Let me begin my post by saying that I needed a vacation! I haven't had one since my Ilocos trip last December and to be honest I really needed one. For one I have been carrying a whole lot of work related stress since then plus I have add the stress of having to transfer from one work place to another with no break in between. In effect, I need some rest and relaxation to unwind and juice me up till the next break. Besides work I also miss the feeling of going to the beach, the sun and the sand toasting me to fine perfection. I miss the fresh air and also the feeling of the sand between my toes, I miss the way I could just lounge around enjoying some fruit shake and wait for the world to pass me by. All of these feelings were validated when I went to Alaminos's Hundred Islands National Park and had one of the grandest times I've ever had in the beach.
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What makes a chef great? Is it the way his flavors excite and tickle the senses of his diners or is the way he presents dishes in such way that layers and upon layers of flavors unceasingly bring diners to new heights? Another question that I also have in mind is can chefs be considered artists? The way they use and manipulate food to create stunningly good pieces of art with whatever surface they have on hand as their canvas. In recent years, celebrity chefs took the world by storm by merging food with art to create a dining experience unlike any other. This phenomenon is what David Gelb, the man behind the highly-acclaimed "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", wants to explore in his Netflix produced "Chef's Table".
What happens after three years? What happens when your whole life ends and the moment you have been waiting for finally comes to a close? The result is a bittersweet good bye, I know that for so long I've worked so hard and striven for excellence, passion, and dedication. For a long time I have felt the blood, copious amounts of sweat, and the seldom shedding of tears in Domuschola. Finally here I am resolving and brooding over the fact that my old routines are now gone, the faces I have grown with are no longer with me, accompanying me in my daily routines, and all of the jokes that I used to have are now no longer possible. The environment is different, the opportunities are new, and I know that I am now even more prepared to face these new challenges.
What is art? It is the expression of ideas through the use of different and creative mediums. Our life is filled with art and we are surrounded by it. From the way things are constructed to the beauty of a beautifully done essay or drawing, art is everywhere. But what happens when someone tries to be avante-garde and would like to experience art in a different and untraditional way? The result can actually be two things: one of utter disgust or one that truly astounds. Personally I am not a master or knowledgeable enough to really appreciate the finer points of art, but when I watched Bambalina Production’s version of Miguel Cervantes’s epic “Quijote” at the Instituto Cervantes, I was floored.
What is it with ramen that drives me and Tricia nuts? Is it the flavors that truly numb our palate and our mind? Is it that overload of steaming noodles and the perfection to minute details that bring us to our knees? Or is it the overly long lines and the exagerratedness of it all that just simply catches us our attention? There are just so many questions that I am not entirely that one bowl or two in Ippudo would be able to answer. What I do know though is, for all of its hype there was something lacking in the whole experience.
Sometimes Japanese cuisine and the tastes it offers oftentimes astounds and surprises me. Oftentimes I am left dumbfounded and stumped by the exquisiteness, the quality, the simple extravagance of Japanese cuisine that I am left craving for more. In the past few days my tongue has been craving for some raw sushi, or the tangy taste of soy sauce, or the biting kick of wasabi that drives the flavor of any meal to the roof. Instead of looking for another place to eat either sushi or ramen there was another option, the heavenly aroma of Japanese curry.
With every visit to Little Tokyo I never fail to stop by two Japanese grocers to stock up on uniquely Japanese goodies: my usual liter of Calpis milk and oversized cups of instant noodles from Nissin. In Little Tokyo there are two grocers that warrant attention the first is: Choto Stop or now known as Seikyo and Yamazaki Japanese Restaurant and Grocery.
I dread Good Friday, it's the one time in the year where I literally have to mentally prep myself for abstinence and fasting. For a person who loves food, my mind wanders while the homily of the priest and the passion of Christ takes a backseat as I imagine food in all its glory. I imagine shiny pieces of tuna and other forms of fish being served in wonderfully handcrafted culinary masterpieces. My mouth salivates and drools over the imagined flavors as I dip those little pieces into soy sauce and wasabi. Every year since 2012, my older siblings and I take a culinary pilgrimage to guiltily enjoy (and somewhat circumvent Church dogma on fasting and abstinence) this beautiful pieces of food. Nihonbashitei has and will always be the perfect place to enjoy a unique Japanese sushi dining experience.
I love weekend's and I am sure everyone who reads this loves the weekend as well. It's that perfect time in the week where work doesn't have to bother me or Tricia, all of my email accounts are closed and whatever concerns I have in school are moved to next week. A few weeks ago, Tricia and I started and ended our week with a heavy stomach in two great places, one in the heart of old Manila and the other in the breezy Alabang.
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AuthorMy name is Alfonso your nerdy history teacher, bookworm and lover of all things cultural and exciting. You can find me in a weekend market, in a bookshop, or eating in Japanese restos during the weekends. Archives
September 2015
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