“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Unknown

I marvel at the sight of airplanes. These magnificent man-made creatures are what I consider one of the best inventions of mankind. Airplanes defy the natural order of things and allow us to transcend beyond to what we can only imagine. When you are up in the air at 35,000 feet, you get this sense of imaginary fantasy, like a feel-good movie about a journey yet to unfold. You are the star of that film and you can direct it according to your vision. What was once a fantasy or a luxury exploring a different city or immersing oneself to a different culture has now become conventional. On top of everything, an airplane evokes a sense of freedom, excitement and most importantly, curiosity.

Everyone, not just chefs, must maintain a sense of curiosity. Curiosity fuels the need to travel. Traveling makes one wiser and more appreciative of life. It inspires you to become better and progress. People that I know who are well-traveled tend to be content and fulfilled. They bestow the people around them indispensable wisdom that only stems from travel experiences- whether good or bad.

ONE SLEEPLESS NIGHT

Before my grandfather passed away, I remember having a conversation with him in the middle of a sleepless night. I got up and decided to grab a glass of water in the dining room. He must have heard me from his room and decided to come out and sit down for a chat. He started sharing the story of how he ended up arriving in the Philippines. At that time of sharing, he was 85 years old and could still remember the date and exact time of when his ship docked and took his first step on Philippine land. He continued on narrating his life back in China during the World War and how difficult it was back then. Tears flowing from his eyes, he recalls one very particular afternoon. He was in a class until suddenly the sirens started to go off, alerting the whole community of what was to be the start of a war with the Japanese.

It was very unfortunate for my grandfather to experience such a thing and had to travel only for the sole purpose of seeking asylum and start a new life. While on the other hand, our current generation have the blessing of traveling for the sake of pleasure. Some people nowadays have made a very successful business of traveling for a living. I’ve been to China several times and studied there for a few months and couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of the “old China” that he experienced compared to what I witnessed when I was there because the city of Xiamen, for example, where I used to study, is a bustling city full of life and development. Yes, of course, these were two different eras, I get it. But what I am getting at is, through his life experience, I get to appreciate what I have experienced traveling- that there is a comparison, and through that comparison, I can share with anybody for them to know that such a thing existed and how lucky we are living at this present moment.

TRAVELING MAKES YOU WISER

For an individual to take time off from work, to pack one’s clothes and get ready for a flight the next day is one of life’s most surreal and ecstatic moments. For the average joe who only travels two weeks out of a year, it becomes a sanctuary to reset and rewind. We all get fed up; we all get burnt out at some point. Traveling is the best medicine for the soul when you are at the very bottom. It creates this excitement that can be felt after you have convinced yourself that you are deserving to reap what you have sowed for the past year of working hard.

Throughout my career span, and I am speaking in general, I realized that in order for you to have persistence in whatever you do, you need to take a break and explore something new. When I was younger, I had two separate occasions where I did not work for a while. The first instance was for a year and the other one was for eight months. My younger self was so worried that I was wasting time not being in the kitchen working. Rather, I spent those free times traveling, meet new people, hosted private dinners, enjoyed trips with family and took cooking classes (yes, Greek cuisine to be exact). Looking back now, I realize that I was so fortunate to take those breaks in between. It created new experiences and knowledge that I still use today.

My recent trip to Xiamen, China is an example of gaining knowledge through traveling. It had been at least 7-10 years since my last visit to China to study. When I got back, I was so surprised that it has become a mega city. And the food, is out of this world. Most of the US is exposed to what we know as Cantonese Cuisine. 95% of Chinese restaurants in America serve Cantonese food or is inspired by it. Xiamen, on the other hand, threw a dazzling array of flavor combinations that I have never tasted anywhere else. One particular dish that I could not forget was a tomato dish with milk wrapped in a crispy shell. I couldn’t describe how divine was the first bite. It was so simple but so dumbfounding. There was also another dish where they served it in a clay pot. When you take off the lid, the aroma hugs your nose and in front of you is a piece of duck sitting on top of a bed of roasted garlic, abomination in a good way!

I also noticed that the way of living has drastically changed. What was once a provincial area has become a vibrant urban jungle full of life. Skyscrapers, efficient transit systems and modern infrastructure, everything caught me by surprise.

The dish that keeps on haunting me in my dreams

A long avenue full of shops and food stalls. Tons of great finds. I used to roam this area when I studied back in 2006. Night market vibes.

