The annual August 21 holiday gave the GCEC Ladies’ Fellowship a much needed rest and fellowship time. They spent the afternoon having fun, via an informal pandesal baking session led by Sis. Athena.
The activity was held at Sis. Cherie’s, and Sis. Athena utilized her baking skills in teaching her fellow ladies the best way to produce the pandesal. After a whole afternoon wherein Sis. Cherie’s kitchen smelled like a heavenly panaderia, the time came to taste the wares. Not surprisingly, the bread turned out quite well; after the pandesal were brought brought back to their respective homes, some of the ladies commented that their husbands wanted more!
FYI: The quintessential pandesal (from the Spanish: pan de sal, lit. “bread of salt” “hot bread”) is a staple bread roll in the Philippines and is commonly eaten for breakfast. Traditionally, pandesal is purchased very early in the morning, from the neighborhood panaderia or bakery, and consumed almost immediately, as it tastes best when served very warm. (Members of the older generation will swear by pandesal filled butter and dunked into hot coffee.) Aside from its gastronomic importance, the pandesal was also known as an economic barometer, as inflation has shrunk the size of the pandesal significantly over the years.
With the success of the activity, we look forward to more cooking and baking get togethers such as this in the future.
If you’re interested in joining, the GCEC Ladies’ Fellowship meets regularly every first and third Fridays of the month.
