Good Food, Good Location, Good People: The Fat Belly Project

MAX and his Act of Kindness Meal. This will go down in history as THE.BEST.MEAL.EVER

Know that acts of kindness still exist. Believe that the world is still a good place to live in and that angels can be people too. 

It was our usual Sunday family lunch at the in laws. Despite the sumptuous lunch, our Max, being under the spectrum and prone to picky eating, did not eat enough to make himself full. He had a slice of cake and that was it.

Fast forward to us leaving the family house and heading off to The Marketplace by Rustan's, along Leonard Wood Rd. to pick up some essentials for the week. 

We've frequented this grocery and the bldg. plenty of times and are quite friendly with a couple of the tenants in the area. And it's because of this familiarity that we don't break into a sweat whenever Max leaves us to go up and down the escalators as we shop (which is often a hurried affair unless Max is seated in a huge shopping cart).

even the little one got to eat!

While the hubby was settling our grocery bill, I told him that I was off to call Max over. As the baby and I got closer to the escalator, I saw someone on their way down, smiled and asked if they had seen a boy going up and down the escalator. She immediately smiled back, replied "yes" and told me that he was at their restaurant and proceeded to accompany me 2 floors up.

When I arrived at The Fat Belly Project, our son was seated in one of the tables, a chicken basket and a cup of iced tea was set in front of him with one of the folks from the resto, watching over him. 

Apologetically, I offered to pay and explained that my son had Autism and was mostly non verbal. I added that he had skipped lunch at his grandparents and may have been quite hungry at this point. Prior to entering the grocery, I had already ordered and paid for a fries platter to go, so that Max can eat on the ride back home.

The owner of the establishment waved my apology aside and remarked that everything was ok. No judgement. No scolding. Just smiles and understanding. In fact, she was more concerned over the fact that Max may have allergies with the food served!

I left Max one more time with the kind folks at the resto, somehow knowing that all will be well, not to mention that Max wasn't going to budge without us ordering more food for him. I went downstairs and informed his father of our whereabouts and that Max wanted to eat at The Fat Belly Project. 

I went back up and ordered for him a "sexy platter" of ribs, steak, mashed potatoes and buttered veggies. The owner ushered us to a booth seat because she felt it would be more comfortable for Max. And it was! They also threw in a buko pandan cup for him too. 

Now this is what I call sexy!

Max enjoyed his huge meal and had leftovers to eat later. 

Maam Chona Quinto, the owner, was concerned if Max enjoyed his meal, to which we assured her that our son would not touch his food if it wasn't to his liking. 

Thanks to Max, we met an amazing group of people today. We also discovered a good place to eat a hearty meal. And yes, faith in humanity was clearly restored. Thank you Fat Belly Project. You're our kind of place with our kind of people. Thoughtful and a 100 levels of amazing. Thank you!

Know that acts of kindness still exist. Believe that the world is still a good place to live in and that angels can be people too.

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

For the curious, here's a look at The Fat Belly Project's Menu:

Why We Go: Traveling With Our Youngest Mediocre Wanderer - Meet Our Son, MAX

learn to identify Autism symptoms at this LINK

My fourth son, MAX, was diagnosed as having symptoms from the Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was about 2 years old, which was later confirmed to be so when he was around 5. 

 

it's not a journey for the faint-hearted

teaching MAX  to bake: where the only method of instruction needed is love and patience

We were told not to have normal expectations as far as his development would go, especially when it comes to communication and we were also asked to brace ourselves for the challenges that may lie ahead.

SMALL VICTORY: a classmate at pre-school gets MAX to engage in playing "patty-cake"

Autistic folks don’t think the way we “regular” people do. Routine, regularity and the familiar are comforting to them and changing elements in their world may cause meltdowns, discomfort and fear.

MAX's most recent, flight #38 via Philippine Airlines

My husband Phil and I are wanderers at heart. The ultimate high that we get is when we immerse ourselves in another country’s culture, sights and most especially, its cuisine. 

 

low tide in Donsol with a then 2 year old MAX

 

Before he turned one, MAX was our little “pack and go” kid, where trips to the beach and long road trips to Manila (we’re from Baguio) were a norm.

an hour away from our hometown

 

Given our son’s then recent diagnosis and changes in behavior, we were tasked with two choices: leave him behind when we travel and risk having him traumatized by the separation; or bring him along and take him out of his comfort zone.
 

