”Matakaw ang mata”
The literal translation meaning “greedy eyes”, was a variation of the warning my mother would give me as we sat down to eat family style at our dinner table. As a child, I had a tendency to scoop portions onto my plate a little larger than my stomach could handle.
It was acknowledged from an early age that I had a love affair with all things edible. My parents have several stories of me ogling and hoarding Costco free samples to create my own little picnic spread, as they pushed me around in their shopping cart.
** Note** I refused to share.
One thing was for sure, the colors, textures of the foods I saw enticed my senses. From cheesy ice cream, to salty exotic fried fish, if it looked colorful and interesting, I wasn’t afraid to eat it.
I grew up always gravitated towards the kitchen. My alarm clock on a Saturday morning was the fragrance of sautéing garlic an onions to signal that breakfast was almost ready. My mom spent her weekends in the kitchen prepping meals for our family, so I was constantly around food. I may not have been physically hungry, but just seeing food made me crave it. I would watch re-runs of Julia Child on PBS, or Alton Brown and Rachel Ray on the Food Network. Wide-eyed in front of a TV screen, I learned that with enough butter, anything is good, making the perfect grilled cheese is a science, and that EVOO can be the base for anything. Basically, food is all about different flavors and textures, I was determined to try them all.
So I learned how to cook. My first job was to chop garlic for my mom’s various filipino dishes. (Trust me when I say, thats a lot of garlic). Then I graduated to stirring pots on the stove, and using the electric mixer for desserts. I eventually ventured out on my own: following the directions on the back of a cake mix box, and reading my way through Good Housekeeping cookbooks.
Homemade chocolate cupcakes circa 2010, probably from a box
Fast forward to 2012, a few years into college. I had learned to cook for myself and bake treats for my friends. Then I got my hands on my first iPhone. With an introduction to Instagram, the world of a digital “feed” was at my fingertips, and my eyes were hungrier than ever.
Suddenly I could see every food I could imagine. If I wanted to try a restaurant across the world, I could just look it up and find dozens of photos. (The more photos you found, the better the restaurant right?) Immersed in the new foodie culture, I created my own (and still growing) bucket list.
And started posting photos of my own...
With friends and family supporting my foodie addiction, I had a whole new world open to me, and now a continuing scrumptious journey ahead.
Along with a partner in crime who shares my love of food to accompany me along the way.
Photo credit: @postcardsfromshan & @_sunny_patel_
Aaaaannnd here we are. If you’ve made it to reading this far, thanks for taking the time to get to know my foodie life story.
I now invite you into my kitchen, and my ever evolving food centered life. With my camera in hand and my continuously hungry eyes, I hope to take you on this creative journey with me.
I’m excited to see where I end up next.
So, who’s got any new restaurant or recipe recommendations?
:)