A Celebration for Animal Doctors
There is a meme called “The Elderly” that is now widely circulating on the internet. It declares “We were born in the 40-50-60”, and “Turns out we have lived through, …TWO different centuries, TWO different millennia. We are no longer at an age to postpone anything”.
Well… I am proud to be among the elderly!
It was this meme that prodded me to organize the Christmas Party for the VKVLV, a college fraternity/sorority of animal doctors last December 2022. This affair is held annually, but was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic and in 2021 because of Typhoon Odette.
The Lundqvist couple, Dr. Ging Berdon (Big Boss at Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital) and Sir Anton offered to host the party at their residence and sponsor the dinner menu from Creative Cuisine.
I was tasked to select the entrées to be served: Bulgogi Pork with Vegetables, Beef Bourguignon, Lemon Chicken, Breaded Shrimp with 3 Dips, Ultimate Palabok, and Special Fried Rice. I chose Lemon Tartlets and Mini Cheesecakes as Desserts.
To complete the preparation, I needed Cebu Lechon, Unlimited Beer and a selection of Alcoholic Drinks. Dr. Abel de Manuel of Unifeeds sponsored the Lechon and Dr. Jun Espinoza donated these brands of beer: Blue Girl, Tiger Beer, Budweiser, Tsingtao, and San Miguel Light.
I contributed three drinks: Tanduay 1854, 15 years old Rum, Scott’s Selection Macallan, Single Highland Malt 1986, and Suntory XO Brandy.
Cebu Lechon was served as an appetizer and guests had their fill of the crispy Lechon skin and the luscious tender well-seasoned meat beneath the skin. The pig was fed only with Unifeeds and the Lechon Master’s skill contributed to the Lechon’s tastiness.
The Beef was very tender, and the red wine with the beef stock flavored with carrot, onions, mushrooms, and garlic made this dish truly delicious. The Lemon Chicken is a Cantonese dish served in Cebu in the ‘60s and Creative Cuisine remade it well. The tart taste of the lemon cushioned the oiliness of the dish.
Each guest was served their favorite brand of beer and I personally dispensed the Macallan, Single Highland Malt 1986 so that everyone will be able to taste this rare and expensive whisky. It was part of a collection by a Taiwanese gentleman who got sick, and the whisky was sold in Cebu by his Filipina wife.
The party was held in the lovely garden of the Lundqvist couple, and the heavens blessed the affair with fair weather. The beer was served cold, the food was served hot, and the alcoholic drinks were equally shared by all.
Truly, it was a lovely celebration for animal doctors!