Going gourmet about banana-cue

When friends led by Baby K. Jimenez and Mercy Lejarde visited Nora Aunor at the shoot of her Mother’s Day special presentation for the drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya, now celebrating its 25th year, the only Superstar treated them to freshly fried banana-cue.
Who does not crave for the low-priced but filling mid-afternoon delight? Considered as a people’s snack item and popular street food, peeled ripe saging na saba (plantain) is deep-fried in coconut oil and smothered with brown sugar before being skewered by twos and threes in bamboo sticks.
The last shoot day of the drama of a mother with four of her five children suffering from disorders but never giving up her love for them, Nora hailed a banana-cue vendor and purchased his stock which was then distributed to the MMK cast and crew and all present Noranians.
This made her nostalgic as she used to do the same in shoots during her peak in the 1970s.
“Tuwang-tuwa ang Lola Guy because present kami ni Baky K,” exclaimed Mercy.
Known as the “Qoutation Queen” among entertainment columnists, Mercy commented: “Puwedeng lagyan ng background that goes, ‘Three old friends meet again, sharing happy moments together…’ ‘Yun na!”
Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla confirmed on Its Showtime that she is pregnant for the third time after two botched ones. Co-host Amy Perez dutifully stated that she would continue to give her favorite banana-cue. It now appears banana-cue is her favorite snack, even her conception craving.
When Inigo Pascual was newly introduced as Star Magic royalty and started to develop his body, just like dad Piolo Pascual, he went to the gym with him to develop bulk. After a workout, long-time personal assistant Moi Marcampo once took the photo of father and son sharing a stick of banana-cue.
You see, saba is recommended for bodybuilders aiming to put on mass. Otherwise, latundan and lacatan are recommended, for bodybuilders like Arnell Ignacio and Nico Antonio, usually with boiled kamote and puti ng itlog as part of their diet.
Although saba and latundan have lower vitamin content than lakatan, nutritionist Michael Van Straten, author of The Healthy Food Directory, wrote that bananas in general can alleviate 14 medical conditions including diarrhea, fatigue, heartburn, insomnia, nausea, menstrual problems, kidney problems, fluid retention and circulatory problems.
When KC Concepcion guested in Magandang Buhay with siblings Frankie, Miel and Miguel, the eldest daughter of Megastar Sharon Cuneta and senator-elect Francis Pangilinan showed her skill at making banana-cue. Host Karla Estrada, Jolina Magdangal and Melai Cantiveros dutifully took a bite of the freshly fried food.  
As if the banana-cue as celebrity food is not enough, it has turned gourmet at Gallery Vask. The grilled saba is presented on a premium stick with a graphic artist-designed brown paper bag with logo.  
Gallery Vask is a contemporary art gallery with a fine-dining restaurant at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila. It was awarded as number 39 in Asia and Best Restaurant in the Philippines, by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
The awards were based on votes from more than 300 chefs, restaurateurs and experts in six countries across Asia. Gaggan of Thailand, its cuisine described as “progressive Indian cuisine,” bagged top spot for the second year in a row.
If turon, another dessert made from thick slices of saba, is now gourmet food at 9601 Restaurant of the ELJ Communication Center, why not banana-cue as snacks using saba such as maruya and minatamis na saba?

KIM NAKED IN CAMOUGLAGE.  Kim Kardashian has fresh attention grabbers.
Most likely feeling the pinch of declining viral counts, Kim’s appearance with husband Kanye West at the recent Met Gala failing to do it, she pulled a fast one at the 100th anniversary party of the British version of the French Vogue. After her boob constantly showed when she attended the debut of Sofia Coppola and Valentino’s La Traviata at the Rome Opera House, she then flew to London with Kanye and attended the Vogue shindig naked in camouflage.
Although she did not have the same problem as in the Eternal City, her boobs showed through her see-through gown with a leather belt and strategically placed flimsy lace design over her privates. It is meant to show them, her lower private turning a feast for fast-eyed curious. With Kanye trailing several meters away for the red carpet moment, she romped with so much class it did not turn into a vulgar act.

A NEW KIND OF GRAFFITI. French street artist JR claimed to have made the Louvre Pyramid “disappear.” But it is nothing more than pasting grayscale photos of the Louvre Museum to “hide” the world-famous glass pyramid designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei with the approval of museum authorities.
Aimed to give it an even newer perspective, the glass pyramid was installed in front of the Louvre for a contemporary appeal. If you are expecting acts of illusion like that of the two Davids — Copperfield and Blaine — it appears nothing more than a new kind of graffiti from this celebrated artist who started as a graffiti artist at age 13. For sure, we are now at an age when anything can be presented as art. Marcel Duchamp must be happy in artists’ heaven!

BILL’S STRATEGY. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the request of comedian Bill Cosby, 78, to delay the pre-trial hearing of his sexual assault case. His teen girl victims were regularly dispatched to him by a modeling agency. He admitted this in 2005 and 2006 depositions that he gave them booze and drugs before having sex with them.
Bill appeared in court for a preliminary hearing of the case of Andrea Constand, now 43, who owned up in a deposition to have sexually assaulted in 2004. Besides his lawyers questioning the legality of using these depositions in the case, they are likely to use the “with consent” strategy to go scot-free or for a lighter sentence.
 
INSIGHT! The self-proclaimed psychic Stargazer predicted “chaos” in the presidency of presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte in a DZMM Teleradyo interview. Everything she forecasted is obvious except one issue: Whether he will finish his term as a result of the widespread changes he intends to implement. Although she did tell him “to be careful with his health.” Again, that is predictable as he is suffering from Buerger's disease and Barrett's esophagus besides being 71.
Working on the principle of generalities, Stargazer avoided specifics. Will he finish his term? Will there be attempts to assassinate him?0 Will he be ousted by a coup d’état? Will be impeached successfully or unsuccessfully? Or anything that is not widely probable. She even avoided more generalities. Will he succeed or fail in his reform agenda? 
Believe it or not, you and I can claim ourselves to be psychics.