April's Challenge: 10 Favorite Foods

Talking to a new acquaintance could be awkward sometimes, you'll gauge each others' personality in order to adjust the conversation. In times of awkwardness I always choose, FOOD as the topic since most of the people love food. Preference of food of every individual can amuse you making the conversation interesting. And is what I tell them of my favorite foods (in no particular order):

Escabeche (Home Style)

This is Mediterranean and Latin American cuisine of  meat or fish cooked in acidic mixture. Every time I go home I request my mother to cook this food. For this cuisine I like the Tilapia and lots of tomatoes. My mother's style uses soy sauce and she would add sugar.

Ginataang Gabi 

Another home food which I request to my mom taro (gabi) cooked in coconut milk. We have lots of taros  and couple of coconut trees in our backyard so the ginataang gabi is always fresh. Well, I put effort since I'm the one harvesting and peeling the taro. Just precaution, do not touch taro root too much when peeling cause it gets itchy. 

Photo by: Marilyn Z. Pelobello               

Photo by: Bicolandia in Cabsy

Dried Fish w/ Fresh Tomato

Dried fish has been common food for Filipino particularly on those with minimum income (no discrimination here). Fish is preserved using salt and drying it under the sun. This food comes in many terms: tuyo/daing for Tagalog, buwad for Cebuano, bulad for Ilonggo. There are also different types: danggit (very popular in Cebu), dilis (bolinao), isda sa bato, balo - this term are in my vernacular language. From time to time I crave for this food.

Adobo

A popular dish of Filipino. Chicken or pork is simmered in marinade composed of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black peppercorns. Laurel leaves, black beans and eggs could also be added. By the way the photo below is one of my party food in my birthday, cooked by my roommate. Despite the quarantine we are still able to prepare food. I'm sure though if this is because of our culture or our will to eat REAL food which drive us to go to grocery, walking.

Maja Blanca

It is a Filipino rice cake made of coconut milk, cornstarch, and sugar. The challenge in cooking this is getting right texture and consistency. If it is too thick, the outcome will be hard and rough. If otherwise, the taste will be dull and would not harden be viscous. I like maja with peanuts, lots of it instead of corns.

Coke Float

3 in 1 delights. You can eat ice cream, taste the chocolate and sip cold coke.

Peanuts

I always buy peanut whenever I pass by St. Joseph Parish (Mabolo, Cebu). There are times when I fast on Fridays, I would buy peanut near the church and eat it after the 12midnight of Friday.

Photo by: Adam Cohn

Ribbed Crackling - Oishi

Every time I go grocery, I never fail to but this snack. It has strong taste of salt and vinegar and I advise to ready your drinks when you eat this. 

Ice cream

The all time favorite for all ages. I like vanilla, ube and pistachio flavored ice cream.

Halo-Halo

Perfect for summer it is mixed of many delights of as many as you can think of. Just put in in one container with shaved ice. Mine would be: leche flan, ube, macapuno, red beans, pinipig and ice cream!

Since Philippines is an archipelago, I am able to taste the same dish but different version. I find it amusing and interesting to taste the different style, its like with one dish it can never get boring. Its fascinating that you discover another way of cooking of your favorite dish.