HOW SAFE ARE THE FOODS WE EAT?

How safe is the food we eat??Where did it come from? And how it is prepared? These are the questions that we should always ask before eating anything. 

Food Inc is a documentary film directed by Emmy Award Winning film director Robert Kenner. It tackles about the food safety issues that Americans encounter. 

It is an expose of the unflattering reality inside the manufacturers' factory and poultry houses which shows how they prepare and processed the foods or animals we eat today. And with the said events, what are the say of the Government about it.

We always thought that the foods we eat are safe and healthy to eat. We trust the manufacturers to ensure that it is good for eating. Also, we always rely on the Government to ensure that every factory and manufacturer is following the standards for food safety. But WHAT IF all of our expectations are improperly met. This movie is a very good eye opener.

First, when we buy chicken in the supermarket we always thought that it is fresh and properly raised. But what we didn't know is how inhumane they were treated by the poultry owner. They were caged in a dark room, where anything can happen. Chicken dies at some time. And they were improperly handled.

As well as the cows, they were treated like lab rats. They were fed by corns in order for them to grow faster. Then, they will make an opening in their intestine which is an easy route for pathogens to enter. These will allow for faster growing of the cow but endagers the life of the consumer by infections. These are the facts that are hidden from us.

Because of these improper and inhumane way of handling our animals, a lot of food borne illness outbreak happens. Everyday, people got infected and some even die. Like in the movie, a young boy died after eating an infected hamburger. People loss their love ones because of this. So what can we do about it? Should we just continue to embrace these disturbing facts? DO we have a voice in order for it to stop? What can we do?

I know the Government are trying their best to ensure our safety. But sometimes  it is not enough. But we should not be worried because in our own little way we can be the advocate of change. We have a say about these situations. In our own little actions, we can make it better. In every product that we bought we were making statements. If we continue to patronage these products that are improperly processed, we are saying its okay. But if we stop buying those products, we are saying we want these situations to stop.

I realized that right now, we must always ensure our safety. We must buy foods that are healthy and safe for us. And I came up with a realization that buying organic products is one of the best way to ensure safety. We must start promoting our local farmers' goods and organic farming. We don't want to lose someone we love. We don't want them to die so before buying or eating anything, always ask, HOW SAFE ARE THE FOODS WE EAT?

SAMBOKOJIN: the God of the Kitchen

Are you looking for a buffet place to eat? Do you want to be satisfied with Asian cuisines at a very reasonable price? Do you want to feel comfortable and cozy while eating? 

Well I have the perfect place for you.

Sambo Kojin is a buffet restaurant that offers different Asian cuisine. The word "Sambo kojin" is a japanese word  which means "The God of the Kitchen". The God of the kitchen is gifted with the power of fire. He is also called bearer of fire.

Sambo Kojin is a restaurant that offers the not typical way of eating. In your table  there would be these grilling stove in the center where you can grill your meat, fish, sea foods and poultry . In this way Sambo Kojin is recreating the oldest form of cooking, enhancing your eating experience and enriching the kitchen artistry and craftsmanship.

Sambo Kojin offers you a very nice setting, They have long tables good for family and friends. In this setting, you could feel very homy. The setting is good for conversation. The place is well lighten and the buffet is setup where every one have access. And the great thing about Sambo Kojin is, they offers different Asian Cuisines. 

WHAT ARE THE FOODS THEY OFFER?

For only 520 php up to 650 php per person you could all indulge in the following:

DESSERT SECTION

JAPANESE CUISINE

VEGETABLE AND SALAD SECTION

MEAT SECTION AND SEA FOOD SECTION

KOREAN CUISINE

WHERE COULD I FIND SAMBO KOJIN?

