It Could Happen to You……

Last September 25, 2008 our maid/yaya/washer woman/cook ask if she can go home to visit her family in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.  Since she’s the best maid we ever had  .  My wife and I decided to let her go.  Now, when I say she’s the best;  I mean she’s really the best.  When I get home in the afternoon, the house is so clean, my son looks and smells clean, everything was just great ever since she started working for us about a month ago.  Since it’s the 25th of the month I haven’t gotten my salary yet, so she said she’ll go ahead and go home, then we can send the money to her.  We agreed to deduct the cost of sending the money to her.  So with promises that she’ll return on the morning of the 28th-my birthday!  So we have no maid since Thursday and it was ok because Thursdays and Fridays are my rest day at the office.  Sunday morning came….no yaya Clarita (That’s what we call her. ) Sunday afternoon…..no yaya Clarita.  Sunday evening…still no @#$@ yaya Clarita!

My wife started to panic.  Both of us have to report for work on Monday!  We can’t just make our son, a become a “latchkey kid” in an instant and besides he’s three years old.  My mom can’t come because she has to look after my dad and elder brother, my mother-in-law can’t come because she’s ….well…dead for a couple of years now.  There’s just no one else to go to.   I was tempted to call my manager and ask (I was actually planning to beg….) if it’s Ok to skip work that day.  Thinking that the maid just had a grand time visiting her family and decided to return on Monday morning.  Then my son cough his lungs out!  A really nasty cough full of pleghm.  Right then and there my wife decided that she will skip work and I go.  Monday came and went still the maid of our dreams never returned.   That’s goes to show that you just can’t trust people anymore.

Let’s admit it.  Maids, are one of the most important people that you will ever get to live with.  Well ….. not as important as your wife and children of course.  But!  They are the people that you will depend on, to keep house and to look after your children when your away at work.  Specially in our case when both my wife and I work to make ends meet.  Gone are the days when a family can live on a single paycheck.  Now even if both parents are working, money can still be tight.  Agree?

My only wish is to find a trust worthy maid, that won’t abandon you, won’t abuse your kindness and most specially won’t hurt my son when my wife and I are at work.

It’s really causing me a headache why she left.  We were very good employers (modesty aside) .  We treat her right. We pay her a large salary. (Well large by my standards, anyway)  I wonder what’s wrong with us? 

Wherever she is……………….

I hope…………….

She’s happy at what she’s done to my family.

And to you yaya Clarita…… @#$@$# You!

So beware!  If you will be taking in a maid from Gapan, Nueva Ecija and her name is Clarita.  Then what happened to us, could happen to you. 

Mashed Potato Balls! Yummy

Here’s a little something to spice up your lunch or dinner or whatever!

Mashed Potato Balls

Ingredients:

3/4 Kilos of Potatoes

2 Egg yolks

1 small can of evaporated milk

1/2 Block of Butter (but it really depends on you how much you’ll put in!

1 bag of Japanese Bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated Cheese (optional)

Procedure:

Wash potatoes very well

Boil Potatoes until really tender ( I don’t peel my potatoes because that’s where the nutrients are.)

Mash potatoes with a fork or a ricer or a masher

Add butter, cheese, egg yolks, salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up ’till the all the flavors are balanced

Roll potatoes into balls (size depends on you)

Then roll into flour, then to egg whites, then roll into Japanese bread crumbs

Deep fried until golden brown!

Don’t fry too long otherwise it will really get oily (yuck) just until the crumbs are done

Finished!

You can serve them at breakfast, lunch or dinner as a side dish to any fried, grilled or any dish for that matter.  I even eat it during snack time!

Enjoy!