BATTLE OF THE FOOD MAGS.... Which one is yours?

It’s interesting how the world of culinary in the Philippines is elevated to new and exciting dimensions by many food enthusiasts, gourmands, chefs, and connoisseurs not discounting all the others who have laboured and continuously doing so in this gastronomic field. A good proof of that is the growing number of Food Magazines in the stands right now. The list includes Food, Yummy, Appetite, Celebrity Recipes, Cook - Connecting Foodies, SM Hypermarket- Flavours A Taste of Fine Living and Asia’s in Good Taste. You’ll certainly have a hard time choosing the one that deserves your hard earned money the most, simply because all seemed appealing, motivating and trying to be out of the ordinary. It’s really a feast in the eye for a foodie like me.

Among those available, the top 3 that caught my attention were Yummy by Summit Publishing Inc., Food by ABS-CBN Publishing Inc., and Appetite by Mega Magazines & Publications Inc. (MMPI). Yummy and Food are both priced at P95 whereas Appetite is more expensive by P30 selling at P125 per issue. The first two are coming out monthly while the later is publishing on a bi-monthly basis. Yummy is targeted towards A, B and upper C market. The look of the magazine is very hip and trendy. What’s more with the choice of colour, design and layout, it’s exceedingly eye catchy. The featured recipes have so much variety and they were explained well and simply. Even the newbies in the kitchen will not find any difficulty in sampling them. The food style is also remarkable. The food shots speak of a thousand words that anyone who haven’t even tried to handle a knife and a ladle will be encouraged to cook… and cook… and cook. The magazine is divided into categories such as columns, everyday recipes, recipe features, foodie-licious, and know how tips. The essentials are here to say the least.

The Food on the other hand, has a more serious appeal. If I would personify it, this is more traditional, “Filipino” looking. I somehow find reading a few articles a bit boring though. Not because the article in itself is uninspiring (in fact this is the one that got more stories to tell) but maybe with the way the article is presented. Probably it has something to do with the layout and the fonts used which I find dreary. Nevertheless, I like the way that each recipe comes with a story.

In contrast, the Appetite looks classy and the one that’s most formal so to speak. When you look at the magazine you have this perception that the target market is geared towards the upper SEC (socio-eco class) and probably those with a culinary background. This is mirrored by what’s inside the magazine. Apparently it shares the same target market with that of Yummy. It just lacks the fun that Yummy elicits with its readers. Appetite is more of the bits and pieces of the culinary trends. The who’s who and what’s what. Indeed it’s true to its claim – “Your Lifestyle Food Magazine Satisfaction Guaranteed”. Similarly, Yummy also lives up to its tagline of “Easy Meals Everyday”. On the other hand, Food’s label - “The Philippines Largest Selling Culinary Magazine” hold a very strong statement in itself.

If you’re more for the hound of food recipes and light reading I’d say Yummy is the right pick. It’s a “cook book” in its own right, filled with other culinary essentials such as grocery ideas, interesting articles which are simply told and helpful know how tips. If you want something more to read other than learning food recipes, grab the Food Mag. Yet, enjoy reading Appetite if you want to keep abreast of where and how Culinary is taking through. All in all, if I’m on a budget I’ll buy my Food Magazine in this order of priority - Yummy, Food and Appetite. How about you?