July, 2026 - Baby Boomer Lola

By LPJ

I never heard of omakase before, until my weekend dinner date with my son John, daughter-in-law Natasha and grandson Eliott for Eliott’s birthday treat. So glad that I dived into this culinary experience, not knowing what to expect. I consider myself as a “foodie”, yet there are certain limitations to my adventurous instincts where my palate is concerned. But that omakase that night was a gem.

Omakase is chef-curated dinner, for a taste of chef-chosen specialties presented one at a time. Our omakase was at Daigo, an unassuming Japanese restaurant located in an obscure alley in Palo Alto, CA. It was far from looking luxurious or commercially sparkly, yet, the omakase I had was definitely a luxury further enhanced with efficient and pleasant service. John explained that the dinner would be a parade of sashimis and appetizers, rightly spaced to allow for a full savory sensation before the next dish. I told my family that the only sashimis I had before were salmon and yellowtail. I refused to do any more than those. When invited to a sashimi eat-out, my polite refusal came 95% of the time. My family was anxious about whether I’d enjoy the faire, but I was determined to try, all because it was Eliott’s birthday dinner. I willed to enjoy all that came in front of me.

By golly, did I enjoy it!

(Photos from John S. Jacob)

By LPJ

Yesterday was my husband Stanley’s birthday. He passed in December 2015, but the memories never fade. Strange that they stay as vivid and lively, like they just happened yesterday, or weeks ago. Best of all, remembering brings back the joys of life (43 years together) that are far beyond figments of the imagination, but realities that linger in the mind and in the heart. I simply call them love.

As I favored myself with vibrant recollections, a lengthy greeting came from my niece Ritzi Villarico Ronquillo, a journalist/columnist of the Business Mirror in Manila. Eloquent in her tribute and heartwarming in her sentiments, Ritzi packed snippets of rememberings – her Uncle Stanley’s generous hospitality that included taking her and members of the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus UPCC) on tours of the Bay Area, managing their accommodation with volunteer families, providing transportation, and not the least of all, sponsoring and organizing UPCC’s concerts at Stanford University and the Palo Alto Methodist Church. He was a kind host who made sure that everyone in the choir, conductor included, was comfortable and had fun. Generous of his time and resources, he was everybody’s Uncle Stanley, and to this day, still has so many “nieces” and “nephews” who often speak praises of their Uncle Stanley. Best remembered were his cheerful disposition and wit, his jokes, most of them smart and quick on the wit, and some, corny but wholesomely hilarious.

Bryant’s memory spot underneath the maple tree in front of Jabil in San Jose (photo by Nikki J. Bulao)