by Lori Baltazar
*Photo shows the amount of food that my Bin and I generally order when we’re at a restaurant. This meal is on one of our lighter days.
I’ve always been an eater and what a good eater I am! Though I don’t mind eating alone, I love it more when I have someone to share a meal with. All my good friends love eating as much as I do, although I must say that my immense appetite leaves some of them cold.
My Bin is the only person who comes close to keeping pace with the amount of food I can put away, as well as all the whims that come with it. When I go to a restaurant, especially if it’s my first time there, it’s not unusual for me to order 10 dishes for us, just to try. Even if we don’t lick our plates clean, my Bin and I are the king and queen of take away – we’re huge fans of leftovers.
Though I eat more than him (yes, believe it), my Bin’s gusto for food makes him an especially treasured eating partner. He’s very open-minded and willing to try new things save for one thing: durian, which I adore and he abhors. After 14 years of marriage, I’ve given up on him ever liking the so-called repugnant fruit.
Another trait of my Bin that makes him my favorite eating partner is that he likes the things I don’t particularly care for. I can’t stand mousses and fruit salads, both of which are on my list of desserts that I DON’T like. Whenever those things are components of desserts we order, I scrape them off and give them to him. I’m also not hot for meringues, sago, and cooked carrots, but he is so he always gets my share. As for him, my Bin isn’t crazy about pie crust, overly doughy things (like thick-crust pizza), the fat (taba) found in bangus belly, and root vegetables like camote and squash, all foods that I’ll gladly eat for him.
But what I love the most about my favorite eating partner is that he always gives me the biggest slice, the biggest piece. When we’re polishing off a dish and eating like there’s no tomorrow, he’ll suddenly stop and put his fork down. “It’s yours, Lor. I’m done.” He does this when he can hear me “audibly testifying” to the deliciousness of the dish with eye-rolls and barely restrained moans. Now that’s love.
I wish that all good eaters be blessed with good eating partners.
So tell me: Who is the one person you most love sharing a meal with?
Related Post: 7:33pm, Husband Making Dinner: A Short Love Story
Note: M.I.Y.O. Monday stands for Make It Your Own Monday, a question thrown out to DCF readers every Monday to jumpstart the week with lively interaction. I also welcome questions and suggestions for future MIYO Mondays. Email me.
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My favorite eating partner is RJ (boyfriend) since he loves to eat as much as I do! And he’s always game whenever I have sudden food cravings at weird times of the day 🙂
Kamille, my sister, is my favorite eating partner. We love trying out new food and be all food critic saying stuff like, “Its too soggy…” or, “The textures are perfect…”. Maybe we can just go in the same restaurant and order the same things over and over and food just tastes sooo much better with her… Or maybe not. :p
My favorite eating partner is of course…(tada!) my boyfriend, Aldwin. Many of the milestones in our relationship revolves around food. Dining with him is more than just appeasing hunger; it is about creating memories that we can look back at. Thanks to DCF for always being part of it. 🙂
It’s a tie between Chef EQ or Aina and her husband Brian 🙂
But all of them at the same table are often preferred.
Funny you said that, K. I was about to say the same thing: you, Brian and Nings (Chef EQ). Really good eats made even better with excellent company.
