Eating Halfway

Filipino dishes are simple and affordable. Different kinds of fishes, shrimps, crabs, shells and seaweeds were our staple. Seafood preparation means grilled, fried or a delicious seafood soup.

Farm vegetables such as eggplants, squash, okra and camote tops are cooked in fish paste/binagoongan or simply ginisa/ stewed in onion and garlic (pinakbet) or mixed with more water to become bulanglang.

Pork and chicken are cooked traditionally as adobo, done by stewing meat in vinegar and soy sauce. Pork, beef and fish and can be made into soup as nilaga or sinigang/the sour version.

I learned about and ate lechon through a neighbor from Cebu, where the best roast pig in the country comes from. They would insert pandan leaves, herbs, spices and rice to the pig making it even more delicious as a result of all the flavors either inserted or wiped into it.

Here and there are some hints of Chinese cuisine in the Filipino kitchen. Other local hints of China are the mami, tokwa or tofu, among others.

My first time to know about Japanese food is about wasabi. It was a bit of a culture shock eating sashimi that time. Too much of that green dip only frightened my taste buds. Then I learned about maki and sushi which I learned from a culinary training on domestic cooking. Just recently, I tried this Japanese fastfood that served Japanese burger, a fusion with the West, the one I tried just had the right hint of wasabi and I liked it.

Another unforgettable experience is trying out Korean food. What I would not forget is the ginseng chicken which is very rich in taste, flavor and filling at the same time.

My very recent favorite is that of Thailand. Filipino culinary enthusiasts are benchmarking on the success of the success of Thai food on the international level. There is this Thai restaurant in one of the biggest Philippine malls which I have frequented a few times. My favorites, bagoong (fish paste) rice, pandan chicken and that Thai iced tea.