Welcome to this Food Memories series where I will be showing you pictures of food that bring back my memories of the distant and recent past. As a millennial, I have learned to take pictures of my food before eating. As I scroll through photos of food on my gallery, I relive the moments I spent while having that food.
The first post for my series was entitled, Early Heartbreaks Over Burgers and Ramen: Food Memories #1. It's a very short post and I intended it to jumpstart a new format I wanted to try here in Hive. You can check that post below:
GETTING LOST IN INCHEON
September 16, 2018
We were in Korea! Or at least only at the airport. If you could still remember Typhoon Mangkhut that devastated several countries in Asia, it reached Hong Kong just as we were going home from China to the Philippines. Our travel agency quickly booked another set of tickets that brought us to Incheon International Airport in South Korea before heading to the Philippines. We avoided the typhoon just in time.
While we were at Incheon, we took our time buying souvenirs and looking for places to eat. It was very expensive there but I didn't buy enough "pasalubong" when we were still in China. We initially planned to buy them in Hong Kong.
We had our early dinner at one of the food courts in the airport. My colleagues and I went for Korean food. I ordered ramen and kimbap because they were quite familiar to me already. The food was quite filling and I think I was not able to finish it all.
After having dinner, I walked around the airport buying chocolates. It was then that I realized that I was at the wrong terminal and my colleagues were already waiting for me. I didn't know that I had to take a train to get to the correct terminal. I scrambled to look at the signs to help me get on the train. Fortunately, I found my way and made it on time for our flight.
OLD FAVORITE
October 30, 2018
Joed's Lutong Hapon was one of my favorite Japanese restaurants here in Cebu because it's very cheap. Of course, you can't expect the food to be that good. But it was enough. My ex-girlfriend and I went there multiple times. Their ramen was not outstanding but again, it was enough.
I think they used alternative and local ingredients for their food which made their dishes simple but also familiar. I remember that day when we went there, we shared the ramen because the serving was too big if each of us had one.
I'd still go here if given the chance. I like their friendly and accommodating staff. They greet you in Japanese when you come in and when go out.
NEW FAVORITE
March 16, 2019
Sachi Authentic Japanese Ramen And Okonomiyaki is now my favorite Japanese restaurant here in Cebu. I remember being so impressed with their food the first time I went to the restaurant. Their food is not very expensive but you can really see that it's authentic. Their ramen is really good. I really like their Tantanmen.
I remember going to a friend's workplace on this day just to hang out. We decided to eat somewhere for dinner. Sachi was just nearby and so we went there and had ramen and takoyaki. It was one of those nights when you can still spend time with friends without worrying about going home very late. Now, I have to think about curfew which is one of the government's measures to curb the spread of the virus.
WE'RE OFFICIAL!
November 9, 2019
On this day, my girlfriend and I became official. I asked her to be my girlfriend the night before but she wanted to give her answer on this day after we've attended a worship event (The Feast) that we used to attend every week before the pandemic.
I was very happy she said yes. I decided to treat her to a Japanese restaurant because we don't usually eat Japanese food. I wanted to try something new. We went to Nonki Japanese Restaurant. I really wanted to try their bento but they only serve them during lunchtimes. My girlfriend had ramen and I think she was not able to finish it. Naturally, I ate the rest of it.
I think I was not particularly impressed with the ramen. But it didn't matter because I just was happy that night.
SPONTANEOUS EAT-OUTS
February 17, 2020
I remember being at school on this day and my friends (
They ordered a lot and I happily complied. One of my friends ordered ramen and she was not able to finish it. In the group, I'm usually that friend who eats up the rest of the food left by others. I know I sound like a scavenger but that's mostly because I have a really big appetite and my friends don't what their food to get wasted.
I can't believe this was one of the activities I did before the pandemic. I would not have remembered this if not for the pictures.
MORE SPONTANEOUS EAT-OUTS
March 10, 2021
The lockdown in Cebu is over and we can finally roam around with fewer restrictions. On this day, I decided to call on my friends and treat them for dinner. We went to Samurai Sushi & Bento Cebu near the school. I think I was craving ramen on that day and so I ordered it. Later, I found out that they serve bento meals even for dinner.
My friend ordered a bento and I was jealous she had so much food on her bento box. I was not really impressed with my Chashu Ramen. I thought it smelled a bit funky.
People say that Ramen Yushoken has the best ramen in town but I haven't been there yet. I never would have thought I would be a fan of ramen. I guess I had a different expectation about noodles as a Filipino who grew up only knowing instant noodles as a kid.
That's it for #2 of this series. I hope I was able to stir up your appetite with the images of the ramen and other food that I had. I hope I was also able to intrigue you with my stories. Watch out for the next post on this series. I think I'll be posting about the food I had on the breakfast dates I went to. Cheers!
