Meeting Baby Ruth

The best sweet and sour pork that I've tasted .

Eight Wonders chicken

Inside the Eight Wonders Chicken

Shrimp stuffed sea cucumber

Last friday started out as any regular day . I did my errands , got busy at Baby Cakes, etc, etc, . I had no clue that this day would turn out to be a very interesting day afterall. You see , this was the day when I came face to face with a true blue "foodie" . I know several people who love food and who cook well , my mom included . However, nobody I know comes close to Baby Ruth . Yep , like the candy which incidentally was my favorite when I was growing up ( my preference in chocolate has since moved on to the more sophisticated kind , wink ,wink ! ). Baby Ruth was introduced to me by a good friend , she was here in Davao to take part in the Kadayawan festival and interview a local personality who is spearheading a very noble coffee project . She was introduced to me as a contributor for Mabuhay magazine , the in - flight magazine of Philippine Airlines . I would soon discover that she is much more than that .We talked for a while , she tried some of our pastries and a few minutes later ,my sis-in-law and I found ourselves being invited to join her for dinner at the Lotus Court of the Marco Polo hotel . I wasn't so sure that the invitation was sincere cuz hey , it's not everyday when you get invited by a new acquaintance to anywhere . However , she insisted and we just could't resist her easy , open , friendly manner so we accepted and agreed to meet at 7pm . A few hours later I found myself at Lotus Court face to face with a delectable plate of sweet jellyfish , thin almost fatless roasted pork skin , Asado pork and some other thing I couldn't remember the name of . I dimly recall Baby Ruth telling us that the jellyfish was nicely done and that it was as good as the other's that she's tasted in Chinese resaturants in Manila . I could only nod at this commentary and roll my eyes as soon as the jellyfish hit my tongue . What the ? UHMMMM ! THIS WAS REALLY GOOD !!! I had to stop myself from attacking the rest of the jellyfish which was a good thing too cuz after the appetizer came the soup then the salted fish fried rice then my head just went on a tailspin as I lost track of the food that kept on coming to our table non- stop ! How will the five of us ever finish all these food ?! I shrugged my shoulders and continued eating SLOWLY , marvelling at the dishes that Baby Ruth ordered . Apart from the sweet and sour pork and the dessert , these were dishes that I would normally have considered too exotic for my taste . Boy have I been missing a lot ! All throughout dinner , Baby Ruth was entertaining us with stories about food . How that particular dish was prepared , how this particular dish was supposed to be prepared , where to have the best Hainanese Chicken rice , the best tofu , her countless experiences with food and everything that is connected to food . It was like I was transported to another world . A world populated by people who are passionate about food . A world where only the best food with the best ingredients exist . I would often wonder what good food tastes like for chef's like Anthony Bourdain or Tom Colicchio . I now have a pretty good idea . I listened on while Baby Ruth talked to Chef Gary ( the Lotus Court chef who is also her friend ) giving him insightful and sincere feedback about the different dishes in front of us . There was nothing put on or mean or condescending about her when she gives her opinion on a particular dish . You can sense that her comments are intelligent , developed only by a person who is truly passionate about food and wants to share this with others . My digestive system would attest to the fact that it was THE best meal that I have ever had at the LOTUS COURT . I would sometimes have lunch there with my husband but we normally limit ourselves to ordering Dimsum since we are fans of what is familiar and we seldom venture into the unknown .... culinary wise . This meal was a pleasant surprise , it was like Christmas were I would open box after box of presents and the next is always better than the previous one . THE BEST GIFT that night however was Baby Ruth . Her gift of friendship and camaraderie is indeed more precious than any rare spice available in the far reaches of the Orient . If I have to think of only one word to describe her , it would be GENEROUS . She is super generous with her time , her knowledge , her contagious laughter , her friendship ...... herself . It was nice meeting you Baby Ruth ! I'm glad to have made your acquaintance , looking forward to Sept. 2 ! :)