Sambokojin has four branches. You can locate them at:

Eastwood Citywalk Bagumbayan Quezon City

SM Southmall Ground Level
Eastwoodwing Food Street
Alabang Zapote Road Las Pinas City

SM Southmall Ground Level
Eastwoodwing Food Street
Alabang Zapote Road Las Pinas City

15 West Avenue, Quezon City

If I would rate Sambo Kojin with a scale of 10. 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, I would give it a 8 out of 10. They have a good service and the crew is very accommodating. The food is great especially their Japanese Cuisine. I enjoy my experience in Sambo Kojin!

(Top) Fergie, Chef Trisha. Mark and Jade
(Bottom) Me, Marian, Kristian and Hero

ARO-EN GOURMET SALT: World Class Salt Made in the Philippines

For Filipinos, salt is their basic condiments. A lot of them use salt in their daily life. They would add it in cooking their dishes such as Sinigang, Tinola, Adobo and other Filipino cuisine. They would eat their fruits such as Pineapple and Manggang Kalabaw along with the salt. And for some families, salt would be their source of income, especially those who live near by the sea.

BOLINAO, PANGASINAN  is known for their salt industry. Now that the salt industries are becoming popular world wide, Salinas Corporation, one of the largest salt producing company and the maker of the locally produced Fidel Iodized Salt based in Pangasinan come up with an idea of producing the world class "Aro-En Gourmet Salt".

Aro-En Gourmet Salt is basically your ordinary salt but with a twist. They introduce different ways and methods of harvesting and processing which gives a bit of a distinction in terms of taste. As of now Aro-En Gourmet salt offers seven varieties of different gourmet salt which includes Fleur DeSel, Mineral Sea Salt, Sel Gris, Shio Salt, Flake Salt, Bitter Salt and Confectioner Salt.

Fleur Desel Saltor  means “flower of salt” and originated from the Guérande region of France. It is used for garnish. Fleur de Sel is considered a rare variant because it can only be harvested at a particular time of the day, at just the right weather conditions of the sea salt season.It is flat in surface and gives milder taste.

 Mineral Sea Salt is another form of gourmet salt. It is designated in cooking pasta, baking pastries such as cookies, cakes and breads. It gives right amount of saltiness and has a rocky texture. 

 Sel Gris salt looks like the Mineral Sea Salt. You would know the difference once you try to crush the salt. It has moisture inside it which is good in grilling or cooking beef and steaks. We all want our beef to have moisture and not dry, but basically, ordinary salt would get all the moisture in the beef. So Sel Gris is used to retains the moisture while cooking the food.

Shio Salt sounds like Japanese right? Because it is indeed for Japanese cuisines. Shio salt is produced specifically in cooking Japanese dishes such as maki, kani, sushi and others. It would give the exact saltiness which fit perfectly in Japanese dishes.

Flakes salt on the other hand is use for specific cooking. Flakes salt are used to cover or spread in products before cooking such as fried tilapia and others. It would give you the flaky texture in food.

Bitter salt is another variety of gourmet salt. It is used to neutralize the sourness of fruits and sour products. When you tried to eat Kamias in ordinary salt, if you put to much salt in it. it would give you a strong taste of saltiness which over powers the sourness of Kamias. But with bitter salt, it would gives you the right amount of saltiness without overpowering the sourness of the fruit. It is good for citrus fruits and sour foods.

Have you heard of confectioner sugar? But how about confectioner salt? It is used like confectioner sugar. You could use it in eating pastries such as bread. Small amount of confectioner salt in bread would enhance the flavor of the bread. It is commonly used in pastry products.

Today, Gourmet salt is getting popular world wide, and Salinas corporation wants gourmet salt to be readily and locally available. With the world class quality of Salinas Corporation' products. It wont be surprising if Aro-En Gourmet salt would be known world wide.

THE IMPACT OF NO IMPACT EXPERIMENT!

We all know that right now, Mother Earth is not the way it used to be. A lot of people take everything for granted. They throw garbage in the wrong places. They used chemicals that affect the soil. Some even waste our electricity and use our water inappropriately. Now that we live in the world where everything is fast pase and always on the go, where everything you need is almost at your hands, that because of technology, everything is made possible, we forget how to care for the environment. 