It would have to be my husband as well. I can have sauce on my shirt, crumbs all over my face, or rice in my hair and he’s not going to judge! 😉 (Maybe because he’ll have the same as well!) Hahaha! 😉 I love trying new restos with him even if our taste in food may differ a little bit. We both agree on dessert though! 😉
What a nice topic, Lori! Like you, my favorite eating partner is my hubby. We don’t necessarily like the same things all the time. He’s a typical male and an Ilocano at that — he doesn’t go for sweets that much, viands with sweet taste or thick sauces, etc. But we both love Chinese food, Japanese ( WAGYU steak, just simply salted and peppered, cooked medium-rare and shabu-shabu are celebratory food staples for us)And we both cook. Anyway, I’m digressing… Why do I love him as my eating partner? He gives way for me to have the last piece/pieces of pork ribs in sinigang. He knows that my ultimate comfort food is pork sinigang 🙂
P.S. I love to cook my sinigang with some slivers of ginger in the broth — makes for a more aromatic smell. He prefers it without the ginger. We’ve come to an agreement that whoever cooks the dish gets to decide how it’s prepared. As I cook most meals, I get my way. 🙂 big grin there 🙂
missing him and our little princess . They’re in Nagoya right now visiting a family friend. Good thing they’ll be back in time for our 8th wedding anniversary tomorrow. kilig!!! 🙂 Hmmm… should it be WAGYU steak or shabu-shabu? 🙂
couldn’t Lori. not this time at least. My brother is visiting and he just had shabu shabu. So, we went to our all-time fave izakaya instead — Yamachan!!!!! 🙂 It serves the best-est tebasaki (very spicy chicken wings) and miso katsu!!!!! saraaaaap talaga!
Have you tried their food?
http://www.buffalochow.com/2009/11/nagoya_chow_yamachans_chicken.html
If not, do let me know if you are coming. My hubby and I will take you. our treat 🙂 I don’t know if you remember…. I’ve mentioned to you before that we know your sister-in-law. We have the same circle of friends.But most of those friends though have moved to the US. 🙁
Eating Partner : definitely Paul 🙂
however I have a couple of favorite eating buddies like my sister and fellow blogger Richard (Tales from the Tummy) and his wife Irene 🙂
Definitely not my husband, who shuns Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Greek and many other cuisines. In other words, he is not an adventurous eater. He likes to dine at the same old restaurants all the time. So my favorite eating partner is our 7-year-old daughter, Bea, who would try everything: from frog legs to ostrich meat to sashimi and fresh seaweeds. I started training her to be a food explorer ever since she learned how to chew. 🙂
This would have to be my sister because she is adventurous with food and is willing to try out different cuisines. In short, masarap siyang kumain kaya masarap siyang kasamang kumain.
My husband is willing to try anything once, but you can immediately see he’s only trying it out because of me but would rather eat Pinoy food in a heartbeat. Plus, his eyes don’t light up like my sister when eating different cuisines.
Even blah food tastes better when my sister is around. 🙂
Your story about ordering 10 dishes on a first visit reminds me if me! 🙂 my fave eating partners would be my husband and my dad simply because while they shake their heads in amused exasperation at my quirks, they indulge me anyway. I read menus for 30 minutes because I like imagining how each dish will look and taste through the description, I order like there’s no tomorrow, I eat like a famished barbarian and I love to order non-menu items or change sidings or just shake things up a bit with the dish. I like trying new places all the time, am a sucker for hype and drive everyone at a table crazy with my appetite and penchant for ordering for an army. I also eat pretty much anything, anytime, anywhere. My dad shares my love for hole in the walls while my husband shares my adventurous palate and bottomless pit of a stomach. 🙂 we also like discussing lunch and dinner while having breakfast. We call it discussing “blinner”.
Haha I did? Cool! It’s always great fun to share a meal with the food-obsessed. Ask Chef JJ Yulo…I stalked him at the PEW FB site then we met up here in HK, twice! Good eats and good conversation both times! When are you in HK? I’ll be sure to send you a food trip itinerary you won’t forget!
My future husband! Even if I am single right now ^^, there is something about knowing someone’s likes and dislikes through eating. After that of course, my future kid with my future husband, it would be a wonderful memory of discovering my kid’s first try of everything food. 🙂
My favorite eating partner would be my good friend, Karen Anne. She’s the one who introduced me to other food places and restaurants aside from the fast food chains that I usually frequented. She helped look at food and dining at a whole new perspective. And with that I’m ever so grateful of her. 🙂
It has to be the boyfriend. When we first started dating, I remember him saying, “Life is too short to waste on bad food.” 🙂 Not only does he appreciate good food, he knows how to prepare it as well. When we’re tucking into a meal, he’ll be chewing thoughtfully, identifying flavors and ingredients, and then sometimes he’ll confidently declare, “I can make this.” I find his competence in the kitchen a big turn-on, especially since my own cooking skills are practically non-existent!
