Podcast Interview @ Our Food Adventures. 

Another breakthrough and milestone I’ve faced this year, is this opportunity to be interviewed for a podcast!

I was first introduced to listening to a podcast way back 2016 when I get hooked to a certain Youtube video that talks about podcasting. From then on, I started to discover amazing podcast shows which I listen to whenever I am in transition such as riding a bus going somewhere or sometimes when I’m cooking. In fact, I have shared last year my top 5 favorite podcast here.

Never did I thought that I will – one day become a guest of a podcast! ha ha 😊 #HappyAndSurprisedMe

Earlier this April, I received in my inbox an email asking me to be a guest in their podcast. Tiarra and Chris from Our Food Adventure have started their podcast where they interview different people around the world sharing their foodie experience and travel tips. I happen to represent, 🇵🇭 Cebu Philippines! 

So without further a do, here’s the link to that interview!

 

INTERVIEW LINK HERE

In case you’re curious of the complete text interview, I have created the below script for you to be guided. 😊 

Listen on and please let me know your thoughts in the comment below!

God bless,

 

 

 

---

---

---

 

Disclaimer: I missed a few questions that I left them unanswered in the podcast,  
so I took the chance to write what I was supposed to say/answer in the below transcript. lol

 

Here are the questions! 🙂

Tell us about you and your blog. 

Well, let me start by introducing myself, my real name is Julie Mae Bacus – Chavez. Kayne came up because way back 2000 Yahoo messenger was a thing and for me to get an approved username, you need to have a unique name, JM, Julie, Julie Mae were all taken. So I coined that alias and added it o JM, thus JM Kayne was born which is my URL address as www.iamjmkayne.com.

My blog’s title is #InMyHeartJMKaynesBlog. It’s a personal blog that I started way back 2008 when I moved from Cebu to Abu Dhabi, UAE. Originally I used my blog to share personal experiences making it like an online diary.

But as time goes by, I’ve learned more about blogging and so I ventured into other topics like travel, food reviews, stories of life, family and faith, a few public service blog posts and just last year, I started receiving collaborations or sponsored blog posts. Overall, my blog is about the stories #inmyheart.

 

Filipino food:

How would you describe Filipino food to someone whos never tried it?

Filipino food is actually a fusion of many different cuisine… so a little of Spanish,Japanese and American foodie have influenced the food culture in the country..

Common dishes are meat, vegetables, grilled fishes and sea food, and a wide variety of soups and noodles. … Thus, Filipino food can be defined by its combination of sour, sweet, salty and spicy…sometimes all in the same dish.  

But if you are to ask a Filipino on what food is most popular, probably Adobo will be on the top list. It’s made of meat from pork and chicken to seafood braised in garlic, vinegar and soy sauce.

Is there a difference between Cebu local cuisines from other Philippine islands?

Well, Yes, basically Adobo for Cebuanos is dry, but for other parts of the country it has a little sauce. Then for all other recipes, we have our own little version that we tweak according to our tastebuds. Some cities use more sugar or some cuisine has coconut milk in its major recipes.

What one of your dish in Cebu everyone HAS to eat?

Lechon! It’s a must try. Have you heard of it?

It’s a pig dish, seasoned and cooked by skewering the entire pig in a pit filled with charcoal. It will be roasted on all sides for several hours making the pork skin crispy and a distinct feature of the dish.

If your’e familiar with Anthony Bourdain?  He actually tagged Cebu’s lechon as the best pig ever!

What is one dish that people should stay away from?

Nothing really. I can vouch that all food in the Philippines are really good.

Questions about traveling to Cebu for the first time:

Is there anything first-timer travelers should prepare for before leaving to Cebu?

I think the best you can do is just read about Cebu and get insights from different threads online.

Is there anything first-time travelers should bring to make traveling there easier?

Well, I don’t think there’s a specific item to bring – I guess Cebu has almost every thing you’d probably need – from groceries, to travel accessories  (unless its really native from your own country.) And personally I believed that as a traveller/tourist, one of the best way –  I could contribute to a city or place I am visiting to buy local. I’m not saying this because I am from Cebu but in general, whether you’re in the States, or some parts of Europe or Asia – we extend our blessings by helping the people and the tourism economy  of that city/country.

What are some misconceptions you’ve heard about Cebu?

