Column: ALL WRITE

AL S. MENDOZA

FOR A CHANGE,

TRY MY BAGUIO

BIG 3 IN FOOD

 

BAGUIO CITY – Aside from chronicling great sports events, the brilliant exploits of winners and also the agonies of defeated, failure-prone athletes, I also love to write about foods and restaurants especially when I am in places far away from home.

This city is no exception.

But one flashback, please?

One day during my coverage of the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998, I brought former Transportation Undersecretary Dante Velasco and Marlene Ochoa to a roadside eatery along the highway leading to the Games Village.

“What is this, Al?” Dante said. 

“A restaurant,” I said.

“What kind of food are we going to eat here?” said Marlene.

“Thai food, of course,” I said.

Dante and Marlene were in Bangkok as officials then of Caltex, the oil giant that sponsored the country’s boxing team.

After partaking of our lunch, I could sense from their body language that they weren’t satisfied with our meal.

I understood.  Since they just arrived, their appreciation of Thai cuisine was limited. But I did. I had arrived days ahead of them.

Anyway, each time we reminisce on this episode over lunch nowadays, we always have a good laugh – especially Marlene, the sister of the incumbent Executive Secretary, Paquito Ochoa.

Years ago, a friend of mine asked, “Why do you write about foods when you are supposed to be always writing about sports?”

Another buddy of mine offered, “Because athletes also eat and the foods they eat can be grist for column for our ever irreverent Al.”

See?

Now, if you happen to visit this summer capital, try taking a bite at either Mitos Yniguez’s Hill Station or Alvin Emuang’s Chef’s Home, or at Art Nang’s famed Rose Bowl.

You’ll surely relish every meal there.

Trust me.

*     *     *

(I have to acknowledge Albert Miranda, Jhong Miranda, Reynaldo Ambe, John Eric Pendor, Jasper Farne and Sherwin Pingoy of Information Professionals Inc. [IPI] for their precise scoring in the ongoing Toyota-sponsored 62nd Fil Am Golf at the Baguio Country Club.  For this, they deserve a bonus no less from Oscar Arguelles and Joey Arguelles, IPI’s CEO and VP, respectively.  It’s Christmas, right?)