Because of these, Asian Development Bank come up with an idea of having a lesser impact on the Earth as they launch their project which is called “NO IMPACT EXPERIMENT!”. The objective of this project is to reduce an individual, group and organization’s environmental impact and make its operations and personnel more carbon neutral. This project would be for one week, starting January 14 up to January 18. Basically, the goal of the project is to let people see that we could make a difference and save mother Earth.  We could change our bad habits and start living a life which is healthy and eco-friendly.

Today, January 16, 2013 I am privileged to witness how can I help the Earth and be healthy at the same time. The focus of the program for the day is about foods, “Eat local, Eat less meat”. As the title implies, the program promotes the local products and the lesser consumption of meat. 

Langka Luya Cheesecake

Chef Chris Leaning in
 his demo cooking

Langka Luya CheeseCake

The activity start as Chef Chris Leaning made a cooking demo about how to make Langka Luya Cheese Cake (Jackfruit and Ginger Cheese Cake). He used all local ingredients that he could find in the Philippines.  He promotes the local products that we have and refrain from using all those imported products. I never realized that Langka and Luya which is common here in the Philippines would be delicious and appropriate to make a cheesecake. He is an eye opener that we don’t need to always go imported and utilize our very own products

Me and Chef Leaning

THE "MACRO-BIOLOGY"

Ms Michiko discussing
 Macro-biology

Finish productsmade 
out of grains

The second activity tackles about “macrobiology”. At first, you would think that it is something that deals with science and biology. Or it may be related to microbiology. And it never occurred into my mind that it deals with food. Macro-biology as discussed by Ms Michiko Katagami is an alternative for meat or meat substitutes. It is not processed, no sugar foods. They use grains such as amaranthus, buck wheat, soy grain and millet to make a product that tastes like meat. It is very healthy and beneficiary for us. The grain is very helpful in flushing out all the bad things in the stomach and intestines that prevents cancer. This activity shows that we can still enjoy our food, eat whatever we want but be innovative and health

conscious. 

GOURMET FARM INC.

Representative from Gourmet Farm Inc

Lastly, the last part of the activity is to listen to a talk by the Gourmet Farms Inc. It is about their company and how they make organic vegetables and products. Also, they promote the quality of our very own roasted coffee. And they showed us the facilities they have which are eco-friendly. I am really fascinated by the company because of their ideals and awareness about our environment. They don’t use chemical and fertilizers to grow a vegetable. They use all organic materials as pesticides and fertilizers. Also, I never thought that our very own coffee and tea would be in such a premium quality that it could be exported and compete with other products globally. Gourmet Farm Inc is indeed successful in helping in the restoration of Mother Earth. 

In relation of what I have learned. I checked my daily routine. On a regular basis, I woke up in the morning, take a bath and prepare myself then drink my tea and grab a sandwich or bread before I hit the school. At lunch, I look for fast food or restaurant where I can eat. And most of the time I usually chose something that has meat and prefer less vegetable. And during evening, I would have my tea again and cook something to eat. If I have no time to cook, worst case scenario, I would try to open any canned goods and eat it. By doing so, I never realized that I leave a great impact on the Earth. I didn’t realize that by eating canned goods, I affect the earth by the chemicals that is produced to make cans. Also, the chemicals and fertilizers used to the vegetables had a great impact on the soil. And I don’t even know if my tea is made from fresh and organic leaves. Without having any idea about these, I am part of the majority that destroy the Earth. I am GUILTY about this! Thanks to ADB “No Impact Experiment” that I became aware of my bad habits and have a chance to start living a new healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle. And at the same time help my fellow countrymen. How about you? What change could you make to save Mother Earth?

