In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I lost my online job, which I've had for many years. I was sad because it meant that bills won’t get paid and there wouldn’t be enough food on the table for my family. But despite what happened, I keep on praying and trusting that everything will be okay. Eventually, another opportunity came. Although it’s only on a part-time basis, I’m still thankful because I can buy groceries and pay bills. That’s the most important thing, right?
When December came, I’m quite worried because it’s my eldest daughter's birthday. I didn’t get to buy food for her celebration on the day itself (same with my youngest daughter’s birthday last November). Then, I received a text notification from someone in the middle of the night. I’m so happy and thankful! We can finally celebrate her birthday although we had it 2 days after.
Here is the food that we have for our simple birthday celebration:
Birthday Cake (Chocolate Moist)
Fried Chicken
This food is always present on every occasion. It’s a favorite! For the previous birthday celebrations of Kahlil (nephew) and Nicky (youngest daughter), I ordered from KK Korean Fried Chicken on foodpanda but this time, I prepped it with the batter that I made and Kahlil fried it!
Tteokbokki with Noodles (떡볶이)
It’s the favorite food of the birthday celebrant! This is always present whenever we celebrate my eldest daughter’s birthday. I ordered this one from Party Barn Korean Restaurant located at Tiano Bros. corner Hayes Streets. Want it delivered? They have a minimum order of Php500 plus the delivery fee. I struggled on this part because their delivery is until 5 pm only. So, I ordered via text message then I booked GrabExpress to pick up my order at a specific time that I want.
Here’s a little information about 떡볶이. Tteokbokki or stir-fried rice cakes is a popular Korean food made from small-sized garae-tteok (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called tteokmyeon (떡면; "rice cake noodles") or commonly tteokbokki-tteok (떡볶이 떡; "tteokbokki rice cakes"). Eomuk (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some common ingredients paired with tteokbokki in dishes. It can be seasoned with either spicy gochujang (chili paste) or non-spicy ganjang (soy sauce)-based sauce; the former being the most common form, while the latter is less common and sometimes called gungjung-tteokbokki (royal court tteokbokki). Today, there are many variations of tteokbokki. It is commonly purchased and eaten at bunsikjip (snack bars) as well as pojangmacha (street stalls). There are also dedicated restaurants for Tteokbokki. It is a popular home dish, as the rice cakes can be purchased in pre-packaged, semi-dehydrated form. (From Wikipedia)
Kimbap with Cheese (김밥)
I also ordered this from Party Barn. For those who’d like to try on Korean food, include this on the list too. There are different ingredients that one can try with kimbap.
Trivia:
김밥 is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and other ingredients that are rolled in kim—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices. The dish is often part of a packed meal (or dosirak), to be eaten at picnics and outdoor events, and can serve as a light lunch along with danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and kimchi. It is a popular take-out food in South Korea and abroad, and is known as a convenient food because of its portability. It is usually well wrapped (traditionally with aluminum foil, but now sometimes in paper) and does not have any liquid ingredients. (From Wikipedia)
Kimchi Jeon (a.k.a Korean Pizza)
It is my first time to order this food from Party Barn. Honestly, I don’t understand its taste maybe because one of the ingredients is kimchi? There’s some leftover in the refrigerator so I might heat it and taste it again. *wink wink*
I also tried to order fried dumplings (my favorite!) but it's currently unavailable. So this completes the December birthday food list. My youngest daughter who just turned 13 last month had a different birthday food list as well. Maybe I’ll share it with you soon. I hope you can try the Korean food and cake that we had. They’re from local businesses here in our city (#SupportLocal) thus, it’s a win-win situation for everyone!
Have a Merry Christmas, everyone! What about you? What is your birthday food list?