Quarantine Eats: Good Food Finds While Supporting Local Food Businesses In Our Community #SupportLocal

So, what have you been eating during this quarantine period? If you have been a longtime reader, you would know for a fact that aside from reviewing good food finds and restaurants in Manila, I also love to cook - I have a YouTube channel for my recipes, to support that claim. Given the quarantine set in the country, one would expect that food bloggers like myself would resort into showcasing our home cooking skills. That will happen, of course, in this blog. But then again, despite the lockdown, there are still good food finds you can have delivered in your home well worth sharing. 

This blog is about that, yes. Most importantly, this blog is about showing support to our local businesses who are fighting their way to thrive in this situation we are in. 

As you may have known, main focus of this blog for the longest time to feature restaurants and hotels in Manila. Since I am currently in my hometown during this lockdown, it is high time to take advantage of the situation and support our local food businesses that we have here by purchasing food from them when kitchen's a bit to hot to deal with. 

FamTea Milk Tea PH: Affordable and Delicious Milk Tea

Pluviophile that I am, I have never loved summer the way I am loving it now. Perhaps because the sun is a constant source of feel-good endorphins that's a big help especially these days when we are in a community quarantine. And you know what's one of the things I love about Summer? Those thirst quenching drinks that's serve as a respite from the heat. Just like milk teas.

I was recently introduced to FamTea Milk Tea and upon knowing their price point of as low as Php50, I was a bit skeptical. But I gave in anyway. And I'm glad I did because FamTea Milk Tea is one of the most delicious yet very very affordable milk teas I have tried. 

While I love variety of milk tea brands, most of which are in my opinion a bit overpriced. Not all people can afford a Php180 serving of milk tea especially in this economic crisis, hence, those affordable but good quality milk teas, I believe should be given highlights. 

foodpanda and Manila City Government provides jobs to displaced tricycle drivers with pandaTODA

foodpanda and Manila City Government provides jobs to displaced tricycle drivers with pandaTODA. This project aims to benefit 500 tricycle drivers affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

foodpanda, an on-demand food delivery app in the Philippines, and the City Government of Manila signed  today a partnership Agreement for a project that will provide jobs to the City’s 500 tricycle drivers who were affected by the government’s imposition of the enhanced community quarantine to fight the spread of COVID-19 virus.

“Lubos po kaming nagpapasalamat sa mga kumpanya tulad ng foodpanda na patuloy na naghahatid ng serbisyo at tulong sa panahon ng krisis. Tinutulungan nila na magkaroon ng pag-asa ang mga Manileño sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng trabaho at maayos na pagkakakitaan.Ang proyektong ito ay hindi lamang upang suportahan ang ating mga komunidad, hangarin din nito na panatilihing buhay ang diwa ng bayanihan” said Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso.. 

Of Adobo and our Frontliners

I was not looking into posting this. Especially not here on my blog. 

"But when you give to someone in need, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." - that's written on Matthew chapter 6 verse 3 of the bible. It's a cardinal rule to most catholic family like ours, when you give to the needy, do it secretly. 

The photos here were taken while we were preparing food and distributing it to some of our frontliners including those manning the check points we were aiming to feed and extend help to. All of it were taken with my beat-up mobile phone and were meant only for personal consumption - forced of habit because I'm a blogger, also, a remembrance of some sort. 

"Ma'am, baka pwede nyo po i-post sa Facebook, para makita ng iba. Para ma-inspire din po sila magpadala ng tulong. Nabubuhayan po kame ng loob pag nakikita namin na hindi po kame nakakalimutan."  

After hearing those words from one of the frontliners in between spoonfuls of the adobo and rice that my family and I prepared for them, I know I have a promise to keep. 

How to Make Nutella & Marshmallow Grilled Sandwich

If we go back to six months ago and you'll tell me that I will be where I am right now, I probably wouldn't believe you. But life happens. Six months into corporate life and sometimes, I still can't believe that I veered away from doing what I have been doing for a decade and accepted a more challenging role that requires majority of my time in a day coupled with solid commitment. But I am not complaining. 

I am grateful that I still have the child-like enthusiasm every time I go to work. I am grateful that no matter how challenging things can get, I still find myself looking forward to meeting new batch of trainees I need to handle, making sure they are somehow equipped with knowledge and skills they need to become a well-functioning employees when they get to the grind. I am grateful. 

While work can give sense of fulfilment in my book, it is certainly not a walk in the park. There are still some times when I find myself questioning if I am in the right track. There are still some times when the nagging question why am I doing this to myself haunts me. 

There are times when I feel like nothing makes sense until one employee or two would come up to me and hug me or tap me with such gratefulness because they have finally passed the certification. Those moments are golden. Those moments made me realize that hey, I love this job.