In this issue

It’s been weeks and we’re still stuck at home. If you’ve managed to plan and stock up on food and essentials in the first week of March, I’m pretty sure your stocks would be low within a month. I didn’t get to fully stock up. I also didn’t want to be part of those selfish few who hoarded carts and carts, others be damned. I shopped for maybe two weeks’ worth of food, some alcohol and toiletries and that was it. As expected, we went through the supplies in just over a week and I had to go to the grocery. As someone who frequents the supermarket for work, it was the first time I experienced fear of doing groceries with the COVID-19 lurking all around us. With mask on and sanitizer in my pocket, I picked a supermarket that I knew would have the least crowds.

Not everyone is as lucky to have the same “problems” as I had. I still have a job where working remotely is the norm, so the lockdown hardly affects me. So many people live on daily wages, with food dependent on the money they will bring home daily. What will happen to them? Even if the government provides a few kilos of rice and some canned goods, for a family of five, that may only last 3 to 4 days at most. The P5,000 to P8,000 assistance can last maybe 2 weeks, probably even less, and not everyone is getting their share of that. But even the less fortunate who are fighting hunger can still be considered lucky compared to those at the frontlines. The doctors and nurses are literally facing death head on, some armed only with makeshift protective gear. These are the people who we pass without notice on a daily basis. People who studied for many years in order to save lives but are always underpaid and rarely appreciated.

I never imagined anything like this would happen in my lifetime. Our world will never be the same after this. All we can really do is pray, keep our faith in humanity, and strive for a world that’s less greedy. Keep safe and see you around, hopefully without masks.

Butter Is Better

As I mentioned in this month’s Editor’s Note, Cook Magazine has just turned 18.

2 mins

Enjoy No-Frills Dining At Its Finest At Eastwood Café+Bar

Eastwood Richmonde Hotel’s all-day dining outlet just got a makeover and is now a restobar that offers all-time favorite local and international dishes from morning ‘til night.

3 mins

Salt And Smoke

I don’t think I am alone in thinking that barbecued meat is probably one of, if not the most appetizing thing you can watch on TV. Of all the cuisines that play on the food channels, only barbecue has multiple shows on its specific cuisine. It even beats shows on burgers or pizza or TexMex on the amount of coverage it gets.

2 mins

Mega Prime Restaurant Features Jhanna's Bar And Resto

The busy restaurant rows of Tomas Morato and Timog Avenue in Quezon City has been the go to place for those living in the northern part of Metro Manila for decades.

2 mins

The Selah Garden Hotel: Urban Oasis

Dab smack in the middle of Manila’s urban jungle, Selah, a garden themed boutique hotel, is an unexpected oasis.

3 mins

City Glamps

The grazing platter of blue cheese, brie, cheddar, sSwiss cheese, apricots, raisins, breadsticks and toasted baguettes that greeted us in our room at F1 Hotel signaled the kind of night we were going to have -- easy, indulgent and languid.

2 mins

Food From Our Neighbors

There’s a saying that food is always better at the neighbor’s house. While this isn’t always true, for a lucky few, getting introduced too some specialty dishes by some generous neighbors is such a treat.

2 mins

France Culinary Travelogue

The French look upon gastronomy as a fi ne art. It has its own philosophy, technical vocabulary and set rules based upon careful experimentation through the ages.

4 mins

Beefy Canadian

The Canadian Beef dinner at the residence of the Ambassador of Canada proved to be an interesting affair.

2 mins

Tulip Water Fitter

Safe drinking water should be simple, affordable, and available.

2 mins

Read all stories from COOK MAGAZINE

COOK MAGAZINE Magazine Description:

Being the oldest monthly culinary magazine in the Philippines, Cook Magazine continues to evolve and adapt to the interests and demands of our readers and supporters. We at Cook Magazine pride ourselves with providing our readers and advertisers practical, kitchen-tested recipes from our country’s top chefs and food experts, local and international dining destinations and food-related features and event partnerships. We look forward to leading the way in sharing our love of food for years to come.