THANK GOD FOR COOKING SHOWS!

It’s weird that most people are surprised to know that I can cook and actually enjoy doing it. Well I could be the next Master Chef Philippines finalist, you know. Haha! Joke lang!

I also especially like watching cooking shows. I remember when I was barely six years old, with our very small, boxlike, black and white, manual television; I would sit and patiently wait for that Del Monte Kitchenomics segment of a famous noontime show to watch Chef Sandy cook delicious dishes and desserts- all of which had pineapples or tomato sauce in them, of course.

Years after, I got to watch better shows, this time with English-speaking chefs, with their more complicated and weird-sounding dishes and certainly, with some more kitchen action!

My weekends became a little more interesting lately. Saturdays spent home alone became more bearable because of my two new favorite shows- Lifetime’s Master Chef Canada and Diva’s My Kitchen Rules. Hurray for weekend marathons!

 

My Kitchen Rules’ new format on cooking challenges is so remarkable and original it bleeds with adrenalin! The fact that challengers are also in pairs makes it even more exciting. I personally like the emphasis on the differences on techniques in preparing entrée, main dishes and desserts - the thin line between cooking RAW and OVERCOOKED meat and between a SALTY and UNDERSEASONED dish. Whew! There’s a lot to learn for me!

My favorite pairs, Josh and Danielle, Harry and Christo and Uel and Shannelle, all got eliminated early in the competition. Ahhh so sad. But that’s alright. They’re all very good and all winners to me! Hehehe!

Masterchef Canada (Season 1) is quite a new bloom to the global Masterchef franchise. But this, I must say, is my personal favorite and THE fairest of them all. The judges (Claudio Aprile, Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung) are definitely an excellent mix of characters; to me they are like the 3 Musketeers of Masterchef. (Move over Gordon Ramsay!) The challengers also exhibit a very good mix of different culture, career background and cooking skills. This show is so full of twists, has a pinch of drama, full of inspiring stories and every episode is packed with new and exciting challenges. It’s so fun to watch! Grabe! I also even get emotional during eliminations (well, not all the time).

My favorites are definitely Eric , Pino and Narida!

Looking back, I believe shows like these (next to my parents, who are both extremely good cooks themselves) gave a lot of influence and inspiration to push me to take those baby steps (yes, literally) ten years ago to create my first ever (magnum opus) signature dish- Suey’s Special Fried Rice!!! Insert music and confetti here! Hehe!

So I learned this special skill of cooking when I was very young, and I am happy that I never stopped and got tired of executing and learning more about it.

What are your skills? Are you doing anything to improve on them or share them to others?

I thank Papa and Mama for the hearty and sumptuous meals that they especially prepared for us with their love, hard work and dedication. I thank my family and friends for trusting me with the kitchen, with a few burns and fiascos here and there, which led to little and huge victories.

So I’d like to believe I got better at this skill, I am no expert, but I look forward to a continuous upgrade every time. I thank God for the opportunities of cooking for family and friends and I thank Him for the evolution of cooking shows on TV too (Heheh!). Learning about cooking became even more exciting!

 

-carpe diem-