Cravings: Food I Miss

Just when we thought that the production of vaccines would mean that the pandemic would soon be over, here comes the stronger Delta variant of COVID 19 that is spreading the virus faster than people can get the vaccine. I was hoping that the entire family can be vaccinated by this year so that it would be safe for all of us to go out, but given the rate of people getting vaccinated at any given time, it would take longer for them to get scheduled for their shots. 

While a lot of people have commented to me that I can go out safely because I am fully vaccinated, I have to correct them that it doesn't mean that I am immune. The vaccines can protect you from being seriously infected, but it doesn't mean you can't be infected. You can be infected and you can still transmit the virus. Hence, I have decided to stay home and only leave for work. That's it. 

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Since I haven't been able to go out, I have been craving a lot of food that I can't have. There are many stores and delivery services that deliver food, but not the food that I want to have. I can't wait until the day when I can go out and enjoy these again:

Mexican Food - I miss eating burritos. Quesadillas. Enchiladas. Mexican Rice. The thought of these makes my mouth water. Some places sell some of these near our place, but they don't really taste Mexican. I feel like they are Mexican-inspired but adapted to Filipino taste-buds. I miss the real deal.

Korean Food - For the most part, Korean food in our area is limited to Samgyupsal and Japchae. I am sick of them because these are the only types that we can order. We have ordered the heck out of them and I would really love other meals again soon. I miss going to those hole-in-the-wall types of Korean places where we can get real Korean food made by Koreans (and for Koreans, since most of their customers are Koreans who live in the nearby areas). I wonder if those places are still open.

Coffee - I know this is a weird one. I can get instant coffee and we can grind our own beans to make our own brewed coffee at home, but I do miss getting coffee outside. There are a lot of places that sell coffee here but most of them are the types with too much milk and cream and such. I love black coffee. I love when it is brewed perfectly. I miss enjoying a good cup of (hot) coffee while enjoying the view and weather in Tagaytay. 

Fruit Shakes - If there is anything I miss about mall life, it would have to be the stalls that sell fruit shakes. Being able to get any type of fruit shake in various sizes (with the option of putting wheatgrass, yogurt, etc in them) is one of my favorite parts of going to the mall. I hate crowds and I do avoid the experience when I can, but that will always be one of my incentives to going. I miss lemon and cucumber drinks/shakes. I miss watermelon shakes --- especially watermelon shakes!

Raclette - Technically, it's not raclette cheese in particular. My family and I love using the raclette grill we have at home and melt various types of cheese that we eat with various types of meats along with baby potatoes, baby onions, and pickles. The meats and types of cheese we use can only be bought at grocery stores that are far from our home -- in malls. My fear of COVID 19 with my thing against being in crowds and malls in general means we can't have this. And I miss it so bad, along with the really good red wine that I usually have with it. 

Wine - I am more of the wine-drinker in the family. None of them like it. I love wine, particularly reds. My family would prefer to drink soju together than have wine, which is why I have not had a drop since the pandemic started. It's easy to order out for soju, but not for wine. I feel so sad thinking about it!

It would be nice to have the chance to go out again and enjoy these types of food that I've been craving for so long. I'm hoping that day would come soon. 2022 maybe?