When I went into blogging one of
the niches that I fit in was food, my love for food – I love eating simply
put. My love for food or eating was not
enough, so I felt that I have to sharpen my ever faithful taste buds and knowledge
when it comes to food. And that is when
my personal confusion hit me.
In the course of attending food
events, I noticed that people that I am with would simply describe the food the
simpliest way possible. That it is
delicious, period. Some would add a line
or two but it ends there, not fully explaining what works and what doesn’t in a
dish. As a writer, I believed that it is
my responsibility to demystify some food charms and simply explain in its
simplest form the reason as to why one food offering works and why one
doesn’t. But no matter how simple one
tries it to be, food preparation is one complex art made of simple acts.
As I kept on attending some food
tasting event, I am constantly teased on the way I give feedback because of the
details I try to squeeze in such a short time (2 minutes or so). Not harmful but teased nonetheless.
My dilemma, how can you write
about food when all you can say is “masarap
siya”? I want to tell people the why’s behind the line “masarap siya” and not just end there. There is more behind that phrase and it is
either you ask the why or simply take it as it is, then the discussion either
continue or ends. My initial
conclusion, either one knows the why or is simply lazy to share the why that
s/he knows. Knowledge is best shared not
kept. Kaya siguro hindi ako mayaman kasi bigay ako ng bigay ng ideas na
pagkakakitaan ng iba.
Then my initial dilemma evolved
and made a new point to ponder. Could it
be that I am being technical on food when in fact I am not a titled kitchen
person aka chef? I am a foodie. I love food.
I am exposed to cooking and baking at a young age. But still I am not a chef. I am a
home-cook_baker. What right do I have
to make a review on foods made by those who studied it and honed their craft
with technicality and science? So from,
why others can’t say the why to self questioning of rights to comment on chef
prepared dishes. Interesting twist
right?
From all this musing, I came to a
conclusion that answers all. I don’t
have to be technical about how a dish is made thus demystifying it somehow but
making it real for the readers. I don’t
have to compare myself on the style of others who shared their food
experience. I just have to be me! A smoker who has active tastebuds, knows how
things are cooked in theory or even has actual experience of it in the
kitchen. A home cook_baker, who enjoys
reading books and analyzes how things are done in my mind. An individual with an inquisitive, analytical
mind that allows me to do flavor play before I get to do it live or understand
the connection of one ingredient to the next.
A foodie who not only knows how to eat but cook and understands the
complexity and simplicity of the dish and its preparation. I am simply me.
True, I am a homecook-baker
without any formal training in the kitchen under the eyes and guidance of those
trained by known or even celebrity chefs but I know my food and the reason as
to why I am trying out your creation is because I am a customer- part of the
buying public. My take on your food may
fall on a small demographic (not common) but I still have a buying power and
there are others like me out there.
So, do I have the right to do a
food review? My answer is yes. To avoid all technicalities placed on a
reviewer’s stand, instead of food review I will call it my food thoughts. My thoughts on the how’s and why a food is
great or why it should be revamped. That
is my stand as a blogger, foodie, home cook-baker and a customer.
