Kitchencow Network
This Doll's Life
Boywatching
The memories of my childhood’s summers are dotted with ice candy, ice scramble and buko juice. Among these favorites though, it’s buko juice that remains to be a staple. And why not? With its light sweetness and refreshing flavor, it’s something to be enjoyed regardless of season.
I promised myself to cut back on buying bento supplies because honestly, I have enough usable boxes to last me a whole month (well, weekends not included) without having to repeat any. I’m that bad with purchasing boxes. But when I found a few affordably priced boxes locally, I had to give in.
So Manila-based bento people, read on as I share a few of my latest bento finds.
Food has the power to heal. And to soothe seething tempers. As was proven during this year’s World Food Expo, because despite feeling murderous during the whole getting inside thing, strolling around, surrounded by copious amounts of food easily made me happy again.
I mean, one of the first things I set eyes on was a big cow printed piece of machinery. You can just imagine how big the smile on my face was after seeing it. I honestly have no idea what it is. Mixer? Ice Cream maker? Giant squeezer? Torture Device? All I know is that it’s cute and it makes me go Moo!
Some things come and go, like the seasons. For a junk food junkie like me, one of the things I look forward to is the seasonal come and go of a fast food classic.
YES! Mc Donald’s Twister Fries are back! Arteries, prepare thyselves!
I love Food Expos. Telling me that there’s a food expo is like telling a fashion fiend that Fashion Week is on. So last weekend, we found ourselves at the Manila Food and Beverage Expo, purses full, stomachs empty and senses all ready to take in the sights, scents, and flavors.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been to a food expo, we’re regular visitors of the World Food Expo (WOFEX) so I had vague expectations about what the event would be like. At a glance, it seemed smaller than the World Food Expo. Still, there was a lot to be seen, tasted, and purchased.
Going through the schedules, I became painfully aware of all that I was missing. The schedules were loaded with a lot of seminars, demonstrations, and contests that I would’ve loved to participate in or watch. But we were there to shop, and focusing on the events would’ve eaten up our precious shopping time.
My brain went haywire a couple of days ago so I spent Tuesday and Wednesday grocery shopping for food. I hit South Supermarket, New Hatchin Japanese Grocery, and Makati Supermarket Alabang, spending a few thousand pesos, just on groceries. The idea was save money through bento. In theory, a very sound one. In practice however—
Let’s just say fellow foodies can probably relate with that adrenalin rush accompanied by the rapid outpouring of cooking ideas one encounters as she strolls down a grocery aisle. Anyway, the bottomline is, we have a stuffed freezer and I should start preparing bento on a more regular basis to make the food expenditure worth it. So, here is Day 1 of post-”food shopping moment of insanity.”
For months already, my mom has been trying to drag me to the Salcedo Saturday Market in Makati. Figuring it was just the same old Greenbelt Organic Produce Market, I always opted to sleep in instead.
Last week however, I read an article featuring the said Saturday Market and I was amazed. The myriad of food, both fresh and cooked was awesome. The pictures revealed the promise of droolworthy goodness and the wide array of ingredients had me all excited to experiment. After reading that article, it became apparent that the following Saturday, I was going to forsake my usual habit of sleeping in, seduced by the idea of delectable treats all together in one spot.
March 24, 2007. Saturday. All ready for our food odyssey, my mom and I drove to Makati from our residence in Cavite. My mom was armed with a large canvas bag for goodies. I had my trusty point and shoot, Natsume. Even our car was equipped with an ice chest, ready for the spoils of war. And war it was, we waged. The first of many Saturdays.
A parking lot during weekdays, it magically transforms into a collection of stalls, all filled with an assortment of food on Saturday mornings.