Never remembered those buildings before. They never stop building.

An angry samurai crab on display at a random supermarket

WISER, BY INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE

Imagine waking up the next morning in a different city or countryside, breathing local air, the sun kisses your skin differently and you notice that it feels nice in this part of the world, the weather may be a little cooler than what you’re used to, but that’s alright. A few steps away you can see a local farmers market and you start eating things that you have never had before, it puts a smile to your face, enjoying a specific type of wine that is being protected by that region and most importantly, you begin to observe how people interact.

There is a profound concept or idea in learning how other people interact with each other. For example, why do we value the Italians with their strong passion for cooking and all the things that they do? What’s so fascinating about how they even sometimes cry explaining how they love serving people and giving them a good time? We always see them kiss their fingers and throw their hands in the air, releasing that imaginative kiss towards their customers in the hopes that you get to feel how they feel. These are just mere observations, but it holds a strong connection and emotion to how we perceive them. So, the next time you see an Italian chef, just say the words “pizza” or “pasta” and let everything unfold to you like magic.

Being able to interact (effectively) with different types of people is a skill that is highly valued by companies. I always recall telling my cooks, especially those who are first time leaders in their departments, that each and every one has his/her own “wavelength”. This wavelength explains how you need to talk to them and treat them. If and if, you find that perfect pitch, then you can convince that person to follow you. For example, people who have 30 plus years of experience in their industry are very sensitive when it comes to pointing out their mistakes by a younger manager. They are defensive towards correction and can get easily upset when you correct them. You cannot argue too much with this type of people. They are only compliant if you talk in a soft tone, assuring them of their superior experience and convince them that you are going to take care of them if they comply.

On the other hand, young cooks who are starting out are more open to constructive criticism. They want to prove that they can make it and they are open to challenge. But you need to be careful not to go way overboard as they can give up easily as well. Being able to use the proper WORDS, TONE and INTENTION when talking to somebody is a skill that gets better and better the more you get exposed to different scenarios.

As a leader in your field, your effectiveness is weighed by how you are able to bring individuals from different walks of life and unify them to create and achieve a common goal. What better way to get to know how deal with different ethnicities other than by traveling?

TRAVELING (OR MIGRATING) MAKES YOU APPRECIATE LIFE

I come from a developing country. As an immigrant who have seen two different sides of the world makes me appreciate life, the little things, to be exact. For me to experience a comfortable life right now, without experiencing black outs, water supply issues or traveling inconveniences, is already a blessing. I can eat more than 2 meals a day if I choose to, I can go the beach within 10 minutes if I want to bathe in the sun. Life has been good, and I look at it as a whole package- the struggle and the triumphs. Some people don’t even leave their hometown and not have a single clue on what’s out there. They don’t have a basis on how blessed they are, because they haven’t experience anything to compare their life with. Once you allow yourself to explore places and learn a different walk of life, then you will start appreciating. Let me share a story.

JUST AN ORDINARY RAIN

It was raining that day. My mom, my sister and I were ready to head out for school in the morning. It was about 8:00am and we were stuck in traffic, typical Manila. 20 minutes passed and the local radio started announcing the suspension of classes due to bad weather. We decided to turn around and go back home. When we got to the entrance of our village, I noticed that the water level was starting to rise, probably 6 inches. Then came the afternoon, the water entered the house and we started to bring all of our things to the 2nd floor. We got help from my dad’s construction workers. They wrapped a rope around our fridge so that it would not open up. The evening came and the water was already 5 feet deep. I remember sending our construction workers on their way home and they were struggling to stand firmly because of the gush of the water. Our entire village got flooded and surrounding areas within a 5-mile radius, give or take. Our cars were nowhere to be seen, no electricity and at 10:00pm, water was 11 feet deep.

The next day, the water receded a little bit, my father asked me to buy some groceries and medicine for the wound on his foot. I took the stairway and slowly allowed myself to get wet from the mirky water bit by bit, chest level. I opened our gate and walked half a mile to get to the pharmacy. Along the way, rubber boats passed by, cars abandoned in the middle of the road. The more I get closer to the main entrance of our village, the more the water subsided. When I got to the pharmacy, I had to fall in line and give a small sticky note of what I had to buy, they won’t let anybody in. Across the street, there was a truck of a famous bread company selling their goods and I fell in line to buy a loaf or two. I had to carry all the stuff over my head throughout my trip back home.

