Food trip

For every Pinoy, food remains to be a not just something we live by but something we live on. Food can define a family, a society. In every event and occassion, food will always be a center of attention. In parties and get together, it can be a great conversation starter. Some, my dad included, consider the process of food making to be holy. Some, myself included, consider the process of EATING it to be holy, :)

Food and me, we have a very strange relationship, though. Due to my weight issues, I have come to abhor and adore food obsessively. I have dieted and have eaten a lot and have dieted and have eaten a lot enough to make a nutritionist weep and beg for mercy. :) However, like most struggling relationships, food and I survived - and so we continue to love each other.

A popular saying says that you are what you eat. So in this light, I'd like to share with you what makes my digestive system sing praises and do cartwheels. In this way, I can share with you who I am and what makes up ME.

1. Chocolates. Dark chocolates to be exact. My sweet tooth came way way before my wisdom tooth has grown. If there was a certification for being a Chocoholic (Dark chocoholic to be exact), I would definitely pass the test with flying colors. Whether its laced with mint or sprinkled with nuts, the chocoholic in me wants it all. Sure, it can cause weight gain but who's to argue when the trade is it can boost your cognitive abilities and improve your circulation in return? :) Plus the fact that it can release endorphins which basically equates to happiness. Raise your hands, my fellow chocoholics :)

2. Pinoy ADOBO - This pinoy classic never runs out of style. Pork/Chicken, soy sauce, vinegar makes a dish that somehow embodies the whole of the Pinoy food culture. This is the type of dish that tastes good, no matter how carefully or carelessly prepared. :) And my dad's version still remains the best. :) Maybe I'm being biased though.

3. McDonald's cheeseburger/Fries - Yes, I know that your calorie counter will scream and bang her head off when she sees the tray with your cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's. I know that you'll shake your head off after finishing off the last bit of fries and wonder how you were able to wolf it down. But still, the aroma of the cheeseburger and the saltiness of the fries is very well worth the guilt for your calorie consumption. FYI: This has always been, weirdly enough, my version of chicken soup. This was always and is still my comfort food for illness or hormones :)

4. Tinola - Pinoy's version of chicken soup. The combination of chicken, ginger and young papayas really tickle my tastebuds and nostrils everytime. I think my boyfriend is going gaga because this is almost always a request of mine especially for rainy afternoons or cold nights. :)

5. Pompoms, Cheesedog, Lumpiang Shanghai, Zoomzoom, Vital - I know these are probably so full or MSGs and artificial chemicals that DFA should probably a ban on them. But these junk food remind me of my childhood. They remind me of the time in my life where I still believed that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They remind me of the chases and laughter and the games that made up my childhood. :) They remind me of my generation wherein we weren't as careful as the kids now, but we still managed to survive day by day despite the potful of MSGs that come with the junkfoods that we ate then and still eat now.

6. Pigarpigar/Kaleskes - Ok. You'd have to be a Dagupeno to be able to know these dishes so let me describe them briefly. Pigarpigar is a meal made from strips of beef deep fried to perfection with lots of lots of onions. Vegetables are optional. Personally, I prefer placing in young corn or cauliflower on top of this dish. Kaleskes is made from pig parts with a steaming soup. Coagulated blood is optional to this dish as well. :) I adore both of these dishes because they remind me of home. They remind me that life can taste as good as they do (subjectively, I know). Likewise, some of the best memories that I have with my sister involves sneaking out at dawn to eat either one of those dishes :) And that is priceless.

6. Pancit Canton/Instant Noodles. Ahhh...My college main food staple. For those who spent their college out of their homes and lived in dorms and apartments, you probably know what I mean when I say I've tasted every brand of instant noodles that God ever made. When you're struggling to make sure that your allowance lasts until the weekend or until your next allowance day, this is your savior. :) Suffice to say, this food always makes me remember college where I learned how to stand up for myself and appreciate myself more :)

So, these are the things that I will leave for now. Believe me though, there's still a lot more from where that came from. :) My journey will not be a journey without snacks or meals or chips along the way, helping me find my path and strengthen my soul.

Happy eating. :)