Food-tripping with Piolo

MANILA, Philippines – You’ve already seen Piolo Pascual cry buckets several times through the drama projects he starred in. You’ve also previously caught him giving sweet smiles and doing something hilarious on stage. And you’ve certainly heard him sing in countless occasions. So, what else hasn’t the Kapamilya actor done yet? 

Well, it will be the first time for Piolo to do some hosting chores while gorging on a variety of mouth-watering food and exploring the breathtaking sights of different countries with travel buddy Lui Villaruz on Lifestyle’s The Crawl that is set to premiere on Sept. 3. The first few episodes are devoted to Japan’s signature dishes and top tourist spots.

“(This is) something different,” says Piolo about giving his nod pronto to the concept of the show. “I’m at a point in my life where I want to do more, discover more and I’ve always wanted to do something like this. I love to travel; I love to go to different places.

“So when they offered it to me, I was thinking of traveling. Of course, I’m a host to begin with but to be able to travel and do something different, that’s what made me say, ‘Yes.’ And I get to go to a lot of places and discover for myself what else the place has to offer. And I’m all for that because you get to really explore about the world in general and this time around with cameras and with Lui here. It’s an interesting show with an interesting concept.”

Besides, Piolo admits to being bitten by the travel bug. In fact, before the show landed on his lap, he was out of the country for two months to explore 16 cities of 10 different countries. His eagerness to discover new places and revisit those that really caught his fancy makes it possible for him to block off some days from his busy work schedule. “I usually make my own itinerary for my trip. I follow a map and I just ride from where I am like what I did when I went to Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Amsterdam, UK, Scotland, Morocco, Portugal, UAE, pababa ako. Whatever is close to the country I’m in, yun ang uunahin ko.”

Given the wonderful sights he had seen in each and every country he had visited, Piolo finds it hard to cite the best travel destination “because when you travel, it always depends on your mood, on what you want to see and what you wanna do; the world is so big and beautiful to just single out a place.”

But choosing a travel buddy for The Crawl is a no-brainer for him. No one fits the bill other than Lui. “It’s easy to be with Lui because we’re close, we’re really best friends. We both love to travel, eat and talk; he’s very spontaneous and I can say that he’s the life of the party.”

With travel buddy Lui Villaruz during the presscon of The Crawl that is set to premiere on Sept. 3 —Photo by BOT GLORIOSO

Lui agrees that every country has its own beauty and he firmly believes that everyone can always be a citizen of a certain place. He just came from Iceland to shoot the Northern Lights “then I went to Germany, to Rome and Paris. Usually, I travel alone with a big backpack and oftentimes, it was unplanned so basically one foot in front of the other.

“Travelling for me is very subjective; it depends on how you see the world and experience it so you can say that Piolo and I have the same mantra when it comes to seeing the world and life. I believe that life is a great stopover, might as well maximize it. We are here until just what (age) 90 or 120?” asks Lui, and then quips, “Si Piolo hanggang 150 because he’s an athlete.”

Piolo, on the other hand, enumerates “things to consider” before embarking on a trip. He initially decides on the country then he would check online its accessibility and then plan his trip. “It is better to plan trips on your own so you can customize and fit everything in your budget. At the same time, you get to discover more because you have already checked the center of the town where the places are within walking distance to see as many landmarks as possible.”

In The Crawl, a Japanese interpreter will make it easy for Piolo and Lui to find the favorite dining spots of locals for the best Okonomiyaki and Ramen in Osaka. They, too, will try out Japan’s signature dishes like Yakisoba, Gyoza, Takoyaki and Tepanyaki.  

Lui relates he cooks his own food. He learned to cook by watching shows and demos on YouTube and through his parents, particularly his mom who loves to bake and cooks a lot.

Piolo confesses to trying his hand in the kitchen but he failed. “It doesn’t like me. I trained for a couple of sessions for a movie (Starting Over Again) and I wasn’t able to follow it up so I just eat and I love treating myself to a good meal.”

Asked if The Crawl is a way of displaying a man’s appreciation for food, Piolo says it is an eye-opener since we are only aware of the Japanese dishes but not their origin “and the other ways of preparing the dishes and eating them.”

The Crawl, as stated in the press release, aims to showcase the culture of a particular place through a culinary expedition by hitting the streets to uncover the best places to sample the rich cuisine of a city. It also provides tips on how to maximize one’s food and travel experience.

Does the hosting task veer Piolo away from the acting scene?

“I just wanna do different stuff while I still can,” he replies. “Hindi tayo pwedeng umalis sa bread and butter natin which is acting — doing film and TV. This (show) is a wonderful change for me; something different.”