September 2009, Typhoon Ketsana or locally known as Ondoy. 921 fatalities, 37 missing.

Amidst of it all, we were happy, smiling, making jokes and making fun of our demise. That’s the typical Filipino spirit. Despite the poverty and suffering, we Filipinos appreciate life like no one else. Go pay a visit to see what I’m talking about. Going back to my point, ever since I moved here, I haven’t had a single catastrophe in my life that can compete with what I have experienced. I am grateful for that.

APPRECIATING A CONVENIENT LIFE

When I first came here in America, I was astonished by how accessible things are. A typical American grocery isle will have frozen goods from pizzas to desserts ready for you to grab, for example. You just pop something in the oven or microwave and dinner in minutes. Need to buy something that you can’t find in stores? Type it on Amazon or Ebay, it’s that simple. The US road system is highly efficient and eliminates traffic for the most part (I’m sorry LA, you’re the exception) while in the Philippines, we only have freeway for certain parts of the city. During prime time, a one-mile travel can take you 2-3 hours and I am not joking! Hong Kong’s subway system is proven to be one of the best in the world. It transports millions of people in minutes to keep society running normally. So does Singapore’s. Back home, our rail system always malfunctions, and you find yourself late for something or stuck in the station with nowhere to go.

APPRECIATING LIFE THROUGH HISTORY

You will never appreciate a masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci until you stand in front of it, face to face. Let alone, start crying once you see the marvel of St. Peter’s Basilica until you stand inside the dome and feel how tiny you are compared to the sculptures. Or yet, take a ride down the DMZ in south Korea and just touch the stone walls and feel the history that runs through it. When people learn more about history, we learn more of where we come from. When was the last time you found yourself surprised that parmesan cheese is made in a certain way that dated back eons ago? How about the time when you found out about how your ancestors traveled to a certain land because the museum is currently showcasing the African diaspora in a different country other than your own? What were the tools and methods that were used to make bread back in the Renaissance period that you found in a European museum?

You take an interest on something and begin to learn. You might be an art connoisseur and through the works of the greats, you understand where modern art is coming from. An experience that struck me was when I first walked on cobble stones. I was dragging my two fifty-pound luggage and hated every second of it. But there was a sense of appreciation of history by walking. You can only imagine what goes through the streets of Florence back in the days. There is a sense of fulfillment sometimes when you deal with old world living. The rawness and manual labor of doing something by using your bare hands, stepping on grapes for wine making, learning from a different era, it rejuvenates you from the inside. Traveling to the US is all about ease and comfort. Traveling to Europe seems like a pilgrimage. Traveling to Asia is a different animal I can’t explain.

TRAVEL TO BE INSPIRED, BECAUSE IT ONLY TAKES ONE TO CHANGE EVERYTHING

Our most recent trip to Europe was something that I would never forget. It was my first time and I have been dying to see the other side of the world. The itinerary comprised of Spain, Italy and France. Each country had something different to showcase, but, Florence, the city that I never expected to fall in love with, took my heart away. I am all about French. I continue to love everything French, I don’t even fancy Italian food to begin with (before). But once we set foot and started exploring the city, I began to understand why people fall in love with this city. Florence is deeply rooted in history, the whole town is accessible by train or by foot, the people are very, very accommodating and lastly, the food… The food got me standing from my chair to raise my hands to the air and shout, “Hallelujah!”.

Our first meal and dinner in Florence was ecstatic. We were all tired from the travel. Mind you, we flew from Miami to Barcelona and from Barcelona to Tuscany and from there, we headed to Florence. The name of the restaurant Osteria Cinghiale Bianco, which translates to “White Boar”, was a spot that got recommended by a friend of my father-in-law. It did not disappoint. They sat us and we started ordering like there was no tomorrow. My eyes lit up the moment the server started pouring red wine that he just opened. The first sip felt like an angel coming down from heaven, wrapping you in its arms & wings and whispering to your ear, “You are exactly where you should be right now, go ahead and enjoy your hard work.” And from there, the “show’ started. Dishes coming out, some were familiar, some were new to us, but everything was executed very well. I was dumbfounded, speechless-while eyes-closed, savoring all the flavors by rubbing my tongue against the ceiling of my mouth. I did not expect this to be so damn good.

