BRATINELLA AND ME dares to speak out anytime, anywhere about anything to anyone.: Episode #5: The Foundation

Episode #5: The Foundation

22 December 2009

Hay naku . . . you should really learn how to ‘arrange’ the food correctly when you serve the Bratinella.

The staff at the restaurant where we ate learned it -- the hard way -- when she ordered lamb shawarma ‘divorced-style’.

Her: Favor naman, Miss, DON’T put the stuff INTO the pita bread ha! . . . Put the bread in a basket, -- cover it to make sure it stays warm . . . Then put all the ingredients on a plate – separate by batch: lamb, lettuce, tomato, onion . . . And make sure it looks nice and attractive on the plate . . . Arrange it nicely naman . . . yun naka-design, heh heh.

PLUS . . . she specified that ALL the veggies be fresh – and newly sliced.

Me: Ah ewan ko sa iyo . . . basta ako, I will eat my shawarma the usual way – yung everything inside the pita bread.

Our orders arrived . . . and with just one look at her plate – she immediately knew that the meat was as cold as a dead lamb.

Her: Ah miss . . . Malamig na yung karne . . . Ayan o, the taba is yucky na . . . Paki heat naman, pwede?

Me: Looks okay naman a . . .

I continued to munch my way through my roll of meat, shawarma juices dribbling from the corners of my mouth.

She called the waitress again.

Her: Sana hiniwa muna yung veggies - bago niluto ang meat . . . para pag luto na ang meat – perfect ang timing pag serve!

Her (again): Ano nga pala yung format ng ‘BratinellaAndMe’ natin? . . . You’ve seen me in my shows . . . Viewers love the way I spontaneously react to what the guests say . . . So, ikaw ang mauuna.

Me: Ah, okey . . . I write something – and then you react . . . I put in my side-comments in “thought bubbles” . . . and then you react -- parang nababasa mo yung utak ko.

Her: Great! . . . We exchange insights . . . and then we end each post with Life Lessons.

Me: Uy . . . ganda niyan . . . I provide the structure and opening salvo . . . and you add the flavor and language.

Her: Yeah . . . you’re the ‘cake’ . . . and I’m the ‘icing’.

Me: You will be the ‘bukayo’ to my ‘biko’ – para Pinoy ang dating!

Her: Haha . . . oo nga 'no? . . . Sige, I will add the W.O.W. . . . Words of WizDumb . . . eheh, este, Wisdom pala!

Me: Hehehe . . . ‘WizDumb’ . . . I like that!

Her: Yeah . . . for me, WizDumb simply means Life Lessons that I learned from the many bloopers in my life . . . I’ve had my share of boo-boo’s . . . I hope people will learn from my mistakes . . . para hindi na nila pagdaanan pa . . .

Me: Wow . . . and I thought I knew it all na!

And so . . . the foundation for BratinellaAndMe was established . . .

I could hardly wait for our next encounter . . . Join me in my journey!