MAX loooves music, but can be a tad sensitive to sounds. Every now and then, he brings along noise canceling ear muffs

We chose the latter and have not looked back ever since.

Just believe in the possibilities

Being a parent of a special needs child, you learn to see the world in a different light. When you bring your special needs child out into that world, you in return, also give him or her, another different perspective. 

 

our little swimmer on a page of Parenting Special Needs Magazine

You enrich their lives as you open your little one’s eyes to a myriad of possibilities. That, in my humble opinion, is really important.

distracting MAX with bubbles after making him wear his UN Day costume for the 1st time

For a kid who still has issues with wearing new clothes and shoes, traveling has allowed our son to open up and shed some of his fears.

no nuggets or fries to fall back on in this Cambodian restaurant in Siem Reap

 

Since he was two, Max has learned to sleep in bedrooms other than his own. He’s learned to eat food that’s unfamiliar; with textures, colors and flavors so far from what he has at home.

enroute to Bellarocca in Marinduque, Philippines

He’s sat among strangers in planes, trains, buses, boats, and water taxis. 

 

riding a water taxi in Bangkok, Thailand

He’s rode on elephants, tuk-tuks, rickshaws, cable cars and horses to get around and has even gone “Superman” - hanging on to a rubber tube that was attached to a boat’s outrigger as the boat pulled us all across a coral garden.

 

holding on to a rubber tube that's attached to the outrigger of a moving boat a.k.a. "Superman"

He’s walked happily across parts of the Great Wall of China; 

 

at the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China

 gone swimming with the whale sharks in Donsol and Oslob, 

 

whaleshark time in Oslob, Cebu

 

 

 

rode fast and scary rides in Hongkong, Malaysia, Singapore and Laguna; 

 

MAX is not a fan of aggressive fishes during fish feeding (taken at Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa, Palawan)

 

gone fish feeding in the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Balicasag Island in Bohol, Honda Bay in Palawan, Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, and Puerto Galera in the Philippines; 

 

looking "Indy-licious" while exploring Siem Reap's Bayonne Temple

 

gone on a real-life temple run in Siem Reap, Cambodia 

 

MAX's first time to see dolphins (taken in Bais Bay, Dumaguete, Philippines)

and has never seen dolphins in captivity, but always in the wild.

 

splashing about in a hotel pool in Macau, China

Traveling has given our Max, the ability to adapt; something that is often a socially limiting chain from his disability.

 

riding an elephant at the Samphran Elephant Grounds in Thailand

Whenever we travel to a non-English speaking country, I usually have a tiny piece of paper in my purse that has a rough translation of the words “My son is autistic”. It’s not an apology, but an explanation, should he start shrieking, flapping his hands or laugh uncontrollably. This is especially useful when it happens on a red-eye flight.

another first for our brave boy: riding an open cable cart to climb up the Great Wall of China

I’ve met then-strangers who’ve become curious about him and take this as an opportunity to discuss with them what being under the Autism Spectrum implies. 

 

a soothing hug for our intrepid traveler (Taken at the Aguinid Falls in Cebu)

 

Traveling allows me to have a bigger venue to raise awareness on Autism.

meeting Tigers at the zoo here was quite different from our previous experiences

It is my hope that as we continue to travel with MAX, he shall continue to realize that he is a part of this world. That his world is bigger than just what he sees at home and that different doesn’t have to mean “scary”. 

 

someone enjoyed riding a tuk-tuk that he would linger before getting off it, as we arrive at our destination

 

By bringing him along to share in the joys of traveling, he can see that the world has so much to offer and he can be a part of it all. 

 

going on a power walk is an understatement at Angkor Wat

 

After all, “your view of life grows bigger the further you are from home”.

MAX's most favorite ride in the world!

 We also hope that through him, we may be able to spread a message of hope to others living with someone with special needs to never give up on them and to teach the world, one person at a time: to support, instead of to push; to understand, instead of to pity; to accept, instead of to tolerate and most of all, to love unconditionally. 

And this is why we go. 

Mr. Spiffy on his way to explore the island

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!