Jean Lucs Bistro

Another day went by and as always, I eat at a fast food.  Force of habit I guess.  What is it that makes you choose them?  I remember that there was a time long ago that I craved for one of the food chains.  I always went to one of their stores because I liked the taste and also the affordable price.  Fast food chains still have lower prices than that of restaurants in the malls.  It’s still the preferred choice against “Fine Dining” for those who have limited budget and also for those who are always “on the go.”

What is it that made me want those types of food anyway?  I remember when I started eating their products that they were not that tasty compared to other types of food.  But now I still eat them and my feet automatically takes me to one of their stores when my tummy feels hungry.  This makes me think that I just became so used to the food there that my taste for food has changed a bit.  But of course, “Fine Dining” is still preferable to fast food.

There have been improvements on the taste of their food since the first time I’ve eaten them.  If there wasn’t, would anyone still like them?  Thinking back, the other reason that I liked them is because they were different.  I guess we are all used to homemade cooking that eating out in a restaurant or a fast food chain is preferable from time to time.  Once you like them though, you’ll be finding yourself eating at another branch of the same store in a different mall or area.  I guess accessibility is also a big factor in our decision in choosing where to eat.

Computers have been present since I can remember.  They say it started out as a calculating device.  Does that mean a calculator is also a computer? In essence, both of them compute and they both started from the abacus.  I guess right now the computer has evolved in many ways.  I guess that’s why they made the term calculator for the simple calculating device.  The computer does not only compute but the better term is they process.  To us they process information using logic.  We give them raw data and they give us processed information.

Computers are present in our day to day lives.  Companies, governments, factories and even households have them.  Many can’t live without computers.  I wonder what will truly happen if the computers suddenly stopped working? A major disaster that will affect all of us I guess.  Do we really go back to the Stone Age when that happens?

Even food is processed with the use of computers.  Raw ingredients are transformed into food.  Many do not have time to cook or prepare food from raw ingredients.  Computers allow the automation of machines that peels the potatoes or skins the peaches.  The taste is not that bad but a lot of nutrition is lost though.  It is still better to eat cooked or prepared food.  Processed food usually has preservatives but micro organisms and toxins are already removed.  Do they add taste to the food?  Food Processing also allows food to be taken on long trips because it takes longer for them to perish.

At around past 9 Saturday evening, me and a friend arrived in Malate. We were a bit tired to look for a nice restaurant, so we picked a restaurant at random and ended up at Giligan’s.

It’s a pretty cozy place just right for a dinner after a day’s work of nailing our eyes on the computer screen to respond to technical (some of them-nah-few of them dummy) e-mail inquiries. The menu mostly is all meat and cholesterol-heavy yet delectable to the eyes and nose. We ordered lechon kawali with kangkong and bagoong. It was delicious. In every bite, though, I felt the fats building up my in my arteries. Probably that’s why this is also a hang out for ‘inuman’-because you feel the need to drink beer to wash away the accummulated lard after every meal (though I’m not a beer drinker myself).

Giligan’s in Malate has a charming Mediterranean feel. The place is a 2-storey restaurant modeled into a ship with waiters dressed up like pirates (I suddenly felt the urge of sneaking for Capt. Jack Sparrow look-alikes but to my dismay did not find a single soul). The atmosphere is cool and the price is just right.

With our tummies full, we reeled back to go home and get prepared for the waiting e-mail que for tommorrow. 

I went to Cartimar, Pasay (biggest pet place in the Metro) today to buy myself a pet fish. Cartimar has rows of petshops that sells all sorts of animals- dogs, cats, birds, fresh water and salt water fishes, reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, fresh water plants, sea anemones etc.

While looking for a pet fish, I stumbled upon a store that had just received a delivery of baby snakes. Curious, I went inside the store to check out the snakes that are placed inside a medium sized plastic reptile tank. I sat beside the store owner and asked, ‘What kind of snakes are those?’ He replied, ‘Garter snakes’ (non-poisonous). While the store owner is transferring the reptiles into a bigger tank, I saw a snake that is different in color. Curious, I picked the snake out from the reptile tank and asked the store owner, ‘What about this one?’ The store owner replied, ‘Oh, that’s a Viper.’ What the…!!! I immediately dropped the snake.  I learned from National Geographic that the venom of Vipers leads to damage of vascular cells and red blood cells. Jesus!!! I could’ve lost a finger or an arm if I was bitten by that snake!

I walked out from that store and continued my search for the perfect pet fish. After almost checking out all the pet stores in Cartimar, I saw these beautiful fighting fishes (also called Betta Splendens) in their respective tanks. They have brilliant colors and their fins come in various shapes. I didn’t know there were different types and strains of fighting fishes. The types are Halfmoon Plakat, Halfmoon, Crowntail, Doubletail and Wild Bettas. These fishes are show type bettas and not recommended for fighting. I really got attracted with the Halfmoon Bettas, because of their long fins and their tail that has a shape of a half moon. I purchased a pair of blue halfmoon bettas. I’m planning to breed them and hope to produce high quality halfmoon bettas so that I could enter them in betta shows in the coming months.

Anyway, the lesson to this story is to never ever get curious because curiosity can hurt you… a lot. This is all for now. I need to hit the sack.