How to eat in a buffet

Because I have been buffet-ing more frequently than anyone's definition of frequency, this has evolved to be my third profession. And MobilityReel aptly describes it to be"mga propesyonal na mangangain".  My first profession being a technology journalist, second as an astrophysics lecturer, third a professional "buffeteer." And yes, it's too frequent to the point that I have developed both an art and a science of doing it. Life in a buffet is not just about eating to death, there are so many buffet restaurants out there that you need to enjoy life at dining at all of them. It's not about eating a lot, but eating a lot in the right order of things.

Let me share to you some tips on how to eat in a buffet, call this post a buffet booster.

1) Practice makes perfect. You heard it right, even eating in a buffet takes practice. Try going on a diet, and all of a sudden, eat in a buffet, you'd end up throwing it all up. So practice, and what I meant by practice is that try to eat a profuse amount a week or weeks before so as to expand your stomach space, but don't overdo it the day you are scheduled for your buffet.

2) Go with the most expensive first. Yes, it can be a little bit of everything but you try the pricier courses first in order to maximize your one thousand grand worth of meal. The general rule of thumb is that, eat what you don't normally eat, or eat what is not found in your usual household table. Perhaps you go with a slab of steak first, then on to the Peking Duck, Roast Turkey, or Lamb, then Lobster, Crabs and Prawns.

3) Try to observe plating. The mistake of most people is that they tend to over-utilize the plate space by piling in different courses in one plate. This will not only produce ickyness(closest word for "umay" in Filipino) but will ultimately reduce your appetite. It doesn't matter how many plates you have used, they'll take it out of your table anyway.

4) Avoid reusing the same plate. The grease and other left-overs will mix into your new entrees. Plus, it's a bit of unkempt to use just one pate for the entire buffet period. You're not in a town fiesta, so why would you use single plate repititiously.

5) Minimize pork but if you can't help it make it to be the the last meat to take. Pork has a tough meat, and you can't waste a gastric space for it.

6) Avoid carbo-loading. I don't eat rice in a buffet. Instead, I eat a bit of bread but not too much. The thing with bread is that it is more digestible compared to rice. Have you noticed why you tend to be hungry faster after eating a loaf of bread than eating a cup of rice?

7) Water is a no no in between meals. If you felt like the food is already about to expel out from you, take a hot soup. Aside from the fact that hot liquid settles down the food components, the saltiness of the hot soup also accelerates your appetite.

8) I already mentioned about eating a little bit of everything. It pays to survey the food little by little first, a la taste test. Round them up, then go full throttle with something you really like.

9) Fruits and vegetables are water-based, so make it your grand finale. Also, vegetable aids in the digestion process, which then might give you a chance to enjoy your next meal, just in case you're about to eat two buffets in a day.

10) While wine or any refillable beverage of that sort has been a buffet add-on, don't be fooled by it. It will only lessen your chances to maximize your buffet stint. Yes, a wine is so good to complement a juicy, delectable slab of steak, but you're in a buffet not just for a steak but for other courses as well. You can drink lots of water after eating in a buffet. Eating a lot will consume your body fluids that you tend to hydrate a lot faster after a buffet.

Perhaps you have other tips as well but these are the things that I can share and has worked for me and my monster pack. Contrary to the myth that when unbridled, stomachs could reach up to the Moon, we have in fact a very limited gastronomic tubing, so eating in the right order of things helps, especially in a buffet restaurant where almost everything looks too sumptuous.