Mangantayon

Oh food, wonderful food, marvelous food, glorious food! I'm no Oliver. When Rya turned her eyes to culinary arts and started baking & cooking (even if she says that she is a wannabe, trying hard, copycat) I can't help but praise my wife. Although she already cooks a mean [1]Inabraw, [2]Pinakbet and [3]Adobong Iloko (Papa old style) she still needs some inspiration. And that inspiration would have to be me. And the Internet. After all, men are better cooks than women. Say what? No way! Ok before anyone hits me with a frying pan next time we get invited over dinner or worst never get invited again. Let me rephrase. Between my wife and I,  I'm the better cook. I did not want to start a discussion and I did say the Internet.

[1] Inabraw

[2] Pinakbet

[3] Adobong Iloko (Papa old style)

My influence? I would give the credit to my mother. Everybody says that, right? That their moms are the best cooks in the world. Learned to cook or just enjoying the food served. So let us all thank God and praise our mothers! My mother was one mean Illonga in the kitchen. The best [4] Dinuguan and [5] Pochero I have ever tasted! Crispy, golden brown Lumpia Shanghai, creamy, tongue-tingling Chicken Curry and my all time favourite Arroz a la Valenciana, to mention a few. I know she had cookbooks at her disposal whenever she gets creative and wants to impress us during lunch time or whenever my father arrives. He would bring kilos and kilos of shellfish, crabs, shrimps and sorts of fish. My mother would either share to our closest neighbors what she come up with or have me help pack them fresh and sent over. We were not rich and all I could think of is that those fresh seafood just didn't fit into our small refrigerator. But my mother was kind-hearted, generous and (again I'll say it) the best cook in the world. I do not even come close to mom's cooking. Her protégée was my sister. That is not a surprise. All I could probably perfectly share to Rya and my children is her maxim. "It is better to be well fed than well dressed.", so she says. 

[4] Dinuguan (not my mom's)

[5] Pochero (I cooked this!)

Recipes in the Internet really makes cooking very easy these days. Browse. Print. Clip it on the kitchen and there you go. Viola! Follow the steps and even add your own personal "taste". You instantly become your children's culinary hero/heroine. So as the year passed by since Rya began blogging about her culinary journey. I can't help but praise my wife tenfolds! The improvement is uncanny. From [6] Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes, [7] Italian Scampi, [8] Tonkatsu (Japanese fried breaded pork), [9] Tomyum Kun, [10] Mexican Cobb Salad and a [11]Spam and Pineapple Gratin. Not to mention freshly baked [12] Puto pao, [13] Soft Honey dinner buns, [14] the Bagels, [15] Pineapple Orange muffin bread and [16] Banana Blueberry Oatmeal muffin. 

[6] Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes

[7] Italian Scampi

[8] Tonkatsu

[9] Tomyum Kun

[10] Mexican Cobb Salad

[11] Spam and Pineapple Gratin

 [12] Puto pao

[13] Soft Honey dinner buns

[14] the Bagels

[15] Pineapple Orange muffin bread

[16] Banana Blueberry Oatmeal muffin

And as she cooks/bakes, I get to practice food photography and be her guest blogger ([17] Rad's Chicken and [18] Sinuglaw with Tako). Ever since that chance to shoot some of [19] SeaDZ's summer specials, I thought taking pictures of food can really be rewarding. Until the additional weight (gained from the reward) and (this is a warning or rather an awakening) the whenever-there-is-food-in-front-of-me-I-must-take-a-shot-first-before-eating-it virus . 

[17] Rad's Chicken

[18] Sinuglaw with Tako

[19] SeaDZ's summer specials

[20] Spareribs with Pineapple in Oyster Sauce

In a few years time Ken (and Kaye) will be able to know the difference between a good meal from a not-so-good meal. My wish would be that my children will, in all honesty, be proud of their mother and the food that she would lovingly serve them to enjoy. As of the moment, Rya as of late is a bit tied up with work, teaching English to Japanese kids. She said she will start a new blog about her adventures in the classroom. I asked her if she is abandoning the food blog? She said no and told me that since I am the one spending most of the time in the kitchen these days that I will take over for a while. And when she gets the time to cook and blog I can hand it back to her. I said why not. But before she does that.  I was able to coerce her for some [20] Spareribs with Pineapple in Oyster Sauce. Don't forget to give your comment once you have tried cooking it. Have your spoon and fork with you and let's enjoy our food, wonderful food, marvelous food, glorious food! Mangantayon!