But the highlight of our entire Florence gastronomic experience was the Bistecca Fiorentina. To shed a light to everyone who is not familiar, Bistecca Fiorentina is the pride of Florence, mainly, a large porterhouse steak. A porterhouse steak is a cut of beef which consists of two different cuts of meat married into one, the tenderloin and strip loin. You can order by the pound, grilled to a rare or medium rare, then sliced up on the table with no sauce, just olive oil. Italy raises a very particular variety of cattle for the Bistecca, one that seems to taste light and less minerally in flavor, unlike the US counterpart. We went to a restaurant called Camillio Trattoria, another recommendation by our friend. It is a very dated restaurant decorated with old Italian ornaments. This restaurant used to be a small church or village light house that got renovated into what it is now.

Upon arriving, we were greeted warmly by everyone. Our server was a lad from UK, guided us through the menu and announced the following words that got my heart pounding, “We just received white truffles.” Those words… white truffles, resonated like a megaphone. I didn’t remember what he was saying after those words came out. We found ourselves ordering fried zucchini blossoms, porcini mushroom omelette, white truffle pasta and the Bistecca to name a few. I remember arguing with the server as he was saying that we should get six pounds of the Bistecca, “It will not be enough for everybody.”, he said. I countered by saying, “That seems too much”.

“Trust me, it will not be enough.” Jesus take the wheel.

And so, it began. Our meal started with of course, a bottle of red and the rest followed. Bread was fantastic, the porcini mushroom omelette was crazy good. Imagine, small slices of porcini mushrooms and beaten eggs, that’s all there is but was done perfectly. The truffle pasta came, and we had to ration an order equally. We only had one bite to savor and boy, that was the slowest bite that I have ever taken in my entire life. I had my eyes closed, while thinking about the process of doing that dish from start to finish.

It starts off with a sweaty Italian chef, cracking an egg on top of 00 flour and fine semolina. Then with the gift of his hands, he then carefully kneads the dough and lets it rest. They probably used a pasta machine to achieve the perfect shape, portioned them out and started boiling water. Somewhere in Italy, a truffle farmer’s pig or dog is having the time of its life getting kinky hunting for truffles. Pigs sniff the ground for truffles because to them, it is an aphrodisiac. What a good job to have. Once they expose the truffles from the ground, the farmer picks them up and they move on to the next spot. Those truffles that got picked today must have arrived at Cammillo. And now, I’m taking a bite of it.

And then, the main dish arrived. Our server was walking towards us with the Bistecca on hand. When he laid it on the table, my eyes opened wide. He started slicing the steak into pieces and we all reached out with our fork. I took the bite and wondered how something that seems so heavy and filling feels so light, like tuna? I really felt like we were eating tuna. I was comparing the beef here in America to what I was having in front of me at that time. The steak in America is good but it has an irony taste, and you feel bloated after consumption. On the other hand, Italy does not endorse how much marbling there is in their cattle but for some divine intervention, some spiritual entity decided to make it tender and delicious. That’s the reason why the server was telling us to get more. You don’t feel it in your stomach. The steak didn’t last long on the table. It was gone in minutes and that set the benchmark for what a good steak is.

half way through on our porterhouse steak

This most recent trip inspired everybody in our group to look forward to the next one. We got inspired to work hard, save up and count the days on when the next trip is going to be. As the time of writing, my wife and I just booked a Paris trip with a day or two spent in Madrid. We have been working hard for a whole year and got a couple of promotions. Now, the fields are green, we look forward to harvesting the rewards of our labor.

TRAVELING MAKES YOU PROGESS IN LIFE

Like I said, having a sense of curiosity inspires you. And by maintaining a life full of inspiration creates a better version of yourself. Always ask yourself, “What’s on the other side of the world?” Most importantly, “execute” that question, go travel to see what answers lie ahead of you. Feel and see the answers, not just read them. Manifest that you are going to be a well- traveled individual that will learn from other people’s experience.

To end this long article, I hope these words instill a sense of journey to anyone who reads it. I have been a better person through my travel experiences, and I can’t seem to get enough of it. I have been a better chef because I get to venture to a certain country and taste the source, get to taste good wine along the way and enjoy it with good company. I already see myself retiring in Tuscany where I will host dinners with my neighbors. These people are going appreciate and learn from me by tasting the food that I prepare. And every time I see an airplane in the sky passing over by my vineyard, while drinking a red, I will always remember peeking through the airplane window, thanking my younger self for having a sense of curiosity.

The Importance of Traveling

My Story Part 3-San Diego

My Story Part 2-Hong Kong