(SPOT.ph) Food is personal—so it’s only natural that we all have our own preferences in what and how we eat. Some of us like cheese on our burgers; others have fries without ketchup. Balut is heavenly for some but an abomination for others. Some of us have food cravings that might be considered out of left field: chocolate and potato chips, peanut butter on burgers, or even instant noodles with mayonnaise. You can call these ideas “weird”—or you can celebrate them for what they are, which is exactly what Gochu-Gang’s Chef Patrick Go set out to do when he created the Facebook group, AKO LANG BA??. It currently has over 600 members, ranging from food lovers to home cooks to chefs and other folks of the local food industry—not bad for a public group that was put up on April 11.
Go was inspired to create the group following a debate regarding pineapple on pizza. “[AKO LANG BA??] actually started with that undying issue that Hawaiian [or] pineapple pizza shouldn't exist. A lot of people apparently hated the thing. But personally, I love eating it,” he shares. Aside from pineapple on pizza, some of his other quirks are eating french fries with ice cream, eating soup broth with rice, and waiting for ice cream to melt slightly before eating it.
“That made me think, what other unique food combinations and eating habits do people do? That's why I decided to make a group that could be a platform for these ideas.” He got the group name from the very question he asks other people when talking about their unique eating habits.
He started with adding his own close friends to the group, but was surprised when more people began following the group. It started growing day by day, with members posting and commenting on other people’s contributions. The group rules are simple: members should respect each other’s posts, with “no bashing please.” “Don’t be shy; have fun!” reads the next rule. “Good vibes only,” the next rule goes; violators are to be kicked and banned from the group. Finally, no selling is allowed. “This group is all about sharing ideas, insights, and personal favorites!”
There’s a wide range of posts for sure—some talk about weird combos; others discuss popular eats they hate or not-so-popular treats they like; and so on. No quirks or combinations (assuming we’re staying in legal territory here, of course) are too weird or too wacky. Some members will jokingly comment along the lines of “WHAT” or “for real?!” only to say they’ll try it for themselves, too. It’s all in good fun, after all.
But what’s especially great about AKO LANG BA?? is the sense of community it fosters and welcoming nature of the members. The motto of the group is that “you are not alone”—and true enough, chances are, you’ll find fellow enthusiasts in whatever eating habits you’re into. Or even if you are alone in your food quirk in a literal sense, you’ll at least be embraced and accepted by this food-loving community.
For more information, check out the AKO LANG BA?? Facebook group.
this strange new world.
