As a teenager, swimming was my main sport. I ended up developing a huge appetite. After emerging from the pool, I remember being able to eat a whole loaf of ham and egg sandwiches.

Surprisingly, I never gained weight. And even in my later years, I could down three Big Macs and a fish fillet without getting heavy.

My friends and I would frequent eat-all-you-can buffets, which were not that numerous then. There was one at Bonanza restaurant on Edsa near Caloocan that offered all the Kentucky Fried Chicken you could finish. We devoured everything.

Once I was challenged by Monique Trinidad, then PR head of the old Hyatt hotel along Roxas Boulevard, to an eat-all-you-can buffet at their Japanese restaurant. So, I gathered 10 friends who worked at Clark Hatch Fitness Center to join me in this “competition.”

I didn’t have to twist any arms. Not long after we started eating, everything on that buffet disappeared. That happened four more times. The food was endless. In the end, we lost but left the place smiling.

Eat-all-you-can buffets are very popular today. The pioneer, Kamayan, is still around, along with its spin-offs, Saisaki and Dads.

The relatively new ones are Yakimix, Buffet 101 and Vikings. Many hotels offer the same deal.

But I don’t find it attractive like before. It makes me feel I have to pig out to get my money’s worth.

I have also considered the consequences. Before, weight gain was never in the picture. Today, I’m worried my belly button will get deeper or I’ll grow man boobs. Hay, buhay!

At our Christmas party last year, we took all the employees of Wooden Spoon to Vikings in Marikina. My mouth dropped when I saw the spread. It will indeed make one panic. I simply didn’t know where to start.

But I saw our employees having a blast. Like me, most of them had never seen anything like it. That, to me, was the most fun thing about the party. We also stayed until closing time.

I have a Sunday badminton group, whose members are treated during their birthdays.

Last Monday it was at NIU in SM Aura. I had heard about this place which has gotten mixed reviews. It is run by the same group behind Vikings, but food here is of a much higher level and so is the price.

It is also an eat-all-you-can spread which I am no longer crazy about; besides it was dinner. A heavy dinner will most likely result in lousy sleep, which bugs me. But since the group decided unanimously on this place, I quietly conceded.

Like all buffets, I first walk around to case the spread. Then I go back and attack. What a blessing to see my favorite dish on display: pan-seared foie gras, over toast with glazed onions.

With a sprinkling of salt, it was such a winner. I think I ate around 16 pieces. Delicious! I just focused on these appetizers with a glass of white wine.

Then I walked back to attack the fall-off-the-bone beef ribs that I sprinkled with herbed salt.

I went back for the over-cooked end cut of a roast beef but with other side cooked medium. Okay din! I love the crunch of the crust and the bold taste of beef on a medium roast. With some good red wine, I was in heaven.

I remembered some figures that the foie gras chef showed me: olive oil has 17 percent saturated fat; duck or goose fat, 20 percent; and butter, 50 percent. I was licensed to indulge.

I had a few tiny slices of cake for dessert and drank warm water.

With a lot of laughter and great company, I made a mental note to bring my family here. My boys Franco and Turo have stomachs up to their knees. Youth is on their side.

There are many other interesting dishes on display at NIU. I saw crispy roast pork which my friend Stanley swears by, soy chicken, hot pot, pasta, roast leg of lamb, pizza, panizza, fresh sashimi and sushi, endless wine, foreign beers, juices, gelato and ice cream, prawns, tempura, yakitori…

This is the first buffet where I truly felt I got my money’s worth.

Happy eating!

NIU is at 5/F, SM Aura, Taguig; tel. 4783888, 4738888

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