Seems like local foodie-dom worked themselves up in a tizzy when news dispersed late last week that chef-writer-world nomad extraordinaire Anthony Bourdain was in town. I've been amused with the stories told to me of some fervent fans who camped out at the Lobby of the Sofitel hoping to catch the alpha male himself in the flesh and breathe his hallowed air. I believe some were actually successful, nabbing autographs and photos.I've admitted on this website that chefs are my rock stars and while I'm a huge Bourdain fan, my groupie-slash-"fawning fan" approach is more subtle. When I learned that acclaimed chef Bobby Chinn was going to be guesting at Fully Booked and doing a cooking demo, I knew I'd be there. And when I was asked by the great people at the bookstore to interview Bobby himself, my giddiness shot to the stratosphere. I spent three solid hours last night reading his book, "Wild, Wild East: Recipes and Stories from Vietnam" straight through from cover to cover. It makes me want to go back to Vietnam, or at the very least, have lunch today ...

By the time my bum meets the seat, three different drinks have already been placed before me: iced water; a Bellini, its fizziness tempered by the ambrosial apricot nectar, and an elegant glass half-filled with a Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut from Napa Valley. Tawny in color, it’s mildly sweet and full-bodied. Perfect for novice wine drinkers like myself. Incidentally, I happen to be seated beside Kathy Yao whose company, Happy Living Fine Wines, is providing the wines for tonight’s dinner.

I’m popping squares of bitter chocolate into my mouth in an attempt to gratify/sate/satiate what feels – to me – like an insurmountable yearning for chocolate. And in a seemingly cruel trick that fate plays on me, I quickly discover that there’s no milk chocolate to be found in the house.Egads.

When Starbucks’ Global Responsibility Head, Zarah Perez, asks me to be a Dialogues speaker, I hold off on giving an answer. Having attended a few Dialogues at Starbucks, I’m intimidated by the “loftiness” of the discussions: Environment, Volunteerism, Filipino heritage and pride, Social Entrepreneurship. Compared to those, food writing seems so flighty a topic.

The Chocolate Buffet at The Peninsula Manila begins at 9:00 this evening but at 8:30 I’m already jockeying for a good vantage point from which to take photos. Only a few plates carrying their precious brown cargo are set down at this point and the sous chef is busy constructing what appears to be a most elaborate “staircase” of blocks (huge!) blocks of white, dark, and milk chocolate upon which the Pen’s famous truffles and pralines are methodically positioned. For a moment, I wish that my camera is a butcher’s knife so that I can hack at the chocolate like a crazed chocoholic.