Monday, November 8, 2010

World Expo - Shanghai, China

one of the reasons we choose shanghai for our family trip was because it was the host city for the 2010 world expo. it was quite the experience. in terms of crowd control, there were a lot of things shanghai could have done better. waiting time for lines were anywhere between 2-4 hours. because of these wait times, we only saw the inside of 2 buildings. one thing is for sure: the work countries put into the architecture of their buildings was amazing.

one saving grace for our experience was the food the world expo provided. each country's pavilion showcased their food. one country highlighted their food more than others, spain. spain brought in highly rated spanish chefs and created a tapas bar in their pavilion. it wasn't hard to choose where to eat since spanish food (due to it being part of our heritage) is one of my family's favorite cuisines. everything we had was delicious and good quality.


sangria

paella

stuffed peppers

croquetas

gambas

jamon serrano

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Din Tai Fung- Shanghai, China

for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary/my 25th birthday/my sisters' 21st and 16th birthdays, we decided to take a family trip to somewhere new. after much debate we chose Shanghai, China. thanks to foodicles' suggestions, it turned out to be a great food trip. our first stop after checking into our hotel was din tai fung. all the food we had there was outstanding especially the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

"draft" tsing tao

hot and sour soup

dumplings in spicy sauce

xiaolongbao - pork

siopao (bbq pork buns)

mushroom dumplings

xiaolongbao- pork and crab

sauteed green pea shoots

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

reflections.

i think my love for food can be attributed to one thing: family- my parents, sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and even close friends. for me food has always symbolized a gathering of the people i love and care about. i believe that there is no point to creating or eating amazing food if you can't share it with anyone.


there are so many reasons christmas is my favorite time to visit guam. bumping into an old friend at a bar. catching up on the latest gossip over lunch with a close friend. chatting with a second cousin at a family party. mom and dad's home cooked meals. hearing my baby cousin ask for more chicken. food and drinks bringing us all together. growing up on guam with such a large extended family makes me appreciate where i come from and who i have become.


the sickness and loss that has surrounded me, my loved ones, and even some i have barely known in that last few months has caused me to reflect. the support i have witnessed through these tragedies has been a testament to the strength of my "family". it makes me thankful for those around me who are always there to support me. if the last few months have taught me anything, it's that everyday we need to tell those we care about how much we love them


Tuesday, August 17, 2010

i'm back!

After an extremely long hiatus i have decided to come back to the blog world. My trip to the Philippines, Shanghai and Guam (home) inspired me to write about my travel and food experiences once again.
Since my family and I frequently travel to the Philippines, we have our favorite restaurants that we continue to visit during each trip. One of these is the Italian restaurant Cibo. The menu includes soups, salads, pastas, pizzas, paninis and other italian entrees. Definitely a must try if you ever visit the Philippines.


mango shake

red grape shake

crema di zucca- summer squash.cream.bacon

spinaci zola- spinach and gorgonzola

patatine fritte- home-fried potato chips w. garlic mayonnaise

penne al telefono (my favorite)- stewed tomato.mozzarella.white cheese.basil.cream