The pandemic caused a pause in everyone's life, with nothing for us left to do but to sit around for a while. No one was allowed to go out for work, to study, or even just for leisure. Everyone was at their home staring at nothingness, hoping for days to go by faster and for the pandemic to end.
As for me, I was glad about the two weeks vacation that was given to us. Past “me” was excited that I got to have two weeks of no school and just play around in my own little room. Worrying about nothing after finishing all the school works left. Everything was fine for a while, not until the two weeks became two months, two years, and so on and so forth.
One thing I love is food. Well, who doesn't? Before the pandemic, I got to eat a lot, hence my blog name. I eat when I'm happy, when I'm sad, and when I'm stressed; you can even see me eating during a class! So when the pandemic started, I was bummed that a lot of establishments closed, including restaurants and fast food chains. Also, the supermarket was allowed for only a limited time and capacity. Stocks were also limited because countries could not import and export for the people's safety.
Well, that put a stop to my eating spree, so I spent a lot of my time browsing different social media apps since I had nothing else left to do. Almost every post I saw was about food, recipes, and restaurant menus, and it got me craving so much that I felt like I was going crazy. And I was thinking, if I can't eat outside, then I'll just eat inside my own home! Fantastic idea, except I only know how to cook hotdogs– I can't even crack eggs without ruining the yolk. I even forgot to heat the oil first once when I was cooking hotdogs and served it to my sister almost raw! She did not trust me to cook at all after that. I can't really blame her, can I?
My mother is a great cook, so I thought, "Maybe she can just cook what I want?" but I felt like I was asking for too much since the foods I wanted to try were so much work. So I told myself that I could just make what I wanted to eat, regardless of my inability to hold a knife with proper care. I have to begin with something anyway, so why not start by facing the stove bravely without flinching from splashing cooking oil or remembering to put on an apron before all that work? How about that first?
And so, I started by making easy recipes. Ones that don't require cooking oils just yet because, to nobody's surprise, I am also afraid of splashing oils. So I made mashed potatoes (very yummy) and chocolate truffles (too sweet and chewy for me), and I also learned to cook creamy buldak carbonara (my favorite). I cooked a lot of potato recipes since I found out you can make a lot of varieties using it. I tried french fries, crisscross fries (my knife skills were improving), hash brown, potato chips, and a few more that I don't know what it's called; just know that it're made from potatoes. People all over the internet were also going crazy about the infamous dalgona coffee. Everyone and their mothers were making it everywhere I looked– it was pretty wild to think about. And who am I? I'm just a measly trend follower, so I also tried making one. We didn't have a whisker at home, so I mixed it manually. Let's just say I'm never trying it again because, one, my arms hurt from all that mixing, and two, I'm just really not a fan of coffee. The pandemic era was really like a fever dream, even making me try a drink I never would've drunk on an average day.
I also liked Korean cuisine, so I challenged myself and tried to cook kimchi fried rice– which turned out surprisingly delicious! I was so proud of myself for cooking a decent (and edible) dish on my first try. My next challenge was making fish cake soup. Well, that one didn't turn out that great; maybe it was because of the lack of ingredients. Too many unnecessary ingredients? I don't know, I'm not really sure, but I will try making it again soon and hope it will turn out fine this time. Creamy carbonara was easy to make because it is instant noodles, but at least I learned how to boil noodles without undercooking or overcooking. Despite the spiciness, it turned out to be one of my favorite buldak noodles. It's even more enjoyable if paired with dried seaweeds. I also tried incorporating rice papers into some of my cooking, and I'm just not a fan of it. It stuck to my teeth and was so annoying to eat.
Next time, I want to try making adobo since my mother said it lasts longer and it doesn't spoil fast. Sinigang is also on my list because that's one of my favorites to pair with rice. Of course, I will never forget about pininyahan as well, even though I don't eat the pineapple in it.
A couple of months later, when the world started to adjust to the new normal, establishments began to open again. This means one thing to me, and it's that the food chains are finally open! I was over the moon that I got to eat at my favorite restaurants again, new food chains also opened, and it excited me even more that I could try different menus.
I still have a lot to learn and explore and even a lot more recipes from my collection to try. But I will make sure to try it all and perfect the ones I fail, or you know, be better at it.
Comments
Post a Comment