(Chicago) – Given a choice between 2 restaurants serving the same type of food and with prices in the same range but one is buffet and the other is not, I know for a fact that I will select the buffet. This is not just me. I know many other Pinoys will make the same choice. What’s with buffets and Filipinos? Are we just naturally voracious eaters- in short, “matakaw” or in brutal terms, “masiba”? Well, I’m guilty, I admit.
When my appetite is switched to “masiba” mode and the illusions of my surroundings look like crabs and fish, it only means one thing: Todai. It’s about an hour drive away from where I live but who cares, I will travel for the sake of sweet snow crabs, buttered king crabs and melt-in-your-mouth sashimi. Fresh and abundant seafood for a reasonable price, I’m all for it. And the most surprising thing, Pinoys are never absent in Todai. I’ve been here countless times and every single visit, Pinoys are well represented in this seafood extravaganza.
I would reason out that my love for buffet is because I get more bang for my bucks or my need for more options or for some other b*sh*t reasons. The truth is, I just feel happy being surrounded and overwhelmed by tables and tables of food. And to be able to taste each food when there’s a hundred of options around me brings me to a state of euphoria. At times, it feels more like an achievement. The more food, the merrier.
Buffets rock! Todai rocks!
- Buttery salmon sashimi, just melts in the mouth
- A lot of dessert options but I stay away from this. My focus is on crabs and sashimi
- Fresh tuna and it doesn’t taste like lead.
- My usual first plate out of 5-6 more.
