Why do Pinoys always Instagram their food?

You'd definitely know it's lunch or dinner time the moment your wall fills up with people posting their food. Instagram and food is love and hate relationship. While Americans have steak & fries as breakfast, we have our counterpart with good ole' tapsilog. Yet rarely we see them posting their food on an everyday basis as opposed to some of us. I must admit that at time I'd like to post my food for various reasons such as me having it for the first time, it's one of my favorite food or places to go to, massive and it's helluva expensive. But then again i'd stop myself coz' I don't wanna be "nang-iinggit". People are people and they may be posting their food for other reasons but still it's better to share it with a friend than online.  And yes don't eat that banana with mad stares at another person. So what does qualify to be food porn worthy? Here is my list:

1. SIZE. The average height of a Filipino is 5'6" and the average Filipina is 5'3 and a half with that in mind our staple food is rice. So if you can gobble down any food a la Epic Meal time without rice then be my guest post all that you can. While you're at it, beat the challenges of Zark's jawbreaker and Ristra's Jumbo Burrito.

2. COST. If you're having a fillet minion for breakfast, truffle mushrooms for lunch and foie gras for dinner then by all means yes. But if you're posting that Magnum altogether with that wrapper and stick then shut up eat your ice cream before it melts. There's a thin line between ballin' and being a social climber. And yes posting your Starbucks frappe with your name on it with the so-called stolen shot is one big epic fail.

3. BALIKBAYAN. If you're missing that home cooked meal that your mom used to make or simply craving for a Jollibee chickenjoy then it's pretty understandable why you have the urge to post a photo. Most pinoy tourists post their food and it's justifiable why.

4. PROMOTIONS. The best thing about social media is that folks like me working for a food biz such as restaurants, bars and superclubs gets to advertise for free. The best thing is your facebook friends is your target market. One of the best bar chows I tried is Excess Superclub's panga ng tuna and Izumi Sake Bar's Soy Chicken burger on rice with mushrooms in japanese curry.

5. FIRST TIME COOK. The most exciting part of cooking is when you go to the palengke or supermarket to buy all the ingredients. Next is prepping a complicated dish like kare-kare or kambing papaitan. So please spare us the chicken adobo and worst yet that tuyo or lucky me pancit canton.

6. MAD KITCHEN SCIENTIST. If you're like me and Iks who loves to experiment with food then by all means post galore! It can be that leftover that you repaired or a food combination like my kaldereta spaghetti or Iks' bacon log madness.

7. EXPERIENCE. Nothing beats eating out with family or friends especially when it's your first time to be there. Yes you may post those Al Capone doughnuts. Once is ok, twice is fine but thrice is exxageration. It's only here in the P.I. that J. Co is overhyped with super long lines and most recently that In N Out Burger.

8. YOU GOT SERVED. Aside from size, what makes a food pic worthy is the quantity that you consume. Viking's and Buffet 101 is buffet heaven. Better yet head out to Dampa sa Cubao as they have paluto after you scout the market's fresh seafoods. Buttered Garlic Shrimp is a best seller,

9. GOOD BANG FOR THE BUCK. Not all tapsilog are made the same. Paying a higher priced food doesn't make it better tasting. Who the hell would say no to a girl when she asks you to have SEx? Sinangag Express!!! Need i explain more?

10. 7,107 ISLANDS. Hide tide or low tide it doesn't matter. Every region has a version of a certain dish. Bacolod's chicken inasal, Batangas Bulalo and Vigan longganisa are just to name a few. But if you're like me who's stuck in the metro then you need not to go further as you can go to R & J's Bulalohan and JT's Manukan owned by Joel Torre himself has the best tasting chicken inasal compared to the commercial ones.

11. HOLE IN THE WALL. Food spots near your house or a spot the you would go out of your way just to eat there. Places where not everybody knows yet you have to be in the loop to know. Kanto Breakfast and Chekwa are the hole in the wall spots with their specialty of bacon and sizzling steak respectively.

The truth is every food we've tasted, cooked or bought makes us wanna post it immediately. Even checking in to the places that we go. I'm not saying that it's  bad or wrong to post pics of your food but moderation and interest is the key. After all, nobody wants their feed to be flooded with someone's chilidog from 711 as lunch. Don't get me wrong, i love everyday confort food but posting something that is affordable and accessible to buy is overkill. Think of GMs or group messages, a message that doesn't concern you and certainly don't give a damn about who sent that text on how many school projects she has, how many rides she had just to go to Trinoma and finally how tired she is coming home. Food instagram truly has evolved from this. Abundance of repetitive food photos are downright annoying and irritating. They say think before you click but I say Think before you pic. Just like what people say "39ers na nga kinain mo ininstagram mo pa!". 

checkin' in your residence and posting your ulam

Seafood Island's boodle feast

some girl's Jabi breakfast

Dampa sa cubao's 1 kilo buttered garlic shrimp, half kilo baked tahong, 1 kilo panga ng tuna, 1 kilo steamed oysters and yang chow fried rice for only 1300 ++ pesos. inclusive of actual market price and paluto 

some girl's breakfast tuyo and hotdog

Yuki's instaho

Iks' bacon log madness

Kung Fu Kitchen's dimsum all you can. 250 per head with bottomless drink

Kanto Breakfast's eat all you can. Bacon!!!

Pat-pat's Kansi 1 foot long bulalo

Izumi Sake Bar's Soy Chicken Burger in Japanese curry

*The author is not affiliated with the products and establishments mentioned except for Izumi Sake Bar in Burgos Circle, The Fort.