Cycle 5 – Item 65
11 (Tue) March 2014
Mixed Grilled Plate
3.0
from Shawarma Snack Center
in my office
-Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines-
solo
This is a busy week for the the Division of Building Healthy Communities and Populations (DHP). Concurrently, we’re hosting three consultations on the following issues: (1) preventable blindness, (2) workers’ health, and (3) electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Not planned that way, just how things turn out on occasion.
At such consultations, WHO arranges a welcome reception for the participants. The arrangements, including venue (usually somewhere on the WPRO campus), sourcing of food (either WPRO cafeteria or nearby restaurant), and menu selection (what specific items to serve), are up to the responsible officer, who may delegate the task to someone else.
For (2) and (3), which both started today, the receptions were combined into a single event. Everything was handled by one of the division’s trusty administrative assistants. She reserved the Al Fresco dining porch, called up Shawarma Snack Center, and chose a range of mixed grilled items.
The food was excellent, in various ways, under the circumstances. First, only chicken, seafood, and vegetables had been ordered. Second, the preparation mostly involved grilling. As a result, the spread felt very light and healthful. Third, it was the kind of food that’s amenable to being cooked in advance and sitting out on platters for a couple hours without losing much in quality. Fourth, most importantly, it tasted good. And fifth, the skewers and pitas made for convenient nibbling, no real silverware required. For all or some of these reasons, everyone seemed to enjoy the food, most of which was gone within an hour -unusual, as we order amounts according to the people present, many of whom tend to take a couple bites and skip out for better eats elsewhere, resulting in tons of leftovers.
I may consider ordering a similar spread for our upcoming Consultation on Overweight, Obesity, Diabetes, and Law.
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See also RESTAURANTS IN PHILIPPINES)