I love to eat.
While people I know spend their savings/earnings on shoes, bags, clothes, the latest gadgets, and whatnot, I like to spend mine on good food. I will eat with a friend, with a stranger, or by myself; I will order the most expensive item on the menu if it is the best item they have to offer. I'm not an expert in cooking, but I do know how to eat well. Besides, I created this blog to share my food experiences, and not teach you how to cook.
No, I do not have a trained palate. I have had professional experience working for a multinational manufacturing company that creates flavors, but we weren't exactly critiquing culinary masterpieces. Instead, we were trying to recreate basic flavors (fruity, smokey, confectionery, culinary, etc.) in such a way that food manufacturers can incorporate it to their products (drinks, snacks, flavouring, etc.) for the world to experience. Working there taught me how to put into words some of the flavors that I taste. It won't land me on a judging panel of a food show, but I think it helps me communicate my eating experiences to the readers of this blog.
A Passion for Eating
I must admit that I sometimes envy people who line up to watch the latest Harry Potter or Star Wars movie complete with costumes, or people who would spend hours on queue just so they can get their hands on the latest game, Apple product, or signature kicks. I listen to music, but I don't think I was ever driven to line up for a concert, much less spend money on tickets. If anything, I think I am most passionate about basketball, but I think I can live the rest of my life not having watched an NBA game in an NBA arena and be at peace with it. I love gadgets, but I don't necessarily feel the need to own everything that I love.
It's probably a testament to how I was raised; not wanting more than I could afford. During my formative years, my mom always made it a point to ask if I had enough money. She always reminded me not to skip meals. It didn't matter to her if I used up my allowance by midweek, as long as I didn't forget to eat.
I guess that became the foundation of how I approach spending on food. Money should be no object, as long as I am nourished. I'm not sure if that was what my mom intended to teach me, but that's what I got from it.
Today, I am a married man with no known passion to speak of - no shelves stacked with books or games, no rooms full of memorabilia of my favorite players, no drawers full of tickets around the world, concerts, or games, and no closets full of jerseys or signature shoes.
All I have is a bulging belly that was temporarily a home to some great food and alcohol consumed with awesome people, interesting articles, or a TV series.
Marrying Writing and Eating
I found out too late that I love to write. By the time I wanted to make a living out of writing, the timing just never worked out. Freelancing for some publications wasn't enough to make me want to quit the job that I had then, and it certainly wasn't enough when I did quit my job to move to Singapore.
Now that I at least found a job to help me pay the bills at home, I think it is the right time to start a new blog combining two of my three passions. I learned from a couple of failed basketball blogs that I can't consistently write about basketball for fun because I read too much about it that it consumes ridiculous amounts of my time. Writing about food, though, could be a different story.
While basketball news today could be irrelevant in a week's time, food reviews can be relevant for as long as two years, or until the restaurant decides to improve or add items on their menu. The work I put into writing a piece about basketball pales in comparison to the hits I would get for that article. In contrast, writing a food review could help me nourish myself one time, and reach a far greater audience than the time I put into eating and writing combined. For someone who loves to share his experiences, I thrive in the idea of knowing people spend their time reading my articles.
One time, I was talking to an uncle of mine about a restaurant that he took us to that I thought had really good steak. When he asked for the name, I couldn't recall, to which he said talking about a restaurant you can't name is a waste of time for him.
He's right.
Why would you listen to stories about a restaurant that you wouldn't be able to try because you don't know it's name?
I kept that to heart, and it led me to start this blog. It's long overdue, but I finally got around to doing it.
The Hungry Concept
Upon a cousin's suggestion, I watched a Korean Drama, "Let's Eat." While I never really got around to finishing it, it gave me two things; first, it introduced me to Jajangmyeon, and second, it gave me a cool concept for a food blog.
One of the protagonists is a food blogger with a weird concept. Instead of appetizing pictures of his food, he takes pictures of his empty plates to show how good the food was for him. As someone who likes food, I think I would want to go to the place where he ate to actually see and taste the food for myself. Some food are appetizing in photos, but could be bland, too little, or too much in real life. Reading something about a serving that was actually finished could be proof that the food was good enough to eat the last bite of.
I'm not sure if someone in real life has done the same concept, and I'm not going to bother finding out if there is. My inspiration for creating this blog is that Korean drama, and I will only admit to copying their concept, and not anyone else's. If anyone out there already has this thing going, let's just agree that great minds think alike, shall we?
That said, this blog shall consist of reviews about the food that I eat, and some takes on the food of the people I dined with. I'll eat the servings of the food when I'm hungry, to ensure a common ground for all the food I eat. Instead of rating the food, I'll finish the plates and show much of it I was able to finish.
This means I will probably have to visit a restaurant more than once to be able to write a full review of it, but I'll try to make a review of the best items on the menu.
I'm excited to share my food experiences with you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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