Twenty-five years!

Give or take two or three years, we could count more than two decades writing this column. First, allow us to greet the STARweek editor, her staff, and everyone involved in its production, happy 25th anniversary! It is a feather in their cap that the weekly has been going strong all these years and if feedback would be a gauge of readers’ reactions to it week after week, we could say the magazine has been well accepted.

Our early beginning. A friend, the late Lydia Santos, the advertising executive then of The Philippine STAR, was a lunch buddy. She was always full of ideas. One of these was to have a column that would help women in their daily kitchen chores, encompassing the search for food items (quality and price-wise), providing info on suppliers and outlets (including wet markets), and occasionally sharing recipes. She looked at me that day and “In My Basket” was born.

The Schedule. We have always done the palengke and supermarket rounds for the family. In fact, we would stock the ref when we would be away for a trip, leaving a list of food to be served while we were away. When we started writing this, with a deadline of two weeks set, we needed a schedule to follow.Tuesdays and Saturdays they were until, lately, when it was changed to Wednesdays and Thursdays. In between are visits to restaurants which, if worth a mention, we would write about.

For years we have kept this pace. Naging tunay na laman kami ng palengke, maputik man o malinis (We have become regular fixtures in markets, muddy or clean). The super/hyper markets were always a pleasure to visit.

What has the column done for us? It has enlarged the food horizon that we originally had. We have become insatiable in our search for materials – in the big city, in the provinces, and in foreign countries where our travels have brought us.

We learned a lot from the food industry people we have met, some even becoming personal friends. We have become conscious of every single peso we spend. Most of all, it has encouraged us to expand our recipe list and concoct new dishes, in the course inspiring us to write two bestsellers, “In My Basket – the Cook Book” and “In My Basket, Travel and Recollections.” Both have received awards.

Have we been of service? We would think so, judging from the positive feedback we get every week. Our readers have been generous with their compliments. Some have aired their shopping experiences, good and bad. Of the latter, a wake-up call to those concerned has always been done. Eventually the problem would be resolved. And the readers would be thankful.

Positive reaction would also be relayed. We have become a reference medium for those who love to cook. We have included in our nearly 200 cookbooks, a couple of culinary encyclopedia to better reply to queries from our readers. We learn from our readers as well. We will continue to expect their feedback.

After more than two decades, we are still inspired. We wish STARweek more than 25 years more, with us being part of it. Let’s carry on!

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