A New Normal Christmas

Good Food and Family Holiday Cheers

It was a fine day to go out of the house to meet up with family, share a meal and catch up with each other. People were busy doing last minute shopping and enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere with the less restrictive guidelines which allows for food establishments to allow dine-in customers to eat inside the store with a maximum 30% seating capacity.

This situation discourages big family gatherings and Christmas parties, but just as well. It allows us to continue celebrating family traditions yet still follow minimum health guidelines for the public good.

For this year, we gave up the big family get together and just opted for the small family arrangement. So, meeting up with my dad on his birthday was a nice way to spend yesterday.

Strict Contact Tracing Sent Us To The Goood Burger
My dad arrived early so he was already at Starbucks when we arrived at the mall. So we went there to meet him for brunch but the staff said that we had to wait in line even if our companion is already inside the store. There was already a long queue at the entrance so we decided to go somewhere else for lunch.
Surveying the restaurants and cafés in the area, we went for Shakey’s, which serves pizza, pasta, burgers, fries, etc.

The also serve #vegan options so I thought it would be a good occasion to try out a new product they were offering for a trial called: The Goood Burger

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The Goood, The Baaad, The Ugggly… Quite frankly, I was too excited to try this out to really have an objective and unbiased review because the coca-cola is always good and the fries just right. So I asked my wife about it and had a pretty honest and unbiased take about the “unMeat” burger. Yes, this is what they call it: the unMeat burger.

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unMeat...So the story goes that the company, Century Pacific Food, Inc (PSE: CNPF), wants to make a move into the meat-free market. In an article from their website, CNPF Executive Chairman Christopher Po said,

“We believe ‘unMeat’ is a valuable addition to our brand and product portfolio as more and more Filipinos embark on healthier lifestyles.

The company said that they used #non-GMO plant-based ingredients, zero cholesterol and trans-fat, and is a good source of protein and fiber. It contains 17g, which is different for everyone, but this should already cover a big portion of one’s calorie requirement for the day.

Going back to The Goood Burger; my wife really liked the product. She said that it’s delicious. The appearance looks the same as the Baaad Burger, which they also offer. And the price is reasonable. At PHP185 (US$3.85), the burger can be ordered a la carte or with fries and a coke at PHP270 (US$5.62).

The burger comes with tomato, cucumber, white onion, lettuce and pickles. It is drizzled with vegan dressing that I thought should have more of.

Here's the combo package:

Conclusion
I don’t particularly mind that it looks like real beef patties, which you can actually compare if you order both. This is a great product for people transitioning into the plant-based diet or for non-vegans who just wants to have a healthier meal once in a while.

The best thing about the Goood Burger from our experience is that vegans, vegetarians, plant-based or people with restricted diets because of health conditions can enjoy being with family and friends and have a good meal to go with it.

I have often brought out my own vegetarian meal when I go to parties and get-togethers because I love making my own food. This increases the options that vegans have when they do go out with friends.

That’s it pansit… Mabuhay!

12/25/2020 UPDATE: I reached out to Shakey's and they said that the potato bun contains egg and milk so it is a vegetarian burger.

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Thanks to @bearone for the awesome #hiveph badge. I own the photos but also used canva.com.