Food To Go and Food Take Home

Dear mouse,
This is my brother’s and my breakfast today. Yum

That’s a no-sugar-added-bluebery creme cake, scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes and last Saturday’s chicken-hot-dog left-over. Sunog pa pagkaprito ko noh. Slaps face. Uhm. Why last Saturday? Because we eat breakfasts on Saturdays and Sundays only. Then we do not eat lunch.
The next heavy meal is dinner. In between are snacks.

But it has nothing to do with my topic today. Food To Go and Food Take Home.

When I was new in this Uncle Sam’s country, I did not know that when you buy food for take home, they ask you if it is “TO GO”. So the first time I was asked in a restaurant where I bought food for my dinner I raised my left brow, with a HA? look all over my face. The food server knew. I am a
BSA. It is not Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Silly. It means Bagong Salta sa Amerika. (translation: FOB) It makes sense though because normally the food bought is for lunch in the office, why say use “take home”.

The Food Take Home has mutated into another use…that is bringing left over party foods home.

People in the Philippines would say nakakahiya namang magbitbit, kumain na nga tayo ng marami…(it is embarrassing to take home…we have already eaten so much) but here in the US, when you prepare food for the parties, you have to provide more than your expected guests…especially allowance for take or bring home.

Parties here are usually big not because there are several friends invited. When you send an invitation, expect that the guests will bring their families with them. The friend may not be able to drive, so she brings the husband…if there are children, they will be needing a baby sister if they are left at home, so why not just bring them along. The party lasts for several hours. If its a wedding which may be scheduled somewhere between 9 and 10 am, lunch will be served at 1:00 or 2:00. By the time, food is served, if not restraint, you might already eat the decorative flowers with salad dressing. burp.

Those who do not want hotel receptions, they rent a hall (they’re available for special occasions) and may ask a caterer to provide for the food . Some bring the food direct from their kitchen. Some are brought by the guests themselves, pot luck style.

When guests start leaving, the hosts offer them to bring something home. I normally decline the offer because there’s nobody home who is going to eat the left-over. Besides I saw to it that I have eaten for two meals…lunch and dinner. BURP.

In the Philippines, when I was still new in the academe, I met this senior faculty member who brought big shopping bags during university parties…like Christmas, anniversaries or any occasion where food was in abundance.

Before the party is over, she had already filled two or three bags which she gave to her nephew to be brought to her car. The old timers told me that it was her reputation…the cleaner…because she cleaned the party’s left over. In mystery/suspense thriller, the cleaner is one who cleans the crime scene after the CSI people had their photoops and evidence gathering. In spy novel, the cleaner is an assassin who kills assassins who blundered or are no longer useful in the organization. I DIGRESS. I am talking about food. Shakes head, rolls eyes then sips coffee.

A friend of mine suggested that we also bring home. She said she had a dog named J. It was the name of her husband.hehehe.

When I was traveling in the Philippines for seminars or audits, some drivers were assigned for my transport needs.

One driver that I had a very interesting conversation while waiting for some guests in Leyte described the difference between the former two first ladies of the Philippines.

While Ming Ramos, the wife of Fidel Ramos gave them food ahead of other guests for the reason that they may be forgotten while the party is going on, the other former lady sent them food in the cars only after the guests had been served and they were already about to climb the coconut trees that abound in the area to get coconuts for their meal. hahaha.

The Ca t