Thanks to his extensive food knowledge, I find myself enjoying meals more whenever I dine with him. Plus, he happily finishes whatever I can’t (even after protesting he’s too full to eat another bite :p). More importantly, he doesn’t make me feel like I’m being judged whenever I’M stuffing my face! Haha.
My favorite eating partner / food trip buddy is, of course, my brother Kenneth. Though most people would think we have the same preferences, we don’t. He loves really hot and spicy food, I can only tolerate a little spice. He’s not that much into chicken cooked any other way but fried.
But, we both love desserts. That’s what we always look forward to in every meal. We both have big appetites and he sometimes finishes off anything I can’t gobble up on my own. He’s more adventurous than I am, which makes it more fun ’cause I get to enjoy new dishes knowing he’d be there to finish something I only wanted to taste. :))
Why is everybody answering their husbands? Hahaha! My favorite eating partner/s is NOT my husband 😀 He loves food too, but I miss out on non-buffet / eat-all-you-can stuff if not for my foodie soulmates. I miss my eating partners in crime including 1) former colleagues from the Big Bee (easy guess), and our regular Foodie Fridates 2) my family. They would have been the best food companions here in Dubai.
But I’ve found new eating partners here 🙂 Fellow bloggers who share the same passion for good AND cheap eats.
Haha, like a lot of people who’ve commented before me, I have to say that my favorite eating partner is my boyfriend. It’s cheesy, but food just tastes better with him around! Since we got together, we’ve (very happily) put on quite a few inches! We love talking about food, planning what we want to eat and where, sharing our favorite food memories. He’s the one I bounce ideas off of when I’m thinking of cooking or baking something new. His is usually the opinion matters most, since he’s unflinchingly honest about everything I make. Although I have to say that the best part about eating with him is that he gets me to try (and love) things that I ordinarily would pass on, and he’s also more willing to taste new things with me. He makes food a greater adventure than it already is. 🙂
My husband to be, definitely. We bond over food 90% of the time, whether it’s at a street corner or at a posh restaurant 🙂 We happen to love traveling too, and even then, the food makes up so much of the experience. It’s a relief and a huge blessing that we’re both passionate about food/eating.
My sisters are great company too — You know we’re enjoying our food when our vocabulary get reduced to “Mmmm…” and “Yummm” 🙂
Hello, Lori. Easy one! Hands down, it’s my partner, whom I always refer to as R on the Internet. His tastes are truly ‘experimental’, which somehow makes a nice balance with my traditional culinary tastes. He’s the first one to ask the waiter about an exotic dish or an unusual dessert.
hubby. He eats what I want to eat. Cooks for me on weekends. Buys my cravings for the day and brings them home for pasalubong. Gives me the best part/slice of a dish; and, tells me when I’ve had enough, and to eat more healthy when I still continue to indulge even when I’ve had MORE than enough. Now is that love or what? 🙂
Definitely my husband! We both love to eat. Just like you and Bin we order lots of dishes when trying out new restos.
wifey, of course! she loves to cook! i love to eat! made in heaven!!!
My sister ruth, we would both choose eating over shopping anytime.
whenever I see/hear about a new resto or food she is the first person I think about,
whenever I want to stress-eat she is the first person I call,
whenever I just want to eat-indulge she is the first person I meet.
We even have the same “I’ve gone to food heaven” expression after eating something sinfully delicious! Give us cheese and we’re happy.
Thank you ruthie for being my foodie buddy!
I consider a certain “friend” in our office as my eating buddy. He is the one who accompanies me whenever I feel like eating after office, hehe. And when I cannot finish my food, he would be too glad to finish it for me, hehe. He also makes me choose where we would eat, he knows me too well, knowing that I eat depending on my mood :). Sad though that he has resigned but when we see each other, we make it a point to eat. Makes me think of him right now, I wonder where our next eat out would be. 🙂