How a Bicolana Foodie turned into a Self-Proclaimed Food Critic: My Gastronomic Journey

Iloilo City Airport, 2016

I was so surprised, happy and honored yesterday. A person dear to me, sent me a generous amount of food from his food business for me to try, assess, give my HONEST review and write about here.

But before writing about a whole caboodle of food reviews for different food businesses (cause I am sensing a looot of food reviews happening since I am a very passionate eater, yehesss super positive! Haha) I just would like to tell you a little story of how I got to be a self-proclaimed "Food Critic" hahahahhah!

When I was still in college, we just buy from carinderias near our boarding house and from school canteens. I have a lot of extra curricular activities in school (College Orgs, ROTC, University Student Council, judging stints for pageants and college debates, pageants as a candidate too! And all those events from those organizations) so yeah you can say that I was a bit of a busy college girl, and a late bloomer. Lol. Got no time to cook and its really not practical to cook since I will be cooking for just myself alone. I focused more on graduating that time. As you can see I have various interests and my love for food was just sprouting during this era. My classmates will tell you that my favorite hang out place is the canteen! I am smiling now while writing this as I recall all those vivid memories LOL! All those Filipino snacks freshly made, piping hot even! Oooh those are the best times! 

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After graduating college, I took interest in cooking cause I get to stay home and cook for me and the family. I had a whole 6 months of rest before landing my first job. I learned cooking from my Mama & Daddy. They're such great cooks and as they say, no one beats Moms cooking! It was true for me. All those Bicolano meals that she makes for us are the bomb. All of it were delicious! I deeply appreciate that aspect of her. Bicolano viands are the best! And spicy to say the least! Yuuum! 

At my first job in Legazpi I met my boss turned mentor NB, Noman Rao, a Pakistani National who owned a restaurant named Red Cheese Pizza back then. NB would take Ate Maiza and I to the kitchen and would show us how to do that stretchy pizza and would eat that right after baking it in the oven! I could not forget that pizza. We would also taste test other food and beverages hahahaha! I am so lucky! He also cooked for us Karahi gosht, a chicken Arabic dish which I find very appealling and so when when I became a Flight Attendant and have lay overs in Dubai, I would buy ingredients and I think it was only last year that I was able to perfect NB's recipe of that. He even told me I did a good job with it just by looking at the photos. He's in Turkey now. He taught me so much about life. A great conversationalist too and what stuck with me was that this good old man introduced me to Mediterranean cuisine. Forever grateful! 

Comelec Family, besties and my beloved cousins

My Nanays and Tatays at my previous job would invite me whenever theres some eat out cause they find it fun that I eat heartily every time! cause I really enjoy all those food! My love for food developed little by little, stopped a bit when I entered Law School then life took a different turn, I was hired as a Cabin Crew here in Metro Manila. There was so much food choices here and I would research where the best restaurants are for the kind of food that I am craving. My cousins and I would go out once in a while and even explored Binondo Chinatown lots of times! My job also took me to other places and countries and my love for food expanded as I was able to taste and explore different cuisines. It was heaven for me! I would feel really thankful whenever I am able to experience all those moments in my life. Like Im not really into material things like bags or new fashion. My greatest vice is food and thinkin' about it now I think I spent too much money on food. Lol! 

My pretty, loving tita friends! Xi, Kc, Gel, Bangs and insert RA <3

I remember when we were based in Kalibo, Aklan (another seafood haven) in 2017. My friends Xian, Kc, Gelique and Bangge and I are housemates and whenever a certain food is served in front of me, they would wait for that "Oh My God!!" exclamation from me to test if the food is really good hahahhaha! They say that my OA and hyper reactions doesn't lie. They can gauge if the food is excellent or average or just really bad just by looking at my reactions! That sort of became my trademark LOL.

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If a dish is not good they would see it all over my face and I cannot lie since my face tells it all. I'm a bad liar, I just cant. I was kind of kilig when friends also tell me that whenever I say that the food is good, its really good. And when I say its bad, my taste is accurate. Im like awwwww.. you guys! Hahaha!  And that, together with my love for writing, ignited me to write this low key food reviews on Facebook Hihi. 

So going back, I feel honored that someone sent me all those food for me to assess. Because the mere fact that he sent me those is because he trusts my palate and my taste in food. That makes me swoon. Elated also because finally, I can write freely about all the things that I wanna say about a certain food that I tried cause Im already doing that even before! It's been years. I'm a self proclaimed food critic! Haha Oh gosh please dont hate me. Disclaimer lang. As I told you all a little of my story, I am not a chef nor studied to be one. I just happen to be really passionate about food.  I am so OA when it comes to food. I'm a home cook and would scour the internet for knowledge and recipes. I would cook for special people in my life and they tell me ALWAYS that they love my cooking. Oha. Husband's the biggest fan. Lol. 

Cooking takes years, practice and experience for you to master the skills thus doing it repeatedly will give you the knowledge on how food should taste and the discernment to know if the food is carefully cooked with love and passion. You will have an appreciation for the tiniest details about a certain dish. You can taste each ingredient and check how a vegetable is cut, the knife skills of the Chef or what ingredient is used in the brine for the meat. You will even find beauty in the colors infused in a stew! My sister before finds me weird because I am gazing at my caramelized tomatoes like a lover in love lol!!

Cooking is beautiful and for someone who loves to cook like myself, eating is a many splendored thing, every dish is an experience as you savor all the flavors in your mouth. It will take you to the world of the person who made that dish and for a few moments, bask in that glory, heightens your senses and emotions, fills you in with overflowing happiness. Aaaaah. I am getting too passionate again and this is getting so long I can't help it. I just would love to give a proper introduction to my "Honest Food Reviews Label" before I delve into the line-up of the food that I, your gastronomic girl here will write reviews real soon.

I made some simple collage that I inserted on this write up of some gastronomic adventures that I had years back. Foods are from different places in the Philippines and in some countries that I get to travel to including Indonesia, Taiwan, Sydney, Singapore, Melbourne, Japan, Korea and Dubai.

I am so excited for this path that I am treading. Will be writing my first ever Food Review tomorrow. As I was eating those glorious food I was taking notes in my head. haha! So yeah! See you all on my next blog! I appreciate you all so much! Goodnight!

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