Cooling down on a Hot Summer Day

So it’s 35 degrees Celsius outside and you want to do some cooling down.  The obvious answer is to drink something cold. However, there are people who drink hot coffee or tea on a hot summer day. I often wonder about the logic behind this and so I asked someone who likes to drink coffee on a hot day, my neighbor Dan. He’s Taiwanese and he likes to drink hot coffee or tea on a hot summer day. I asked him why and he explained it to me this way. If it is warm then the best way is for you to sweat so that your body will cool off.  Hot coffee, tea or soup will...

Learning to love counterpoint flavors

In music as it in flavors, counterpoint is the blending of two opposing tastes but complementary when taken together. I think it is a springboard for a wealth of epicurean possibilities. It is this taste that makes champorado (Philippine chocolate rice porridge) sit well with tuyo (anchovy-like dried fish).  It’s quite unusual, even horrible to think about, but when you taste it, contrasting flavors actually make sense, like the female soprano and the male tenor making beautiful music together. Counterpoint flavors are usually strong, sharp and contrasting flavors,...

Boy Bawang’s Big Daddy corn chips ...

Just out last February, Boy Bawang has now transcended beyond corn nuts, they now have CORN CHIPS! Saw this at a friend’s house and I was surprised that it tasted way better than the usual corn chips that I buy. Seeing that my friend was stashing them away, I didn’t allow myself to go home without a whole bag. This is crunchier than the usual and because Boy Bawang knows the Pinoy taste bud better than Doritos or any of those imported corn chip makers, I think this product will hit the market in a big way, perhaps at par with the Boy Bawang phenomenon. I saw...

Kimbap or Sushi: which came first?

Kimbap or Sushi? Twigim or Tempura? Mandou or Gyoza? Ramyun or Ramen?  It can be tricky for the Filipino diner to know the difference. Frankly, there are restaurants who do not know the difference either. They serve Kimbap with soy sauce and Wasabe. Sometimes I wonder, is it the restaurant’s or the Pinoy diner’s ignorance? Rather than spend your time reading a rant, let us educate ourselves together. Last I heard, a website and a Canadian newspaper said Kimbap is a derivative of the Japanese Sushi. I am unable to site the references here, but this is what I...

KFC’s BBQ Shredder Sandwich

I got to try this a few days ago and I think it’s very good. I can’t help but compare it with another fast food’s barbecue sandwich and I must say KFC’s is so much better. It is not as sweet as the competitors and does not break the bank at P55.00 each or P85.00 if you want that to go with fries and a drink. The KFC BBQ Shredder is not too sweet and the sandwich itself is not too big. Though we do like things big, the appetite of the average Filipino is nothing near the appetite of a regular Caucasian, and I think KFC did their homework by coming...

I like KFC’s Man-Sized Double Deck...

Last November, I got to try the KFC Double Decker, which is basically the Double Down in a bun. I loved the Double Down because I love boneless KFC original recipe chicken. Well, bottomline is, I love Kentucky Fried Chicken. Experience tells me that KFC is not the same in all countries in Asia. I’ve been several countries; Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the US, Spain, France and Portugal. I have had the wonderful privilege of saying that I have eaten at the KFCs in those places, except for Portugal, Japan and Malaysia. Yes, I had KFC in Paris which was a bit...