The Perfect Breakfast Food

I've been to a lot of tours before and the day is always started the same way. We have breakfast at the hotel and western breakfast is always served. But in Korea, I had a break from my usual plate of sausage and eggs. I was able to try out their waffles, jams and donuts. You may think that there is nothing unusual about that breakfast, right? Wrong! The hotel we stayed in serves the best waffles I have ever tasted. What won me over was their texture. It was the crispiest and crunchiest waffles I have eaten in my entire life. And they made it all without burning the pastry. I have tried making waffles before and they always turn out to be soft and soggy. I wonder how they do it? Is the secret in the waffle iron or the batter mix?

Waffles as perfect as these cannot be fully enjoyed with simple maple syrup. So I went over to the jam section and smothered my waffles with generous scoops of strawberry jam. It was difficult to pick the best jam since a lot of choices were available. They have strawberry, grape, marmalade, pineapple and raspberry. The grape jam was alright but it lacked sweetness. The raspberry, on the other hand, was too fruity. In the end, the strawberry jam exhibited the right balance of flavors. How I wish I could know the secret of the waffles and take home some of those berry jams as well.

Strawberry Farm

I always love visiting farms when I'm on tour. I'm able to get in touch with the nature of a foreign land. And when the climate is cold, it's fun to see crops that don't normally grow in tropical climates. That's why I was so excited when we visited a Strawberry Farm in Korea. I've seen strawberries before in the supermarkets but not in the form when they are still attached to the vine. Since it was the winter season, I thought that the fruits won't be available or at least I won't get to see the fat, red strawberries. It turns out that the Korean farmers use greenhouses. They were able to grow the berries in a controlled environment.

We were allowed to pick five pieces of strawberries each. But it was challenging since the greenhouses were muddy and slippery. It was also difficult searching for the fat, red ones since it is not the harvesting season. The strawberries were surprisingly sweet and they have a different texture. Unlike the other ones I have eaten, which were crunchy and firm, the Korean strawberries were soft and gelatinous. It felt like I was eating jelly. Maybe that's how fresh strawberries really taste like. Either that or the Korean variety of the fruit is really that fantastic.

The strange thing about the place is that I didn't see any farmers or workers managing the property. I only saw a farm cat surveying and supervising the area.

What Great Syrups Are Made Of

No reviews about chocolate drinks for today. I want to share something I saw at the supermarket. It's a box of red, luscious raspberries. That fruit is normally grown in countries with cold climates so obviously it is nowhere to be found in this tropical country. As an imported good, it carries a hefty price tag and it can be bought in A-market areas. I found this in a grocery in Makati City.

I love raspberry in its processed form like syrups, candies and fruit ice cream. The mildly sweet taste of this produce makes it a great additive or flavoring. The fruity essence of raspberry syrup complements the bitterness of drinks such as coffee and black tea. As for its raw fruit form I still have yet to try it, though. I bet it will pack a strong citrus taste, which is absent in its processed form.

I'm not entirely sure about the existence of raspberries grown in the Philippines. In Baguio, I saw a boxes of blueberries but they are only sold in small quantities. Probably the farmers there are in the verge of perfecting the cultivation of berries. Hopefully there will be locally-grown raspberries in the future instead of just strawberries. And speaking of strawberries, check out this box of fat suckers I found in the same grocery.