I think some foreigners think that Cebu itself is a country.. probably because we have our own internationally airport that takes direct flights even without stopping over in Manila which is the capital of the Philippines.

Another one is that, Cebuanos  or Filipinos as a whole tend to deceive  foreigners when it comes to prices and taxi fares etc. But I can’t say its not true, but I’d say it’s a stereotype and that it doesn’t apply to all.

What would you recommend first-time travelers to do in Cebu?

Try to visit Cebu during January. It’s when Sinulog is held – the biggest festival celebrated around the city. There is street dance, some religious activities and a month full of looking back to history and faith. (Haven’t shared this exactly – but this is what I actually want to say)

What is something first-timers should avoid?

Avoid going around Carbon Market and Colon Street –it’s downtown proper – wearing expensive accessories made of gold and silver to avoid attracting bad people. I’m not saying it’s a dangerous place, but it’s just a caution to avoid untoward incidents. Over-all Colon street is a must see place too since it is the first and oldest street in the Philippines.

As a first-time traveler, what phrases should they know to communicate better with the locals?

Well, I’d like to teach you at least 5. You ready?

1. First is KUMUSTA – which is How are you?
2. SALAMAT – Thank you
3. TAG PILA – How much
4. ASA (ang) – Where (is)
5. AYO – AYO – Take care

*BONUS: BAI / BAY – Dude/girl (applicable for both man and woman.) 

>>> By the way, there is a follow-up question that Christ throw and I misunderstood the question. So please – – –  let me answer it here. So, he asked, if they use these words (above) will they answer us back to the same language or should we continue speaking English? 

Answer: After the above basic words you can go back to speaking English. Because it is the second official language of the Philippines, so communicating with the locals wont be difficult. 🙂

Why should people visit Cebu?

I can tell a lot of reasons why you must visit Cebu… but let me just say a few sentences why…

Cebu is tagged as one of the best islands in the world by Conde Nast traveller magazine. Immersed into this beautiful city that can offer you the best the from the sea, mountain and other natural resources. Filipinos are known for our hospitality, so it is a must visit not only with these site but most especially because of 3Cs – that’s Charming and Cool Cebuanos. (Haven’t mentioned this words during the interview, the questions I was a bit of everywhere ( lol hahah first timer moments) and so I was not able say it. But these words are exactly the reason why you should visit Cebu! 🙂

*Please be prepared to let us know:

3 specific restaurants/dishes that you loved

I have mentioned Adobo earlier and then Lechon – which is best paired by puso.

It’s a rice wrapped and boiled in a  diamond shared casing made of woven coconut leaves – usually called hanging rice.

And then in Cebu, I would definitely recommend visiting Larsian. It’s the barbeque haven in Cebu where you could eat our version of barbeque from meat and sea food and some chicken and pork innards. (intentines, gizzards, blood, chicken feet, pork ears and more)

2-3 things to do you enjoy doing there

My 3 MUST TRY/VISIT are:

1. Sto. Niño Church– it’s one of the oldest church in the country which will celebrate it’s 500^thyear on —
2. The white sand beaches either in Bantayan Island or going south to Moalboal or Osloband swim with the Whalesharks.
3. Finally, my favorite adventure is to do Canyoneering, where you chase waterfalls and jumps over canyoons and rivers.

 

Rapid fire questions:

What’s the best thing you ever ate?

– Tuppokki – I’m a big fan of Korean food! hahah

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?

– A dish in one of the restaurant we’ve visited in Maldives called Fried chicken but way too different from our concept of a fried chicken. 🙂

If you had to be a tour guide for one place in the world, where would you pick?

– Aside from Cebu, I’d like to be a tour guide in ITALY. Haven’t been there but its our next stop hopefully this year or early next year. I am amazed and in awe of its beauty and to be able to visit it especially Rome, is a dream come true.

If I were intimidated to travel to another country, how would you encourage me?

– Well, I’d simply tell you that experience is the best teacher. Whatever it is that intimidates you in visiting that place, will remain a misconception or stereotype to a certain group of people unless you experience it first hand. You will never know if this is true or not unless you faced it yourself. So go ahead, avoid what ifs, face your fears and explore!

 

---

Wanna visit CEBU but with limited time? Check out these 10 MUST visit sites.