Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Therapeutic shopping and cooking
Some people say that shopping is therapeutic. I feel the same about it, but grocery shopping to be more specific. Even when I was in Europe before, I loved the weekend market and the morning walk around town. It’s during this time that I can find the rare ingredients to cook my favorite Filipino dish.
Now that I am back here in the Philippines, it feels great to do these things for myself. With independence comes responsibility, so I have to do the grocery shopping for myself. It’s just a small space and a small appetite, yet the effort is usually the same.
I learned to cook out of survival until it became fun when people started liking my Filipino dishes. Now that I am living on my own, I found cooking to be task consuming. So I relied heavily on cafeteria food even when the food is just like a movie that keeps repeating on itself. Until my married colleagues shared their easy-to-prepare recipes for their family, I began to love cooking once again.
The first step was to visit the grocery and get the necessary ingredients. I am amazed by the wide variety of choices in the supermarket. It’s not just the microwave-ready dishes that are available, but even fresh fruits and vegetables that are already peeled and ready to cook. They even have fresh meat but have been pre-marinated with the usual dishes like Chicken Adobo, Korean BBQ style or longganisa style. Once the list is finished and the cart is full, I initially thought I’d have to bring the grocery bags myself to the taxi stop. To my great surprise, there were customer service assistants who will push the carts until your car or taxi station and even help out in putting it inside the cab.
So now I am trying on different dishes that I can prepare with the least preparation required. The menu for the week is prepared, and I’m more sure to have a filling and healthy lunch. Bon Appetite!
Now that I am back here in the Philippines, it feels great to do these things for myself. With independence comes responsibility, so I have to do the grocery shopping for myself. It’s just a small space and a small appetite, yet the effort is usually the same.
I learned to cook out of survival until it became fun when people started liking my Filipino dishes. Now that I am living on my own, I found cooking to be task consuming. So I relied heavily on cafeteria food even when the food is just like a movie that keeps repeating on itself. Until my married colleagues shared their easy-to-prepare recipes for their family, I began to love cooking once again.
The first step was to visit the grocery and get the necessary ingredients. I am amazed by the wide variety of choices in the supermarket. It’s not just the microwave-ready dishes that are available, but even fresh fruits and vegetables that are already peeled and ready to cook. They even have fresh meat but have been pre-marinated with the usual dishes like Chicken Adobo, Korean BBQ style or longganisa style. Once the list is finished and the cart is full, I initially thought I’d have to bring the grocery bags myself to the taxi stop. To my great surprise, there were customer service assistants who will push the carts until your car or taxi station and even help out in putting it inside the cab.
So now I am trying on different dishes that I can prepare with the least preparation required. The menu for the week is prepared, and I’m more sure to have a filling and healthy lunch. Bon Appetite!
