Presidential bet and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas is not picky about food and actually goes to Jollibee for Chickenjoy and McDonald’s for burger and fries.
His first cousin, chef and restaurateur Margarita Fores, intimated that he likes to mix ulam with white rice and ripe mangoes.
Let’s find out more what makes Mar’s taste buds tick.
Favorite food?
Whatever is in front of me. I’m not very picky.
Salt or pepper?
Salt.
Patis or suka?
Suka.
Sweet, spicy, salty or bitter?
Sweet.
Meat, seafood or vegetables?
All of the above.
Bread or rice?
Rice.
Typical breakfast?
On working days, just coffee and oatmeal, but after a weekend exercise, bangusilog.
Favorite fruit?
Mango and banana.
Favorite dining destination?
It’s usually my house but it changes. I go to Jollibee for Chickenjoy and McDonald’s for burger and fries.
Favorite drink?
Water.
Favorite spirit?
I’m aswang so be careful.
Do you cook? If so, what is your specialty?
Scrambled eggs are my specialty. But if necessary I can do pasta or risotto.
If you were an ingredient, what would you be?
Garlic, because you can put it on everything.
At the end of a long day, what food do you long to go home to?
Rice, scrambled eggs, and laswa.
What is the farthest you have traveled for food and for what dish?
Baguio for longganisa.
Does your spouse influence your eating habits?
Yes, she’s quite adventurous. She constantly discovers new eating places and brings their dishes home.
When you think of food, is there one person you associate it with?
My maternal grandmother. She enjoyed feeding me and would change menus. She would ask what I wanted and would cook them for me.
If you were to host a state dinner, what one dish will you insist to be prepared and why?
Adobo. I think it’s the quintessential Filipino dish. I would want my guests to know what Filipinos eat. I would have it prepared tostado, which is the way I like it, and sarciado, which is also a popular variant.
Where did you first wine and dine your partner? Do you recall details of the date?
I can’t recall because we’ve gone out many times and each time feels like it’s the first.
If you are to be president-elect, how will you celebrate your victory, intimately, with your partner?
I would prefer a quiet moment with her to allow the new reality to set in, eating our regular food, as a reminder of who we really are.
Can you share your favorite recipe?
I can make tortilla carne. It’s basically egg, ground beef, tomato, onions. It’s like a meat omelet.
This tortilla is like a go-to dish that I would cook when I was in school. Even now, I could eat it for days.
Wawa’s Red Beans
Margarita also shared a recipe called Wawa’s Red Beans. It’s an heirloom recipe from Mar’s maternal grandmother Ester. He loves it and so does the rest of the family.
The beans have to be cooked to the point of being mushy. They are great served with barbecued pork or chicken.
½ k red kidney beans, soaked overnight
1 k pork belly cubes
1 whole garlic, skin on
1 whole medium red onion, peeled
1 pc chorizo de bilbao
1 c olive oil
¼ c cider vinegar
½ c brown sugar
1 pack bacon, slightly rendered
1) Put beans and soaking liquid in a pot, adding the pork cubes, garlic, onion and chorizo and boil over medium heat till tender.
2) Add olive oil, vinegar and brown sugar.
3) Season with salt and pepper.
4) When done, transfer to a casserole, and top with bacon strips, covering the entire surface on top.
5) Finish in oven till bacon is brown and slightly crisp. Serve.