Lazy Sunday Afternoon

We just came from our luncheon date in Yee’s Restaurant in Chinatown. We had noodles, fried style with seafoods and veggies plus steamed rice. That is all we ordered. We did not even finish it. It was okay but I had a lot of Italian food last night. My palette was not keen to digest those Chinese food today. But since we have nothing to eat at home (I needed to go marketing tomorrow), we headed for a quick lunch in this Chinese community. We didn't eat well. I guess we are settling back to our spring appetite. Our tummies are getting used to having a small portion of food as opposed to how we were last winter: big eaters.

Before lunch, we bought this ball shaped rice cake that is stuffed with black beans, cooked with sugar syrup. It has sesame seeds all around it this Asian dessert. Back home, we call this as “Buche” (pronounced as “BOO-CHE”). I had the cravings for this so we bought 3 pieces for $1.50 at the famous shop that sells this item along Broadway. Husband tasted it for the first time and he kind of liked it. I am not into native Filipino and Thai desserts but this one I like.

Buche reminds me of my childhood days in the Philippines where vendors of this dessert would scream "Buche! Buche!" to announce to the neighborhood folks that the sweet rice bread is available for sale. Vendors travel on foot and carry the buche in baskets covered with layers of fabric to preserve it from getting cold.

BTW, before we headed to Chinatown, this noontime at 11:45 P.M. we attended our first Italian Mass at Saints Peter and Paul Church.
We were in the company of Italians from North Beach (Little Italy). It is interesting how these people from Europe have grown roots in this part of San Francisco. It was a delight as well, to see how our archaic looking Italian priest in his 80s- to have so much passion during his sermon this noontime. Ordinarily on weekdays, he looks frail and sleepy during the mass he officiates; in fact- at times he'd forget which part of the mass he was in but today, he was very much alive and energized. I realized that it is because he was speaking in Italian and since it is his first language, he is more adept with this medium. On the other hand, I understand very little of the Italian mass, except for the familiar hymns I sang since I was a teen-ager.

Well, we went to the dollar tree along Columbus corner Broadway. There, I was able to purchase two sets of sewing machine needles for 99 cents each. Now, as I write this entry my eyes are feeling heavy. I guess I need to take a nap. We were watching movies until 3:30 A.M. Mamamia! This is all for now.