Call it relaxing food, childhood food or comfort food, there’s always a dish that will make us hum in satisfaction.
Christmas being just around the corner, that annual challenge of throwing a dinner or finding the perfect Christmas food gift is upon us again.
It’s that time of year again when we have an excuse to gulp down as much beer as we want.
The Mandarin, which closes this month, leaves us with many great memories.
Under the expanse of a limitless sky and rocking in a speedboat on what seemed like an endless sea, I suddenly realized how insignificant our existence is.
After almost a month of family bonding in Europe, it’s great to be back home and sleeping in the same bed for a change. Worrying about catching flights or overweight charges could be taxing on any vacation.
It seems the Koreans have discovered the formula for world domination: Beat the Americans at their own game. Every game. First, technology. Samsung has proven to be a worthy adversary of Apple. Next, entertainment. Psy conquered the entertainment world with his YouTube hit and in no time had no less than the legendary Madonna gyrating with him onstage to Gangnam Style. And finally, food. Koreans are conquering the world one fried chicken franchise at a time with “the other KFC,” as in Korean Fried Chicken.
Sick and tired of Makati and The Fort? There’s a new restaurant hub in the Metro and it’s not as far as the State of Alabang. It’s Shaw Boulevard.
If there is anything that distinguishes Filipino cuisine from that of our Asian neighbors, it would be the heavy influence of Spanish gastronomy. Unlike other Southeast Asian countries that have distinctly light-textured yet very spicy recipes, we have heavier meals that veer towards the salty; saucy and sweet. This is in large part due to over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule and the osmosis of Spanish flavors into our own culinary lives. Hence, our love for flavors based on chili peppers, tomato sauce, garlic and onions.
I felt the earth move. “Are we on a ship?” I joked, fascinated in spite of needing to find my bearings. Then I looked out the glass walls and saw the Metro’s skyline and stars. “Is this the Love Boat?”
