Do I Have a Right to Order?

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="267" caption="Dear Resto Owners, Invest in staff training."][/caption]

I have noticed a funny thing that goes on in Chinese restaurants here in the Philippines. You enter the establishment, the service staff chirp out whatever greetings they can muster, they seat you, and then they bring the menus.

The thing is, when I'm with my parents, the waiter always manages to "forget" to hand me a menu, regardless of how empty or full the restaurant may be. This irks me, since these waiters see that there are X number of people sitting on their table, and none whom are menor de edad. And so I have to flag down the waitstaff and ask for my own copy, which obviously takes longer than if they just gave out the proper number of menus in the first place.

Is it because I look young? Then I guess I should be flattered... But honestly, a hungry person isn't in the mood for flattery.

Frankly, I am not fond of the service culture of a lot of Chinese restaurants here. It's the 21st century. Grandiose illusions of hierarchy are dying. Dying.

It may have been acceptable to hand out limited menus if the situation was that of a big party and/or the host is considerably older than the other guests. (i.e.: If grandma and/or grandpa were present.)

It's not even right to reason that the typical Chinese restaurant isn't a fine/upscale-dining operation, since patrons can easily spend as much as they would at, let's say... an Italianni's. (Just order anything with crab, lobster, or X.O. sauce and watch the bill skyrocket!) Despite being a casual-dining Italian resto, they have impeccable service. (Particularly, in their Gateway Mall branch.)

I understand that it's really a cultural thing, but realistically speaking, the generation of customers coming into these places are shifting to the younger set. We are not only conscious of the food, but also of the whole package (ambiance, service, etc.). How often have I seen these waiters look irate or impatient and not at all accommodating.

How are we expected to bring our friends, dates, colleagues, etc. if the service culture still sucks? Like it or not, it actually matters.

 

*Image from http://onproductmanagement.net

Dieting...

This week, I find myself guilty of overindulging in evil, evil foods without going to the gym to equalize things. In any way, my diet has been ruined. --I really have to remember that birthday celebrations happen on a monthly basis (my estimate), so the "Party kasi (It's a party)" reasoning isn't valid. And I have to live with the guilt after.

I do not believe in the diet principle of  going "cold turkey" on your favorite morsels. That just makes life unbearable. But to keep in line with balanced eating, I try to watch the portions I take in. (Though this week doesn't count! lol) I've also become wary of anything hydrogenated. But my vice remains to be the sugar-free soda. Diet soda is my biggest foe that, even at the gym, I have the habit of diluting it with water and chugging it like a Gatorade.

However, this entry is more about finding healthy alternatives, rather than counting vices. With that, I'd like to share some of my favorite snacks. *Note that this list is coming from a person who generally isn't a health buff. I'm still a foodie through and through.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="238" caption="Pascual Yogurt"][/caption]

1. Pascual Yogurt

I can live on 1-yogurt-a-day as my snack for months! Luckily, I'm one of those people who adores yogurt in all its forms. I was introduced to it by my cousin when I was around 8 years old. We used to buy Nestle yogurt (that I, now, find a bit too sweet for my taste), eat it as is or pop the little containers in the freezer and enjoy our own version of rock-hard frozen yogurt. --The frozen yogurt fad was unheard-of back then.

In other Asian countries (China, Korea, etc.), the groceries have such a wide variety of dairy products. I get so excited when I see the displays of yogurt and cheese that I basically hoard. The highlight of the breakfast buffet is if they have yogurt. I'd consume 2 to 3 packs in one sitting, and let's just say that my digestion gets on optimum function.

Here, I stick to Spain-produced Pascual Yogurt (with Desnatado (0% fat), Thick n' Creamy, and low-fat variants). The size of the pack is big enough for me at 120g, while Hacienda Macalauan's yogurt is at only 90g per pack. (--Delicious as that local brand is, I get hungry again way too fast.) And the price is close to Nestle, give or take a few pesos.

Can't wait to try their Black Cherry flavor...

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="346" caption="Watermelon, watermelon..."][/caption]

2. Frozen Fruit

I learned this from my grandma, who used to freeze papayas, grapes, and so on... She'd snack on them on a hot day and seemed perfectly happy at it.

Just now, I have finished a medium bowl of frozen watermelon. (Yes, I devoured the fruit in the picture.) It had the texture of Twin Popsies, which I also ate earlier today. Nice alternative, and frozen keeps all the juices in.

3. Home-baked Goodies

I looooove banana cake. And I love it even more that I make my own, so that I control how moist it is and what goes into the batter.

To anything I make, I usually reduce the sugar and avoid using margarine. I have yet to find a brownie or cookie recipe that I don't find too sweet. But cakes are fun. And I make cupcakes too.

Other things I try to eat more of are oatmeal (I prefer rolled over instant), brown rice (it is different to white rice, but it's bearable), salads, and wheat bread (though I get tired of having bread all the time). But I'm still out to find low-maintenance dishes that make me happy and keep the menu interesting.

Any suggestions?

The Book Club

I keep trying to read books this summer, but I find myself drifting in and out of the drive to do it. These days, I don't have so much downtime and I'd rather watch a movie or TV show, since they can cram so much into an hour or two of entertainment. My bookshelf contains half-read novels like:

1. Drowning Ruth

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"] Oprah's Book Club novel is getting ignored.[/caption]

2. Virgin of Small Plains

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"] Another murder mystery blah.[/caption]

3. Remember Me?

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="278"] My brain started to hurt from the writing style.[/caption]

And there are maybe 3 or 4 more books that I can't be bothered to finish. I used to make reading lists when I was in high school. So much for that...

Today, while I was in that accursed bookstore with friends, we  decided to recommend books to each other with the golden rule that the books shouldn't have to be too deep or intense. They should just be entertaining, so as to keep us reading despite our schedules. --which is basically how we thought up the idea of starting our own private book club.

We settled on a horror story by Bob Ong, titled: ang mga kaibigan ni mama susan.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="385"] Fuzzy webcam photo[/caption]

It's not exactly an Oprah's Book Club candidate, but reading circles shouldn't have a reputation for featuring only bodice-rippers and tear-jerkers.

This is supposed to be pretty scary, and my goal is to finish it in 2 days. (It's a thin book, anyway.) So expect a review in 2 or 3 days. :)