasalang, Sampaloc for fresh and most importantly, lower priced flowers. Do buy in bulk, say a dozen or two red, pink or white local roses to get the best rates. Before pulling out your wallet though, always remember to haggle and negotiate the price down to your budget’s range.
Croque
The family can have brunch or lunch buffet at Croque Cafe + Bakery for only P399 per person. The French-themed cafe along Arnaiz (Pasay) Road will serve hearty dishes such as Grilled Pork Belly Humba Sauce with Pineapple Quinoa Salad, Herb Roasted Chicken with Chorizo Paella Rice and Fish of the Day with Potato Risoto.
Spa/massage
For the son or daughter who wants to pamper his/her mother, nothing comes close to indulgence and luxury that Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s LeSpa. For P6,000++, the three-hour Spa VIP Package starts with a 60-minute relaxing massage followed by a 90-minute Rejuvenating Facial and culminates in a 30-minute Royal Foot Massage.
Spiral, Sofitel Philippine Plaza
For the highlight of the day, head over to Spiral Buffet Restaurant as Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s Master Chefs have teamed up with six celebrity chefs to feature their heirloom recipes.
For Mother’s Day weekend, some of the featured dishes incorporated into Spiral’s buffet spread include the Gravlax and Cream Cheesecake of chef Mia Manuel, the Whole Baked Lapu-lapu made famous by chef Suzette Montinola of La Cocina de Tita Moning, chef Nina Daza-Puyat’s French Onion Tartlettes and Portobello Mushroom fries and Triple Chocolate Champorado by actress Judy Ann Santos.
During the formal media launching last April 28, I was able to sample a few of the dishes mentioned above. The whole baked lapu-lapu was a great start; the fish was cooked through but was still flaky and moist.
Chef Mia Manuel’s gravlax—Nordic raw salmon dish cured in salt, sugar and dill—is better eaten with a piece of bread or toast. Unfortunately, slicing the salmon into small bits made the gravlax play second fiddle to the thick layer of cream cheese.
As I was eating both the tasting portion and a later bigger portion, I could barely taste the salmon. The texture could use some improvement too as the cream cheesecake layer was really dense.
Judy Ann Santos’ Lumpiang Shanghai and Triple Cholocate Champorado were actually not bad, but the taste should be very familiar to most Filipinos. One would not guess that garlic and onion powder and bacon were added to enhance the taste of the fried spring rolls while trio of cocoa powder, milk and dark chocolate fell short to the real taste and full flavor of the tablea used in traditional champorado.
The celebrity chefs' dishes can be distinguished by the purple labels that accompany the serving dishes. Sunday brunch on May 10 is set at P3,650++ for adults and P1,600++ for children, while the dinner rate is P2,650++ for adults and P1,450++ for children.
Two more celebrity chefs will share their favorite family recipes on Father’s Day, with chef Ariel Manuel of Lolo Dad’s fame featuring Stewed Lamb Leg with Dried Mangos, Roasted Quail with Maple and Beef Salpicao with Mustard.
Chef Sandy Daza meanwhile shares his culinary discoveries and inventions such as Leyte Humba, Chicken in Coconut Milk, Hoisin Chicken with Chinese Sausage, Beef Burgundy and Smoked Fish Tofu Balls. Rates for the Father’s Day Sunday brunch and dinner are priced the same as those for Mother’s Day.
The truth is though, we as sons and daughters do not need a special day to show our love and appreciation to the women who stand as our “ilaw ng tahanan.” Whether we recognize Mother’s Day as the second Sunday of May or the official and proclaimed one during December, let us try to make every day special with regards to how we treat, love and respect the mothers in our lives.
Wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to all the dedicated and loving mothers in the world, most especially to my dear mom and grandma. — BM, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
