More about the Bargain Hunter from Pam

I have another memory of dad, I may need some help filling in some of the details…:

We were on a family trip on the way to the Manila. On a layover in Toyko, dad decided to do a little shopping with all of our boarding passes in his pocket. As the 747 continued to board, panic and fear began to set in all of us. I believe the gate agents finally let Kate and possibly Christina on the plane to look for dad. Kate and Christina came off the plane without dad. Dad eventually strolled up to the boarding area, both hands armed with bags from the duty free store with Johnny Walker Black and a smile on his face. He had known all the time that the plane was not going to take off without us because the pilot’s liquor order was being filled while dad was in the shop. So dad was not in a hurry to get back to the plane! Pam

P.S. This is one of the little shots bottles of Johnny Walker Black I snagged from Dad collection when we all visited with Janine the Christmas after Dad passed away. Ana

The Bargain Hunter

Dad loved a bargain. From 2-for-1 cocktails at the 76th Club before Friday Fish Fry, to helping me negotiate with the VW dealer when I bought my first new car (oh, how embarrassing that was, but he got a great price)! I have a vague memory of being on a trip with Mom, Dad, Ana and maybe Christina. All of us were waiting to board the plane. They were paging Dad and I think Mom was trying to decide if we were going without him or not. Dad finally made it, with his duty free bargains in hand! Kate

Speaking of food and dad...

I don't know how he did it, but he grilled the best bratwurst (Klements), and breakfast sausage (Klements)...just enough crunch on the edges.

And, remember the infamous pork chops and rice...it's still my favorite dish! Pork chop fried rice the day after was pretty delicious as well.

Remember his spaghetti sauce? He'd puree carrots and celery in it so Ted wouldn't see the vegetables? It was good. LOL.

And, I'm surprised no one mentioned Rice-a-roni....he'd sing it was the Tolentino treat. He'd have to make two boxes because we scarfed it up.

I use to spend hours perched by the stove watching dad cook. I remember doing that for years. Did you know that he learned to cook from watching his mother in the kitchen? He said she never used a recipe and that's how he picked up season to taste skills.

Christina

Before we go to the printer, let's get it all together.

I have been working on this project of putting together a memory book of Dad this year. I am hesitant to finish the book because I feel like I might be missing something -- a photo, a memory, a great recipe. So, I thought I'd give everyone the opportunity to see what I have and make comments, contributions and suggestions. This is a very important project to all of us -- especially to his grandchildren whose only identification with their grandfather will be this book and the memories we pass down about him. So let's blog a bit and make sure we have all the facts.