Hello and welcome to Umami Days, a blog anchored on the conviction that jumping into the bandwagon of trendy diets and food fads defiles human intelligence.

My name is Connie Veneracion, retired lawyer and journalist, mother to two grown daughters and wife to a man with a curious nickname (for long time readers who got here via CASA Veneracion, don’t miss the P. S. at the end).

6 things about the blog

1. The recipes here are for dishes cooked in our own kitchen — dishes we found satisfying enough to want to share with the world. (My daughters and I do the cooking, take the photos and do the occasional video. My husband loads all the soiled pots, pans, cooking utensils and dinnerware into the dishwasher then turns it on. Oh, he also unloads and puts everything in its proper place the next day.)
2. The recipes are an eclectic mix of Asian and non-Asian — (a) food we share in common with Asian neighbors, (b) food and cooking techniques acquired from our centuries-long interaction with Chinese traders and Indian migrants, and (c) dishes adapted from the cuisines of Spain and the United States, our former colonizers.
3. In the blog, the recipes are not categorized into “cuisines” because authenticity is difficult to define. Read “Is there such a thing as pure cuisine?” if you’re curious. However, in the individual recipe boxes, cuisines are specified. That’s just to comply with current Google standards.
4. I do all the writing for the blog. That said, you won’t find recipe titles here such as “crustless quiche” (call it what it is, a frittata or a torta, because a quiche either comes with a crust or it is not a quiche at all), “noodleless pho” (just say it’s a soup because that’s what it is) or “chocolate lasagna” (a layered dessert with a name embraced by people who apparently do not know that lasagna is a noodle).
5. Guest posts and sponsored posts are NOT welcome here.
6. Commenting is OFF because I have a long-standing and extremely infuriating experience with trolls.

12 things about me

1. I’m 58 years old as I write this page (it’s March 11, 2022; the photo was taken at a cooking class in Chiang Mai in 2020 on the last trip I took before international borders were closed).
2. My day always begins with strong brewed coffee with sugar and milk.
3. I love fatty red meat, skin-on chicken (except the breast) and runny egg yolks.
4. I revere offal (organ meats).
5. I favor butter, full-fat milk, cream and cheese over low-fat and / or low-sodium alternatives.
6. I cannot survive a day without bread, rice or noodles.
7. I adore wine.
8. I worship coconut and extol its virtues.
9. I detest avocado except in the form of guacamole.
10. I am not a fan of over-styled food plating and over-saturated food photos.
11. I despise Facebook and Twitter, and I don’t do Tiktok (but I do shop for dinnerware on Instagram).
12. I will never ever be a vegetarian.

In the blog

Chicken, tomatoes and thyme in olive oil

10-minute Kung Pao tofu

Kung pao chicken

Macaroni salad with ham and cheese

Udon and pork with chili peanut sauce

Potatoes and green beans salad

Claypot mushroom curry rice

Crispy tofu skin fingers with spicy honey lemon ginger sauce

20-minute shrimp curry rice bowl