Adobo in Cleveland

My current job takes me around the U.S., it sounds glamorous but it's not as glamorous as you think. It is still work, traveling is just one of the perks. Living in a hotel for months at a time is not fun at all, it's still not home. The good thing about this is you don't do house chores, someone always fix and clean your temporary home all the time. I just miss fixing food for my family, I love to cook and of course eat. Anyway, what I like about this job is the food. Different states, different kinds of food. The objective is to look for locals that can give you an underground knowledge where to find good cheap food. And voila, a culinary adventure that takes the boredom out. I've sampled a lot of food around, from European to different Asian foods. Even the hospital food here in Cleveland Clinic is not bad (guest food not patient food). But after sampling different kinds of gastronomic concoctions, my tongue still craves that one succulent taste. The taste of garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, & bay leaves, it’s that Filipino dish we call Adobo.

Adobo is a very popular & tasty dish that the Filipinos invented. Other Latin countries also have this kind of recipe, they also call it Adobo. But they do it differently, not even close to what we make. In the Philippines, we have 7100+ islands, and every island makes Adobo differently. My mother-in-law always says that Filipinos are born with an Adobo gene imbedded in our blood; we practically go from milk to Adobo :). The basic Adobo recipe most of the time is made with Chicken or Pork, but sometimes it is made with beef, seafood, vegetable or other edible game meats (hint, hint hehe). Every "Adobo formula" almost always taste good whatever ingredients they use. You are not Filipino if you don't know how to cook this national dish. I can even cook this dish with my eyes close. I this job, we meet a lot of Filipinos along the way. As usual, they are hospitable and think that you are a distant relative. They always ask where in the Philippines/U.S. you are from, and what are you doing in this part of town. I guess it normal to ask this kind of questions. Anyway, to make a long story short conversation always leads to food. I don't have problems eating hotel or hospital food all the time (since it's free), but if someone will offer to give us Filipino food I'll take it with open arms. Every time they ask me what I want, of course the first dish that will come out of my mouth is Adobo. It feels so good whenever you taste that succulent Adobo, it's like being in a happy place. It's funny that even here in the it feels like being in my own country. Wherever I go I have tasted different versions of this dish, Since the Filipinos that I meet comes from different parts of the Philippines. Here in Cleveland we met some Filipino staff that works in the hospital, they gave us Pancit, Adobo & Rice this morning. Sweet!!! I discarded the free continental breakfast and went straight to Adobo and Pancit. Life is good! Sometimes I feel that we are abusing their generosity but being deprive of Filipino food will definitely make you numb. :)