Feaststogo

How often does an office worker sit at his or her desk longing for what Lola used to cook?

Pretty often, if the way the Makati oficinistas flock to the "rolling canteens" that park curbside in the Makati commercial and business district is an indicator.

The jostle for lunches of rice and "home-cooked" viand is a common sight at noon on weekdays and is replicated in other urban commercial centers in the capital, including Ortigas Center in Pasig City and the vast network of government offices in Quezon City.

Then there are the carinderias, open to all comers, that do brisk trade in plastic-bagged food that is the masa’s version of "take-out."

But how safe is food packed in little plastic bags? While such meals may be inexpensive (as low as P20 for fried fish or a chicken dish), health and hygiene concerns must be considered.

Enter the cooking wizardry of Moving Feasts, the piece de resistance of Home Meals Kitchens Corp. (hmk). Boots Reynes of hmk defines Moving Feasts’ offerings as "individual service packaged meals for office, school and home consumption."

"The meals," she says, "are not fast food, junk food or TV dinners. They belong to the fastest growing class of food service in the United States called Home Meal Replacements (hmrs)."

These dishes, Reynes says, "are meant for consumption as close as possible to the time of preparation; they are home-style in cooking methods, recipes and ingredients and do not use any preservatives or processed components" such as artificial colorants and flavor enhancers. Despite that, Reynes says that if kept frozen, Moving Feasts’ meals remain edible for several days.

The meals are "fast frozen" straight from the stove to preserve freshness and are to be reheated in microwave ovens or steamers.

Their target market, besides busy office workers, includes harassed working homemakers.

"The traditional housewife has been evacuated from the kitchen," Reynes says, "leading to a new family culinary style where lunches and dinners (are) no longer ritual events that mothers and housewives are expected to perform." Meals thus evolved into the quick frying or microwaving of processed foods reminiscent of United States military mre (meals-ready-to-eat) rations.

"There is nothing wrong with that per se," Reynes says, but it has resulted in the replacement of hearty home-cooking with "a universally lackluster, uninteresting and unappetizing deluge of highly processed, commercially prepared foods which do away with the human touch... take away the sense of self-esteem, personal sophistication, enjoyment, decorum and appreciation that Grandma’s meals (once provided)."

With this in mind, hmk launched into the food business, with its modern kitchen in Bagong Ilog, Pasig City where Moving Feasts’ meals are cooked, packaged and frozen in "economical lots" ready for the microwave oven.

The prices of the meals are reasonable, ranging from P50 to P65, and the starting menu is one that bespeaks fusion cuisine: Arroz Ala Cubana (Rice Cuban Style), Arroz Chino con Pollo (Chinese Rice with Chicken), Adobo Doble Seco (Dry Adobo), Arroz Tailandes (Thai Rice), Callos (Stewed Tripe), Caldereta (Spicy Beef Stew), Costillos de Adan (Adam’s Ribs), Lengua de Angel (Angel Tongue), Pescado Japones (Japanese Style Fish), Paelletta (single-serve paella) and Fabada.

The Moving Feasts menu is a fusion of predominantly Spanish cooking, with oriental touches added here and there–including the flavors of Thailand, Japan and the various regions of the Philippines.

The Moving Feasts’ paelleta, for P60, was worth every peso. It was filling, tasty, not at all tastes like it had been reheated in a microwave with a teaspoonful of water (which it had been). The portions were not overly generous, though the paelletta was very filling and I cannot fault the serving size. As Reynes put it, the serving size is "enough for an office worker, though it may not necessarily be enough for a laborer."

All the meals come with rice–at least a cup and a half of rice.

The packaging is also a point in Moving Feasts’ favor. They come in microwave-safe disposable plasticware that is made of food grade plastic and sealed for freshness. The food is also prepared hygenically and is flash frozen in a special freezer, the technology for which hmk obtained from the Department of Science and Technology.

hmk is not resting on its laurels, Reynes says. "We are working toward offering heat-sealed food packages soon." This new packaging, she says, involves sealing the food into the container hermetically before freezing to further ensure that no undesirable micro-organisms get into the food.

But why not let the food cool before sealing and freezing the packages? "Because the heat kills micro-organisms and when the food is sealed and frozen while it is hot, it creates a vacuum that keeps it fresh," Reynes explains. "If you seal the food after cooling, there is a chance that airborne micro-organisms will get into the food and cause it to spoil."

Moving Feasts meals are now available in Ortigas, but hmk is working to expand its distribution network to Makati and, eventually, other areas where the demand for such foodstuff is apparent, Reynes said.

In line with expansion plans, hmk is looking for merchants who will carry the Moving Feasts line. "Authorized merchants for Moving Feasts should preferably be concessionaires of convenience stores, employee canteens, office supplies or similar other shops in the building where they are currently based. Ordinary building tenants who show interest, dedication and capability of distributing Moving Feasts will likewise be considered," she says.

These authorized merchants will be assigned particular, adjacent buildings to service, and need only have freezer space and a microwave or steamer as start-up equipment.

"Since distribution will be by consignment, a merchant needs no additional working capital to operate and will, therefore, have highly gratifying returns," she adds.

Now that’s a doubly delicious deal.