I try to start my day with only positive thoughts, but there are just some things that really get on my nerves. I heard that my friends who are filming today were fed instant noodles for lunch. Who in their right mind would feed their talents instant noodles, with all the delicious food and the great restaurants available here in Manila? That’s just awful. It makes us look bad… and to think that Filipinos are known to be food lovers and great cooks.

This is not to say that instant noodles are evil in themselves. I usually eat instant myself when I feel too lazy to cook. When I was a kid, I’d always tell my mom to feed me instant noodles for breakfast. But because we need to eat healthy and nutritious food, my mom only allowed us to eat it thrice a month at most, or only when we’re super craving for it.

Now, my instant noodle is not so instant anymore. I often find myself tinkering with it rather than cook it the usual way. At first, putting on eggs would be a treat already. Sometimes, I try to keep the yolk intact like a sunny side up and then break it while eating. You’ll see the soup will turn yellowish because of the yolk’s color. When I’m feeding other people (not guests) and I’m in a hurry, I sometimes scramble the egg. When we’re busy with overtime work and we get hungry in the middle of the night, I just cook instant noodles for them and add vegetables in it, nothing too fancy, just some carrots, celery and if you have cabbage, then that’s it. And don’t forget the eggs 🙂 The hot soup plus the veggies will wake us up and rev up our brains.

Another twist is to spice it up. I love spicy food! I’m a fan of kimchi and I always keep a bottle of kimchi with me in the fridge. I learned from my Korean friends that they add kimchi in their instant noodles. At first I thought it was weird because kimchi has a sour taste to it. But when I tried it, I fell in love with it! The sourness of the kimchi doesn’t overpower the saltiness of the instant noodles. I use the chicken instant noodle kind with my kimchi, since the beef’s broth is too dark and it looks dirty with the red specks from the kimchi. But for my staple instant noodle creation, regardless whether it’s pork, chicken or beef, I add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and an egg. That’s it, nothing more. I know it’ll be spicy, but when you drink the hot soup, your face turns red and you start to sweat. I love that feeling it gives me.

I know that I shouldn’t get mad with that producer for feeding my friends instant noodles. But for pete’s sake, if they can’t afford to give them a decent meal, they should’ve just told me. I could’ve cooked for them, free of charge. Besides, what are friends for? 🙂

This post was written by Rita Salonga.