MEDIUM RARE

As a restaurateur who cooks and invents her own dishes, Sandee Masigan is also a food stylist who knows how the camera can glamourize a dish’s visual appeal; more importantly, she’s well aware of the urgent need to minimize food wastage. First on her list of to-do’s that have become as automatic as a kneejerk is the rule to immediately wrap up any and all the food that’s left uneaten. Wrap it up for the customer who has paid for it, no need for them to waste their money.

In addition, Sandee’s doggie bags come in brown paper, no plastic.

Better late than never, but Sandee’s kitchen staff at XO, the restaurant that serves traditional and heritage Filipino cuisine, are learning the value of not expecting 100 percent perfection in every leaf and vegetable or fruit. For example, does the banana peel show a few brown spots? Answer: No problem, the customer doesn’t have to be shown the not-so-flawless skin, does he? What to do if the veggie is beginning to show its age, i.e., it’s a few hours past its prime? Answer: Pick off the offending part and let the rest of the leaf, still fresh-looking and green, speak for itself.

Food wastage is a painful irony in a country where millions do not have enough to eat, three times a day. In a city where thousands of restaurants, cafes, and canteens cater to a population who eat three major meals a day plus two snacks in-between, the law sees to it that donations of leftover food to orphanages and similar institutions are not allowed, in the interest of public health and safety. On the other hand, in restaurants offering smorgasbord meals, waiters are conscious of how much food is left on the plates: 20 percent or more.

With food prices jumping like newly caught fish trying to escape the net, restaurants will be forced to cut down on the quality and quantity of their ingredients. We’ll also be spending more to eat out. Can our chefs afford to cut out costly ingredients like watercress, coriander and other exotic spices, even when their scent and flavor are essential to a dish? Why, even the humble chili pepper now costs ₱650 a kilo!