Ever has a feeling of great depression? Well, this week gave me a lot of reason to be depressed about. The last time I felt this depressed was the time I got kicked out of Mapua. That is right, I got booted out of a great institution. The root cause of the depression is just the same. I am depressed because I think my skills are not competent enough to be acknowledge by anybody. I have a feeling that I am more of a burden to my co-workers rather than a productive member of the team.
This feeling of depression was overwhelming for me. I got so depressed that even the most delicious looking cheesecakes did not appeal to me. It was then I realized that this is a bad sign already. Loosing my most favorite of the senses is a nightmare.
It was a Saturday night. I was planning to go to MoA (Mall of Asia) to buy a certain item to be used in my cooking. (yeah, as if I can cook). My schedule was: Be at the office by 11AM, fix a bug, leave the office by 3PM to go to MoA. However, due to the beer I had last night and the overwhelming depression, I overslept. I woke up 9:30AM, hurriedly ate my breakfast, prepped for office and left the house at around 11AM. 20 minutes later, I arrived at Metropolis mall, ordered my lunch for take-out, and left again for office. 40 minutes later, I arrived at the office, a little sweat soaked because of the heat of the midday sun. I was able to finish my bug, thanks to my friend Raughn, and was able to take-off from the office at around 6PM. Being already late from my plan of buying a good pair of pants + solitary walk + buying my planned stuff in MoA, I decided to try and buy it some other day. The Mall is too big and transportation home is quite hard coming from there. Change of plans, I tried to catch up to my friends at Festival Mall, but unfortunately, it was already too late and they have already gone home. Being depressed and having no one to talk to during this rough times, I should try to pick myself up using comfort foods. I searched the Mall for fine dining where I can eat alone. But alas, Cravings wall already full, so I had to look for other options. I had to decide, Fukuya (Japanese) or Sbarro (Italian). Since my depression was somewhat Japan related, I chose to eat at Sbarro. It was horrible. Please remind me never to eat there again. I dunno if it was the depression talking, or their Lasagna in Alfredo Sauce really tasted bad.
After the horrible experience, I was hoping that I will have a better chance of finding comfort food when I go to SM Southmall the next day.
The next day, I woke up, ate breakfast, played some PC games, and dressed up to go to the Mall for a wonderful day of re-centering. I left home just before lunch tim. Originally, I was scheduled to go to the dentist before eating lunch. Lo and Behold: I already forgot that the regular cleaning costs P750 already. I was not prepared to spend that much. So, cancel the dentist and go to the next agenda: Eating.
Finding a new place + not crowded + fine dining restaurant in Southmall was next to impossible. I feel like eating something roasted and something with pasta.
When hope was almost gone, I saw a restaurant where I always eat at. When I saw always, i mean once or twice a month. It was there all along. For me, it seems that angels were singing in chorus as I walk through the doors of almon marina. All the while, I was looking for places where I could explore harmony of senses. However, during times of depression, I should go to the place where it always hits home. Almon Marina.
As seen on the picture above, I had their Chicken, Salad and Pasta. For the sauce, I requested Bolognese. From my previous experience in Sbarro, I think it is best to stay away from white sauce until I can recover from my traumatic experience.
We will now explore the sensations I went through while eating the set meal. Let us start with the grilled Chicken. For me, it looked perfect. It was not fully dried. You can see the barbecue sauce evenly distributed in the chicken. specks of pepper are always good point when it comes to grilled food. What I liked about the way this chicken was cooked was that the meat was falling out of the bone in very little effort. There was no sign of blood which means that this was cooked perfectly. Seriously, half way through the chicken, I started eating it with my hands. perfect harmony of the sweetness of the barbecue sauce with the slight saltiness of the chicken skin. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
Moving on, (before I drool all over my laptop), we have the salad. Th salad was not so glamorous. It was simple, elegant, and light. the different texture and taste of each vegetable goes well with the light serving of the vinaigrette. To ing all of the flavors was the neutral taste of the croûtons. To top it all of was the cheese. The cheese added the saltiness to the whole salad. That is it for the fiber in my diet.
Lastly, the Pasta. In pasta, it is all about the sauce. The sauce highlights the over-all performance of the dish. This Bolognese sauce has mild sour taste which complements the flavor of the liver in the sauce. It tones down the meaty flavor of the liver, giving it a subtle earthy taste. With the Parmesan cheese topping of the pasta, it was such a delight.
After the meal was over, I felt that my depression has already passed away. Thank God for these comfort food. Where will I be without them?
A dose of eccentricity 