Danne: The Artsy Kid

Just as mentioned, it would be nice to have a proper introduction so, hello! I’m Danne Lim (pronounced as Dane), a new blogger here in Manila Foodistas. The founders (Bong, Joey and everyone else) were my org-mates back in college, and so were Thea and Tiff. Blogging isn’t new to me since I’ve kept a personal blog since I was 14, but the challenge really was to update as often without getting caught up with life outside the virtual world. So yeah, I’m on for the challenge! I now join the bandwagon and begin to share with you some thoughts about my dining experiences from here on!

I just graduated from UP this October with a degree in psychology, which makes me currently be in a transitional phase between college and real life. I am also graphic artist so I tend to be more artistically-inclined. In relation to food, I think I am able to appreciate scrumptious and appetizing presentation besides taste.

When we begin to talk about food, you could probably hear me inject the word “potato” into the conversation several times. That’s because I really love that special root crop! I like it in all forms, whether as baked potato, potato salad, French fries, mashed potatoes or hash brown. I’m sure several of you could relate to this. There are just certain kinds of food that are versatile and easy to love!

I lived in Japan for quite some time so I also have a certain fondness for Japanese food. My favorite would be the unglamorous yet convenient onigiri (お握り), which are usually triangular rice balls. I could also appreciate authentic ramen and delicious gyudon too.

And of course who would not appreciate fried food? It’s one of those more common kinds of cooking here in the Philippines. I like crunchy, deep fried food but I realized its health repercussions so I became a little conscious eating them. I was a junk food lover, and I especially loved chips that had lots of salt. But then recently, I have been influenced to stop eating chips. I have been junk food sober for months now, and I couldn’t be happier.

I’m excited that this is just the beginning of a fun-filled food journey with the Manila Foodistas! See you in the next blog!

Danne

Nicole: The New Kid in the Blogging World

Nicole: The New Kid in the Blogging World

Hello citizens of the world wide web! This introduction of mine is a bit late but just like all newcomers, I gotta present myself. :D

I'm Nicole, one of the new foodistas here in MF. I'm a fresh grad from the University of the Philippines and just like Therese, I'm a Spanish major too (we're batchmates actually).

I'm a frustrated pianist and things that I like are stuff that a lot of people may find unamusing - case in point: classical music. I like old stuff and when I say old, it's really old ha ha! History gets me high as a kite! I adore my mother's cooking and ever since I got to know how to eat healthy, I've become a health psycho. Though I'd be a hypocrite if I say that I don't eat junk food because I still do (I do have cheat days too). I don't like a lot of sugar in my food or drink hence I am not into desserts but I just can't resist cheesecake! When it comes to cuisines, I like anything Asian, preferably raw - kimchi, kinilaw - and lots of vegetables!

I was not born a writer and never did I imagine, even in my wildest dreams, that I would be one. But here I am, now a part of the Manila Foodistas and typing things which I believe worth sharing. Really thanks to Tiffy for that! :)

Therese in Taiwan: The Writer 自我介紹

Picture taken last July 2011 at Borough, Podium

My name is Therese. I graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman last April 2011. After graduation, I was fortunate enough to get a summer scholarship to Spain, and then a 3-year scholarship to Taiwan. I'll be taking Mandarin enrichment classes during my 1st year here, followed by a 2-year masters program in International Affairs.

I can't say that I write flawlessly/interestingly, but I do like to write/keep a blog. I also like to eat, to take pictures (albeit amateurishly), and to travel. Being a "Manila Foodista" would probably be a misnomer, seeing as how I'm not even going to be in Manila for the most part of the next 3 years. But I do think that knowing where to go, what to do, and what to eat in other countries can also be helpful.

Join me as I take pictures and write about my Taiwan (and probably even other countries, wink wink) adventures!

Tiffy in Japan: Tokyo Inokashira Park

Tokyo Inokashira Park
井の頭恩賜公園 Inokashira Onshi Kōen
Tiffy in Japan



The last time I was in Tokyo was for a final interview with Uniqlo. At the time, I didn't really have much time to go around on my own except when I was with the rest of my co-interns. I ended up going out drinking with friends around Roppongi because that's where my hotel was located.

This time, however, I was with my boyfriend so we ended up spending time with his friends Masa and Kohtaro. Since I've never been around Kichijōji (吉祥寺), and they think it's fun, we ended up there.

It was a beautiful day to be out--autumn! My favorite season. It's just the right kind of cold. Plus, autumn colors are so relaxing. 

We got off Kichijōji Station and first went to Inokashira Park. The land was given to Tokyo in 1913 and the park opened in 1918. It's name, Inokashira Onshi Kōen (井の頭恩賜公園), can be translated as "Inokashira Imperial Gift Park".

It was an amazing place. I didn't know they have a park that big in Tokyo. 

There were all sorts of people there. And even though it was a weekday, people of all ages walked around and had lunch and stuff. 

When you go deeper into the park, you'll see a stairway going up and you will smell meat cooking. Go inside a random food place (that's what we did) and order something because these were deliciously awesome. Skewered innards are a favorite of mine. 

So what do you do after eating? Why, take a boat ride, of course!

The row-type boat costs ￥600 (roughly Php 300) for one hour while the pedal-type one costs the same for 30 min.

And we ended the day with Donatello's, which served awesome gelato.

Clockwise: Sesame, rum raisin, cinnamon pumpkin

Until my next post: またね！