When I was a kid, I used to not like certain food. Oh, I still remembered how awful I felt trying to finish certain food my mom gave me when my taste buds just couldn't come in terms with it. But I couldn't just throw it away. We weren't allowed to waste any food. It would mean "gaba" or some sort of negative karma in relation to food. We were taught that food is too sacred to waste. Think of the people who work blood and sweat to produce these food.
Now that I am an adult, I finally understand why I should not waste any of those foods. Not only because I might harness negative karma but because those foods are really delicious and good. I thought about it and realized "what did I miss when I was a kid?". How I come I did not like it when it is this good?
Hello dear friends! Let me share two delectable snack that turned my taste palate upside down, from a memory of disgusting taste to a moment of tastefulness and delicious cravings.
"HOPIA" like it!
Hopia is a pastry which is flaky outside with delicious filling inside. There are more delicious fillings to choose from nowadays but back in the days, traditionally, it is filled with mung bean paste.
At the workplace, a vendor came to sell hopia. The hopia he sold was the special type since it was bought from Cebu. The hopia packed in special packaging intended for "pasalubong" (welcomer) when someone comes home from Cebu. You can't find this sold anywhere else, therefore this is a delicacy one should try while in Cebu.
Speaking of Cebu, it is this time of the year when the city celebrates the Sinulog. Too sad I couldn't be there to witness the grand Sinulog Festival but this hopia delicacy came in perfect timing to remind me of Cebu City.
Look at this! This is a baker's masterpiece. Just by seeing it again, I am craving for it already. This one is ube or purple yum paste filled hopia, my favorite flavor This is so delicious, I am salivating!
As you munch into its thin outside layer, an explosion of sweet ube filling melts into your mouth. The combination of texture and flavor is heaven! The ube filling is the best for me.
TAHO! Yahoo!
I could hear the taho vendor early in the morning calling in for customers by yelling the word Tahooo with a specific tone and voice so distinct it lead me sprinting in search for the taho vendor. I wouldn't want to miss it! It would be so frustrating. Lol!
Taho is made of soft/ silken tofu, brown sugar syrup and sago or tapioca pearls. Digging into the goodness of taho is a pleasant taste of sweetness balanced by the softness of tofu and the firmness of sago pearls. This is one of those food that taste nothing special to me at first but as I try it more, it taste pecularly better and soon enough I find my self craving for it.
Maybe loving the food we dislike before comes with age and experiences that teach our mind and taste buds which is good, which is not. Or maybe it's how we see life that change our perespectives and even our tastes.
How about you? Would love to hear your experiences with food too.