Oh wow, I've really changed a lot. Haha. Now I am more excited to find and discover new shows that I never knew before! Imagine, I didn't know we actually have a TV show about cooking and sharing faith testimonies of various people, not just celebrities!
(Btw, I initially wrote this six months ago and forgot about it. 😆 Anyway I still feel the same so I decided to continue and finish writing this review.)
If you've been following my posts since this Lent you should know why I write the way I do now. Lol. Since March, I truly have returned to God and feel renewed. This is why I've been unable to get enough of anything about the Lord!
(Related: 😲 I Never Thought Being a Catholic is Fun Until...)
One of the things that sprung out of my renewed Christian faith is watching online videos of how to be a better Catholic. I often search on YouTube to listen to Catholic exorcist priests (including non-exorcists) and their "seminars" to learn more about living a better life. This is how I found a lot of important talks and things I never knew before!
A 2022 live episode of Tastetimony Season 7. image source
How I Discovered a Unique TV Show
Back in June, I watched a series of online talks of Fr. Jojo Zerrudo. He is an exorcist priest of the archdiocese of Cubao. And I am happy to say that I find him quite nice, the way he explains things and such.
This is the first video in his online talk series (in Filipino). :
And so after I watched the last part of his talk on Saints, Angels and Demons, I checked the other shows of TV Maria Philippines (YouTube channel). I was actually hoping to find more content of Fr. Zerrudo. Fortunately, I found something else! 😃
Say Hello to Tastetimony!
Have you ever heard of this show before? I didn't know about it at all until 6 months ago. haha. I seldom watch cooking shows and rarely watch religious series' (before this year). Well, after my Catholic renewal I found this show and surprisingly it's quite enjoyable!
Tastetimony is an inspiring cooking show hosted by two entertaining priests who interview various people. If you love to cook and discover different viands and people then this is highly recommended! You can learn how to cook many Filipino dishes. Hehehe. We get to learn different kinds of food from the guests!
The thing I like the most is when guests share a testimony or faith story. It is always inspiring to learn about how amazing God is, how they got converted or what blessings or lessons they learned from being devout Catholics, etc.
Screenshot from Tastetimony Season 9 episode with Jiggy Manicad. Image is from the video below.
Apparently they are now in Season 10! (Season 9 when I first wrote this. 😆) Wow. I never knew. Hahaha. I am so glad that local TV shows are now streaming online! If not, they post the episodes on YouTube! Oh I love it.
Some Episode Reviews
Of course I cannot do a whole season or entire series review. That's too many! Haha. I only pick and choose episodes with personalities that I find interesting.
One of the notable ones is the vocation story of Fr. Lorenzo Ruggiero, an Italian priest who's been in the Philippines for many years now. I still haven't tried the food he cooked but I wanna cook it one day! Another is about Mr. Renz Tuzon, an internationally acclaimed Filipino coffee artist. Amazing that we have an artist who's more known abroad.
Anyway, of the less than 20 episodes I watched I will share two of the most impactful to me.
👨🍳 Jiggy Manicad and His Advocacy on Food Sustainability
This is the first episode that I got interested in. It features one of the well-known reporter, Mr. Jiggy Manicad.
If you watch it you'll know he's already retired as a journalist. Also, I love his advocacy. It's one of the things I wanna get into more; he does it so much better! Aside from that, it's really inspiring to hear his story.
For those who don't understand Filipino, basically the episode talks about his advocacy on food sustainability. How we Filipinos should have access to our own food and not depend on importation. This is because he experienced the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (a.k.a. Haiyan). He was one of those who covered it that's why he is really passionate about his advocacy.
Jiggy also talks about what he's been doing since then, his run for senate to try and make a bigger change in regards to national food security, etc., and how being a follower of Christ changed his life. On this show, I learned of how he prioritized the Lord above all things. Being obedient to His will made him realize many things.
He said:
"God will always be (in charge or focused) on your need. He will always (be) there to answer you, but you have to communicate. It is important that He knows who you are. You have to be His friend..."
The man reminds us not to be user-friendly with God too. (Like someone who only remembers Him when we have problems, etc.) Haha I was also guilty of that in the past (cough lukewarm Catholic cough) but praise God I have become a more active and better Christian than before.
As for the food he cooked, well I am more into the testimony side of the show. Haha. Although of course it's nice to learn about his version of Paksiw na Bangus (milkfish).
👩🍳 Ms. Nova Villa and How She Got Rid of Her Smoking Addiction
Oh boy, this is the best episode. Truly I was not prepared for this one. I don't know much about her except that she's one of the veteran actresses we have. What she shared near the end of the show was completely mindblowing! 😱
Okay okay, if you're wondering what she cooked, it is Beef Salpicao. It's another Filipino dish but I didn't really know about it until I watched this episode. I still have not tried cooking this one. Haha. I just freestyle when I cook and mostly it is fried or a mixed stew.
I don't want to spoil the episode for you but for my non-Filipino readers, here it goes. If you're curious to know how she got rid of her nicotine addiction, I'll tell you. Are you ready? The answer is simple and some might not even believe it: She asked for God's help. Yes folks, miracles can happen when we pray.
For 10 years she struggled and suffered with addiction and worsening withdrawal symptoms. She tried and did everything to quit smoking but she could not! Desperately after many years of trying and failing, she eventually had a one on one talk with God. She cried out for His help in order to really quit smoking.
Here's the kicker. Ms. Nova Villa promised something to Him (which she strictly said we must really be true to our words when we do this). She offered all her suffering to God! In her own words:
"I offer my suffering for the poor, for the sick, for the needy, the conversion of sinners, salvation of the dying, salvation of the poor souls in purgatory..."
She prayed in the morning and suddenly the addiction was gone. To this day (or for 15 yrs on this episode) she has never experienced any withdrawal symptom or craving! Wow. Praise be to God!
(Now of course I can expound on offering our suffering, miracles and share my testimony too but it's a topic for another day. Basically, things happen in our lives depending on God's plan for us, what we ask for and our relationship with Him.)
It's always amazing when we learn about the power of God and His impact in people's lives right? ♥️
Last Thoughts...
Overall, I can say this TV show is always inspiring and not boring at all! Either you will be amazed by God in each episode or you will enjoy the food. We learn about the lives and lessons from different kinds of people too. You can also see how the studio set improves per season. 😍
Not all episodes are full of stories about the great impact God has on the guests' lives though. This is something that kinda disappoints me sometimes. Lol, it's the only "downside" of constantly being hungry for God. 😆 Still, we can learn various things per episode and that's what makes the show worth watching.
If I was to give it a rating I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars!
