A course in home based dairy processing

I like yoghurt and I like cheese. What I don’t like is their steep price.

Unfortunately there is not much we can do about it because we are not really a milk producing country and most of the dairy and milk products we consume have to be imported.

That was why when I got a chance to attend a short training course in a home based dairy products processing at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, I did not let it pass.

The training was held for four days (July 18-21, 2016) at the Dairy Training Institute in the university. During the training we were taught basic milk chemistry and evaluation, handling and processing of milk into various products such as flavored milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese, mozzarella, milk candy and ice cream.

I really appreciated the effort of the DTRI people, especially our trainor Ms. Aida Borromeo-Lanaca who taught us as much as possible as many things in the short time that we had. I was also surprised and very happy with what we made. The yoghurt was soooo good that even if that was the only thing I learned and which I could replicate at home. I would be contented.

Ms. Aida Borromeo Lanaca (in yellow) our trainor showing us how to pasteurize milk

If there is one thing though that I hope the training staff and the DTRI people can improve on, it is that they should work on coming up with a decent, well written and comprehensive basic reference/training manual (printed or electronic) instead of handing out power point printouts of the lectures. I find this practice cheap and unworthy of a respectable institution. It gives the training a semblance of being just hastily and haphazardly organized. Very ad hoc.

Many people in the business of teaching seems to have been trapped in a culture of complacency that they have forgotten the fact that the beginning of teaching and the effective transfer of knowledge is with a good book. A book that can be improved, revised and refined over time. I hope that before DTRI holds another training, they can work on this training manual first.

There is no question about the competence and knowledge of our workshop trainers with regards to what they taught us. Certainly they can make good consultants. But writing a book may require other skills and may require the involvement of other people who are up to the job.

In fairness to DTRI, it is not alone with this problem. Many other training institutions are in the same boat.

Change is coming. But is DTRI ready for change?

Group picture with my co trainees and our milk products

 

Shambon - shampoo na nasa sabon.

May kasabihan na "ang pangangailangan ang ina ng imbensyon".

Totoo nga.

Sa paggawa ng sabon, dahil nagsasawa na ako sa mga pabango na ginagamit ko, naisip ko lang kung maaaring haluan ng shampoo ang sabon. Ang inaalala ko lang  ay baka hindi kasi tumigas ito.

Pero maaari naman pala.

Sa sarili ko, ayos naman gamitin ang sabon na ito. Kahit sa buhok, medyo may epekto rin na parang mas malambot ang buhok na parang na shampoo ito.

Hindi ko lang alam kung ano ang matagalang epekto nito. Baka nakakalagas ng buhok at makalbo ang gagamit nito ng pangmatagalan.

Huwag naman sana. Pero kailangan pa din ng matagal tagal na obserbasyon.

Galing sa isang kaibigan ang pangalang "shambon". Kapag ito ay tinanggap at tinangkilik ng publiko, siya ay may lifetime supply nito.

Paano makaka-abot ang tagumpay ng Pilipinas sa kanila?

Nanalo ang Pilipinas sa kasong isinampa nito laban sa Bansang Tsina kaugnay ng pag-angkin ng huli ang mga isla sa West Philippine Sea.

Habang nagdadaan ako sa talipapa na malapit sa amin at nakita ko ang mga isda na itinitinda ng mga manlalako, naisip ko kung ano kaya ang palagay ng mga tindero sa pagkakapanalong ito ng ating bansa.

Bilang mga Pilipino alam ko na ikinagagalak din nila ang panalo ng Pilipinas. Pero ano pa kayang biyaya ang mararamdaman nila kaugnay ng panalong ito?

Duterte's Revolution

Matuwid na Daan was supposed to be the revolution. It was righteous, it was peaceful and it was lawful.

Our mistake was to treat it just as a political slogan instead of a national or a people's project to set a standard for government service. Thus the public rejected it as the enemies of the Aquino government tried to sabotage and derail his administration.

Instead the majority of the people created a sacred cow to worship and what we have now is a Duterte Revolution- brutal, bloody and reckless as it goes about bringing "change" to this country.

But there is no other way but Matuwid na Daan. We have to bring this back. In the constant battle between good versus evil, Matuwid na Daan is on the side of good and is on the right side of history.

This our people must understand.