Even in a third world country like the Philippines, we are also digital in ordering food and pretty much everything during this pandemic. For quite sometime now this has been a practice in more cosmopolitan cities worldwide; in Manila some people do so occasionally. During this pandemic however when people's movement is limited, ordering food online has become a way of life for most Filipinos.
It is said that this practice is mostly favored by millennials. Since they are tech savvy and their laptops practically booted all the time it is convenient to order food online while they work from home.
It may sound convenient for most, but I have some reservations. For health reasons alone, the ingredients of take out food is beyond our control. There is the waiting time of 30 minutes to an hour for the delivery to arrive. Moreover, the added cost of cooking services as well as the delivery fee renders the food more expensive.
My husband and I prefer cooking our food; budget-wise it is also more practical. More than that, we felt that it is safer during this pandemic. Not that vendors do not practice cleanliness and sanitation, but at this time we want to be extra careful.
I don't want to sound like a snob but at this point in our lives, my husband and I, along with most seniors have developed more sophisticated palettes. We have taste expectations even on the simplest of food; but when we feel like eating pizza, chicken and mojos or burger and fries we don't hesitate ordering from reputable establishments that we are accustomed to.
In our locality, there are two popular venues where the homeowners can advertise their food products on Facebook: the BF Home Sarap and the BF Bayanihan Marketplace. This is convenient since most of the vendors live in the village. Last week a buyer echoed my sentiments on taste expectations in a Facebook post:
"On ordering food online during this pandemic, one has to draw not only one's gift to differentiate food from what is good, better or best. At times, one has to go back in time and recall how food taste when health was a premium on how they are prepared."
Turns out that his Mom was a great cook that he developed preconceived ideas how specific food taste. After tasting the leche flan he ordered online; he wrote further:
"Over the years, I've been looking for the flan that I used to know but with much frustration until I tasted the flan I ordered from Flight Flan" (the vendor is a flight attendant, hence the name). " I found that it is a resurrected version of my mother's flan."
But I am not as lucky as the flan buyer. One day I wanted ginatang bilo bilo, (a local dessert of plantain, yam, tapioca and ground rice balls cooked in coconut milk). I liked what I saw it online; thick sauce and full of the desired ingredients. Sadly, it turned out very watery and all I got was mostly soup. I was so discouraged.
Due to some complains, the group moderator imposed vendors to show original pictures of their products and not borrow from Google. When I read this, I made a comment about my ginatang experience without mentioning the vendor. My vendor saw my comment and apologized. Of course, I let it go and said there's no problem and the vendor felt better and thank me.
Since I cook our food, I usually get raw ingredients at a big wet market in the village; but like any market with big crowds, going there at this time is a health risk so I get everything from a nearby grocery. I like choosing the ingredients myself so I can see the quality and quantity of my requirements and find substitutes when necessary.
When I go shopping I am properly protected with my face mask, googles and cap on; my list and credit card at the ready. I spray alcohol on the cart handles upon entering. I don't bring out my phone so I had everything written, that way I can go in and out in a jiffy.
I believe that it is a matter of choice and circumstance whether to order food online or not. If we are fastidious , we must go out of our way to prepare our own food; if we don't want the hassle, then food delivery is the answer. No matter what our preference is, ordering food online is here to stay as part of the new normal.
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