SALCEDO COMMUNITY MARKET: NOT YOUR ORDINARY MARKET

Salcedo Community Market is in the center of the Makati Business District. It is located in Velasquez Park, L.P. Leviste St. corner Toledo St., Makati City. It is open every Saturday from 8am to 2pm. It is started in May 2004. Originally the concept of the market is to let the neighbors get a chance to see each other while having a profit from the fresh produced products, native specialties, and homemade delicacies. As the year goes by, the community became diverse and foods from different countries have been introduced.  Aside from the residents, different people from other places visit the market. It evolves into an open culture community. As of today, the market has more than a hundred vendors or stalls that provide your needs and cravings for foods. 
In Salcedo Community Market you can find most of your needs, from meat to poultry products to sea foods to ready to eat foods. There are lots of choices you could choose from. You will find vegetables that are rarely seen in the common market or supermarkets. Also, you could find fishes that are commonly seen in places near the sea. And you don’t need to go to other countries just to experience the food they offer. Salcedo Community Market almost had it all.

MY TOP TEN PICKS IN SALCEDO COMMUNITY MARKET

1 The VEGETABLE STATION

Vegan and vegetable lovers would be happy to visit this vegetable station where you can find the most common to rare vegetables. You could find Malunggay Fruit for 35 php per bundle which you could cook and sauté with soy sauce. Also, you could find Chinese cabbage for 30 php per bundle which you can substitute to your normal cabbage in cooking Nilaga or steamed vegetables. This are just few of the example vegetables that you could find here.

2 The FISH and SEAFOOD SECTIONS

 Guys, you don’t have to go to any places near the sea just to find this fishes and sea foods. You could find this MayaMaya, Yellow Fin, Lapu-Lapu fishes here in Salcedo. Prices range from 100-300 per kilo. You could cook this fishes for Sinigang or simply frying it would be perfect. If you want to have a sumptuous meal, buy the lobster for 240 per 1/2 kilo and steam it along side with vegetables would give you a feeling of fine dining dinner. 

3 The MINISTRY of MUSHROOMS

Are you fond of mushrooms? Or you just simply want to grow your own mushroom. Here in the ministry of mushrooms you could buy fresh or dried mushrooms. You can even buy and make your own mushrooms. You can use this is making your own mushroom risotto or mushroom soup. Price varies depending on what kind of mushroom. You can contact them at 0917 500 MUSH.

4 AUTHENTIC MORROCAN CUISINE

Taste an authentic Morrocan Cuisine without going to Morocco! You could just go here in Salcedo! They offer different kinds of Moroccan dish that ranges from 65 php to 200 php.

5 TONG COFFEE PRODUCTS

Coffee lovers must try this weekly roasted Tong Coffee. This is not your usual Starbucks or Nescafe coffee. It is very natural. You could buy coffee seed and brew your own coffee or make Mocha cake or coffee crumble cake out of this product. Price may vary.

6  AZUTHAI: The home style Thai Cuisines

Experience the tropical taste of Thailand cuisine in a very affordable price. Azuthai offers home style thai dishes. Prices ranges from 100 php to 250 php. Their Thai milk tea is a must try. It is not your usual tea that you can buy in tea houses inside the mall. And it only costs for 95 php.

7 Marajas Kabab: Indian Cuisine

Craving for hot spices! Majaras Kabab is definitely the one you are looking for. Authentic Indian cuisine is what they offer. They also have dishes made out of lamb which you can rarely find. Prices ranges from 170 php to 250 php.

8 PSJ Everybody’s Cafe: The Home of Authentic Kapampangan Cuisine

Hello mga kapampangan! Authentic Filipino Kapampangan dishes are here! If you want to try something exotic look for this PSJ Everybody’s cafe. They offer Kamaro for 240 php per plate and forgs for 85 php per piece. If your adventurous enough, don’t miss this dishes on your list!

9 Giger’s The Homemade Swiss Specialties

We all love sweets and chocolates! Giger’s offers these sweet delicacies! Just close your eyes, eat one of their products and then boom! There is an orgasm in your mouth! They offer these fine chocolate cookies and pastries! It is a must try! Prices may vary depending on the products.