#misterdonut

Who wouldn't remember the ultimate pasalubong ng bayan? Mister Donut—It has been a way for some Filipinos to take home something special for their family, and for me, It has always been significant.

Growing up, I remember I always found joy in waiting for my family to go home, not just because of the excitement of being together after a long day of not seeing each other, but the joy of receiving sweet treats or remembrances from them. I remember my mom always bought me a donut whenever she went to the market. I am a child who had a sweet tooth and a stomach for sweets. I just love indulging in enticing types of foods like I have this special thing or relationship with pastries and other sweet beverages, and one of them is my relationship with coffee. I don’t know, eating and drinking this type of food makes me more alive, more active, and stimulated; it makes my appetite colorful in ways I get to taste and share the stories I've eaten through the long run of exploring and finding different foods.

It's always been a culture for every Filipino to savor the food they ate; it's always been important for us to serve our food well, savory, and tasteful. Filipinos are known for being famous in making savory and delicious desserts and dishes; we love using different condiments or flavors to give colors to the food we serve. And as Filipinos, we are known as someone who is very creative in making traditional dishes and ingenious in resourcefulness in making food that resembles our origins. We are known as pioneers in using local ingredients like calamansi, coconut, and vinegar, with notable innovations including banana ketchup and Soyalac. Which led to different iconic Filipino desserts such as halo-halo, leche flan, turon, biko, bibingka, and etc. And for me, Mister Donut is one of the many local Filipino foods I declare that makes a huge difference and impactful to some Filipinos through its flavorful sweetness and dessertful quality it gives to people.

As a kid who grew up in a place where we are near to bayan or the palengke (public market), I remember I always made bilin (request) to my mom to buy me a donut. It has always been a part of my childhood. I remember how I loved this specific flavor and shape of the donut in Mister Donut—the 8 long one, it looks like a twisted donut, and it has chocolate and marshmallow above as toppings. Before then, it was my favorite because of its chocolaty flavor and the moist it gives to your tongue when you bite it, and there's a little bit of powder that leaves in your mouth that balances the sweetness of the flavor and the saltiness of the bread.

And as time goes by, it is true that even our own taste in foods will change eventually and constantly, just as how we people change in this world. Our taste in food outgrows the same way we outgrow something we love, but it leaves a lasting impact and stories within us—just like the twisted donut that I chose more than anything else in that store. But today, as I realized eventually, what I've been hating for so long was the Bavarian flavor—the one with custard-like filling inside and powdery sugar outside that balances the saltiness, sweetness, and softness of the bread. And when you bite it, it leaves a melt-in-your-mouth feeling because of the Bavarian cream inside the dough.

And as I bring back the memories, I realize how I have grown to love now the things I didn't choose before—any flavors I have eaten in Mister Donut. I got to choose and discover another flavor that will give another story in my living. And so when Alex gave me new ones, the Choco Butternut and the Bavarian Strawberry Munchkins donuts, it gave me a new perspective, broad once, not just about the food but the story and memory behind it. It gives me more variant flavors and tastes of life and stories to tell, not just the taste of the donut that she gave with a little bit of sourness because of the filling, which is the strawberry that adds flavor to the dough, and the powder sugar that balances the sweetness, sourness, and the softness of the dough that leaves a wonderful feeling for you.

The same way it does to Choco Butternut—it tastes like a peanut-chocolate mixture with a nutty feeling while you bite; it balances the chocolate cocoa and the sweetness; it gives a flavor of soft-nutty and chocolaty delight but the story of receiving these food, the thought of someone was there to think of you, to be chosen above all and to be given the food they love.

It's been important to me, to be recognized not just for being me but the whole essence of the things that I loved, and that’s what we call “little things.” Little things are not just a thing for me but a momentum of every dish, place, story, and people I have loved. These foods may have been typical and common but it makes history and a testimony of something you once have been, and who you have been.

And for me, it has always been important to hear and understand the story behind the culture, tradition, and the identity of one's sentiments, preferences, and patterns of the people I've encountered and I’ve loved.

As someone whose love language is gift giving, it's always been important and fulfilling to my soul, heart, and mind to share the things I love, the things that make my heart flutter, and the places I wanted to experience with them and give a bite to the foods I love to share the same joy of eating—it's like giving a piece of my heart and a piece of me to the people I love, to share those personal things.

The unexplainable feeling of life and love, invisible strings, the connectivity of each one another. It's like sharing a piece of soul, a key to every person's heart.