Foodie ME

I am the type of person who eats when stressed. I’ve always loved good food and being stressed urges me to experiment in the kitchen. Maybe this is my way of stress release, though that I am not entirely sure. But one thing is certain, I love food. Sure, I’m a but pudgy in some parts but I’m blessed with a small waist and  semi-well-endowed behind so it’s not as bad as it looks. Back to food. I’ve always dreamed of being able to write about food, to share with others how I feel when I cook, how to cook certain food… but a million other people are doing just that, so I wonder if I should go that direction as well. Honestly, I just write to preserve memories, whether it be about food or love or life but since food is my current favourite topic, I write about it more than other stuff.

So my current fixation actually brings me back to my roots once again. (I’ve tried to cook adobo with some success) Now I’m geared towards cooking binagoongan, my style. I feel like when I cook, I am in full control of the flavors I want to taste which of course for me is such a plus. Sure I know restaurants that serve them well, but only you can make how you really want it to be. I say this because it’s true--- only if you know how to cook. Knowing how to cook means you have a vision, and you know how to get there, kind of like tasting a dish and then being able to break down the components ( a bit technical ei?) and knowing how to re-create it the way you like it. I grew up watching cooking shows long before they boomed and created celebrity chefs. To be more specific, I started when I was grade 3, and on discovery channel they had shows like world class cusine, bibba’s kitchen and Caprial’s café (I don’t know what happened to them though). I started with culinary journey baking oatmeal cookies. I learned that your oatmeal cookies taste better if you use half white and half brown sugar. As I perfected the recipe, I started adding other ingredients that I know I wanted to taste in my cookie—cinnamon and raisins. I’ve experimented as well with brownies--- melting marshmallows on the stovetop (indirect heat) and adding it to the brownie batter, can you say awesome? The idea spawned because I did not like eating marshmallows but I did like them as smores. So I melted them. Logical right?

So after my stint with baking, as I matured and started appreciating more of food than sweets, I graduated to cooking pasta. All these Italian cooking shows inspired my love for pasta until this very day. It’s a plus too that my Dad has an herb garden in which basil, oregano, rosemary are abundant and readily available for any culinary adventure I might want to take. I cooked a lot of pastas--- contemplated on actually making the pasta dough from scratch but it’s too tedious for me (especially since my love for food blossomed when I started working for a hotel) because I have work and try to juggle a billion things during my free time on a weekend.

And since I work, I’ve learned so many easy-to-do meals that I can prep myself in less than 20 minutes. At one point, I had a fixation with our oven because I could just pop the meal and use the timer so the food wont burn even if I bathe and dress-up for work. Smart ei? But washing the dishes-wise, bloody hell, anything with tomato drips would harden or form some sorta thing that needed soaking to remove. Now, since I’m lazier, I just cook 5 minute meals.

Adieu for now, this has taken me longer to write than cooking my own food to eat. Xo.