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drjohniecuison.blogspot.com
The very first delicious solid food eaten by a child will be always remembered as the best!
What is Philippine food?
In my own experience of home-grown taste and restaurant hopping, I can quickly say it is a multi-racial combinations of menus and procedures, thus, makes the Filipino tongue an expert on knowing what is delicious and what is weird. The global influences of China, Spain, US, Indian, Mexican, French, Italian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Thai, Korean and Vietnamese cuisines trained the Filipino to appreciate a variety of food and made us adaptable to what is being served and prepared on the table. From adobo to tapsilog, a Filipino can honestly say that the Philippines has a food culture . . . a rich culture for that matter!
Have you ever tried eating outside the Philippines? I know you do not need to because our own restaurant buffets offer a long line of international food selections, but, you have to know for a fact that most of the recipes used are no longer standard with regard to its point of origin. Let's say Japanese food, you have to know that there are substandard wasabis. The foods on the buffet table are adjusted to the Filipino taste. You know, to perk it up it needs an additional dash of this and a more pinch of that? Meaning, you will question if the Thai food being served is really authentic in its taste and ingredients.
On eating abroad even for short periods of time, a Filipino would always find out that the Filipino home-cooked food is much better and tastier, not because we grew up eating it but the taste is somehow different. The food from those countries who influenced our gastronomy are delicious too but the Filipino adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, sisig, kinilaw and inihaw are worth dreaming . . . anticipating . . . craving!
Eating outside the Philippines made me realized there is something missing in the local food that I'm taking in and that for me is a mystery. A mystery that was once answered in a funny and ironic way.
Once in a small gathering, one foreign friend of mine commented, "the Filipino food is salty" while dipping his chicken inasal on a platito of patis and crushed red siling labuyo.
Duh!?
I am not championing my native food, but that's how I acknowledge it.
I hate to offend food experts that would throw reactions such as: Whee di nga!? Or Ganun?!
Because I would also hate to answer "Go back to the kitchen and review your cooking skills."
