"Nom" could have been the 2010 Word of the Year (but "app" takes the cake)

The Linguistic Society of America has declared "app" as the 2010 Word of the Year for the extensive use of the abbreviated form of the word "application" in the past year. The term has been around for awhile (and is a tad boring) but the release of the iPhone4, the iPad, and the boom of the Android market last year has helped it become a household term.

Cookie Monster is confuzzled

The runner up for the 2010 Word of the Year, one of BaconTunaMelt's favorite words in the whole wide world (and vote for word of the decade) is the Cookie Monster coined word "nom". The word "nom" (besides being fun) has become common among netizens in the past year. It has been a habit for many to use the term when talking about good eats. On this blog alone, you'll see the term used and (lovingly) abused.

"Nom" has many definitions but my favorite of all defines it as "a pleasurable eating experience". Nom and its variations noms, nomz, nomming, and omnomnom can be used both as a noun and a verb, depending on context. I use all variations in as many ways possible.

Nom: BaconTunaMelt's Word of the Year

It's a term well used even in the Philippines. As testament to the term's popularity, we have NomNom Club, a blog and community site that aims to share as many nomming adventures in the country as well as unite food-loving Pinoys (which means all of us), and we also have the restaurant Nomnomnom Happy Food, which is a quaint little eatery that serves happy, nomnom-y food of course. There's also this blog's limitless use of the word and its variations.

"App" may have stolen the show, but here on this blog, "nom" is word of the year. :o)

2011: Year of the Stuffed Burger

It all started last year with the strong launch of KFC's Double Down. The buzz was electric months before it was released in the country, and as soon as it was available, hordes of people lined up at the counters to get themselves a piece of the chicken-on-bacon-on-chicken creation.

Because of this trend of creative and unusual burgers, BurgerBusiness.com is declaring 2011 to be the Year of the Stuffed Burger. According to them, we should expect fast food restos to come up with something like the Double Down, but more complicated (not to mention heart-stopping). They seem to know what they're saying because today, I got wind of the news of the very first stuffed burger of the year- Burger King's Jalapeno and Cheddar Stuffed Steakhouse.

"In it, not on it!"

For only US$3.99 (Php175.99), burger-lovers get a thick slab of juicy burger patty infused with cheese and jalapeño bits and topped off with creamy poblano sauce, fresh tomatoes and lettuce sandwiched in between two fat burger buns. That sounds mighty tempting. I'm not sure if this will be available locally but I'll try to find out and update you guys.

While the Philippines is a rice-loving country (and it will never go out of style), burgers have become widely accepted in the country. With the success of many new burger joints- Monster Burger and their affordable half-pound burgers, Army Navy and their triple-quarter-pound burgers, and Johnny Rockets with their wide selection of 1/3-pound burgers are good examples, it can be said that Pinoys have become burger aficionados as well.

Jollibee had better start taking this seriously and make the Champion Meal, the Jollibee version of the Double Down a reality.

BaconTunaMelt New Year Nom List

It's almost the new year and I'm still sitting in front of the computer. Lulz, that's the story of this year's holidays for me. Just last night at a party, I shied away from the festivities for a bit, work kept me in my little corner with just a bottle of beer for company (yes, I'm a kill joy). Not that I'm complaining, welcoming the new year having a job is a good thing. 

This year was a pretty good year, BaconTunaMelt was created on a whim and we've been writing about nomz ever since (and fattening ourselves up in the process). We hope to up the ante next year and feature more nomz (yay!). Instead of making resolutions to change things up for the new year, here at BaconTunaMelt, we will resolve to make the effort to nom at these three fabulous restaurants in 2011.

1. Van Gogh is Bipolar

This unusual restaurant has been in my nomlist for a while now. The owner-slash-chef-slash-bipolar of Van Gogh is Bipolar personally offers a different menu every day and cooks the meals himself and makes up interesting names for them. 

Photo taken from http://www.rochellesychua.com/

Who wouldn't want to try Hitler's Four-Course Holocaust or Janice Dickenson's Glorious Mouth or the very famous Mel Gibson's Darkest Sin? You can only get these at Van Gogh is Bipolar. The dining area is actually the owner's condominium unit in Sikatuna Village in Quezon City which he opens to guests and diners from 6-10pm everyday except Tuesdays (dunno why).

2. Ryuma Ramen

Ryuma, pronounced as "rayuma" (yes, like the old person affliction) is an authentic Japanese restaurant in the far South that comes highly recommended by a friend. Ryuma is a chain of Japanese stores in Paseo de Sta. Rosa with a convenience store and a supermarket besides the restaurant. Rheena (who has nothing but praises for the place) says that the food is superb the prices are reasonable. You get to experience authentic Japanese cooking because the chefs are Japanese.

Photo from http://flowersblooms-elvierose.blogspot.com/

Good thing Comicology still owes me a roadtrip (hrhrhr). We'll have to make the trip to Sta. Rosa one of these days just for this pitstop.

3. The Room Upstairs

Photo taken from http://asuntarufino.blogspot.com/

This relatively unknown establishment called The Room Upstairs in LRI Building on Nicanor Garcia Street is actually a furniture shop that just doubles as a cafe. The beautiful photos of the cafe from this blog has enticed me to find the restaurant and try their unusual setting. The cafe serves salads, pastas, desserts and coffee and the furniture in which you dine at. Sweet, huh?

And those are BaconTunaMelt's goals for the year that'll start in just half an hour. Here's to a new year filled with more bacon, tuna, and all kinds of fabulous nomz! Happy 2011 to you and yours!

~

For new year's eve, my small family usually waits up until media noche and then we stay in the terrace watching the ruckus all around us until the neighbors' fireworks supply have been depleted. Then we'd sit before a simple spread with a few light dishes, a couple of desserts and several round-shaped fruits (for good luck or long life, I forget which). How will you spend tonight?