The Real Deal

I still haven't gained pounds from all the eating I've done in the past few weeks. I thought that I would have since I've been keeping on stuffing my mouth even more than my stomach's extent. Seriously, almost every single time that I came out of a restaurant, I would have a pudge and could barely breathe because my jeans became tighter in the waist area. What's worse is I usually wear skinny jeans too.

Eating at new restaurants, I would say, has become one of my favorite past times just because I started this blog. Although it's a hit-or-miss thing, I don't really mind just because I love food. True, it may be that I would encounter mediocre, or even bad places, but I wouldn't be able to find good eats that have become my favorites now. It's just a matter of loving what you do, and risking whatever you have to be able to find what you're looking for. Sounds heavy, especially for a restaurant review blog. But in my case, it's all about risking my precious taste buds. It's pretty scary if you think about it. It all boils down to making my taste buds suffer because of disgusting food, or making them sink into an orgasmic experience. Serious and heavy stuff, right? Ha!

Before, I didn’t really expect much from this whole review-a-restaurant-and-blog-about-it experience. I thought, “What the heck? I’ll just be eating. What’s the big deal?” I was expecting to have my fill, pay for my meal, and then write about how awesome or how gross the food was. It was such a natural thing to do. Everyone eats. And I’m pretty sure that everyone remembers his or her experience even a few hours after. The only difference is that normal people don’t jot them down. I guess you could say that I’m abnormal then. But, with the kidding aside, people actually remember whatever they felt in that point in time in that specific restaurant maybe in a conversation with a friend or something. However, problem was I didn’t even have set plans on where I’ll be going, or what I’ll be comparing my perspectives on. I was still not sure of what cuisines I’ll be focusing on. There was one thing I was certain of though: my best friend would be eating with me because of budget constraints. Seriously.

Now, I’m just so glad that everything fell right in their places. I would have to admit that starting this whole project was kind of rough. I didn’t know where to start. It was my first time to do it. I didn’t have a basis. I just looked at it as a trial and error activity. Throughout the ten weeks of going to different restaurants, I began to appreciate the various cuisines that I was exposing myself to. I know that everyone knows going to a fast food joint is a whole different experience from eating at a restaurant. However, what I’ve noticed is that, not only is the feeling not the same, but I actually believed that it was so much more worth the money you’re spending. True, you’re paying for the ambiance, but you’d have to think that you’re paying for real food, and leftovers too! Fast food places don’t have that.

Furthermore, I was able to understand that eating is not just stuffing your face with what you think is good. It’s about exploring the different cuisines that you can offer your taste buds with the interplay of all the ingredients. I learned that you should not just focus on your sense of taste solely. Eating is so underrated because of this. I believe that most of the senses have to partake in the entire dining experience to be able to judge if a restaurant is good or bad. Eating is all about that and so much more.

They say all good things come to an end. I say my blog might end just because of time constraints due to my hectic life of juggling being a full-time student and having two jobs. Despite that, I have no plans of terminating my never-ending quest for inexpensive, yet good eats. Life is pretty hard nowadays, and money couldn’t just be picked up on the street. However, because I exposed myself to this whole project or reviewing restaurants, I was able to have a new appreciation of not only food, but also the dining experience as a whole. I’m willing to save my hard-earned money to go out and eat a few times a month. As long as my best friend is with me, then I am bound to have a good time, and a restaurant to criticize. It may not be jotted down, but it will forever be stored somewhere in my head, ready to be filtered out when a conversation about it arises.

I am still going to wear skinny jeans when I go out to restaurants. It’s not really a sentimental thing because of my blog of reviewing these kinds of places, but because those are actually the only style of jeans that I have in my closet. I have a lot, so my only problem is to choose what color. Eh. I am still going to look forward to having a pudge and hardly being able to breathe due to stuffing my mouth extensively. I do have one thing I’m concerned about though. I know I’ll still be on my quest even a few years from now. However, although I don’t want to admit it, I’m pretty sure that my metabolism is going to slow down. I’ve been tiny my whole life, and I guess I’m not ready to change that as of yet. Hopefully, my body wouldn’t change how it works its wonders and I wouldn’t be gaining a countless number of pounds. I’m just crossing my fingers, and my toes too.

Extra Thoughts on Ms. DJ’s WWFF:

“Your job is straightforward: Point people in the direction of high-quality, brightly flavored fresh food, and paint a vivid picture so they can decide whether to go. You help consumers make informed decisions about where to eat. As a result, you may encourage them to try something new, educate them about new foods or cooking techniques, or inspire them to visit a new neighborhood.”

DJ’s theory of pointing people to good restaurants is extremely useful because it sheds light no the difficult problem of a reviewer’s job of making criticisms about the food, service, place, and experience. She could not have said it any better. Reviewing a restaurant is tough. You may encounter bumps and people might criticize your criticism. But it’s all a part of it. One thing should be the focus: the satisfaction of a consumer with his or her dining experience. That’s the main reason why people write reviews. This is why you should be honest with what you write. It’s all about relaying your escapade, and hopefully, your readers will thank you for introducing them to that certain restaurant that they tried because of you.