Rose Buds Purificacion distributing free cakes to fellow countrymen.
To ease weariness and uplift spirits during the pandemic, a Filipina pastry chef in Qatar has given away more than 1,000 cakes for free to her fellow “kababayans”, a Filipino term used to address fellow countrymen. She made use of her free time to venture in the food industry and pursue baking. As a baker, amid a global health crisis, this was a great opportunity for her to make some extra income selling cakes online. However, she chose otherwise.
Popularly known as “Jerry D’mouse” or “Chef Roza”, the 37-year-old Filipina behind the heartwarming initiative called “Mukbang Free Cake” is Rose Buds Purificacion. She said that the initiative started out with an urge to bring joy to people in Qatar. Purificacion embarked on this mission to deliver happiness and ignite hope by giving out cakes for free.
"Mukbang Free Cake has no price tag. It is not for sale. People will not forget how you made them feel. It is up to them how much they are willing to give. The most important thing is I made them happy," she told The Peninsula.
Baking with a little oven and very few ingredients, Purificacion was set on her mission to produce 1,000 cakes. The first-ever recipient of a Mukbang Free Cake was a cancer survivor. From then on, she received overwhelming response from her fellow kababayans on how this act of kindness has helped them beyond words.
"Bayanihan", a Filipino word derived from the word "bayan" which means "town", "nation", or "community", refers to the act of giving assistance without compensation. It is simply helping one's fellow countrymen.
Mukbang Free Cake is an act of bayanihan. With a sole purpose to give and serve as a glimmer of hope during the global health crisis, Purificacion along with her close-knit community laid down their services for free to help those in need. To her, this gesture of kindness is not just about the free cakes but goes beyond to extend a deeper message to others.
“The return is more than what money can buy. I am satisfied, especially when they are so happy!" Purificacion told The Peninsula with much enthusiasm.
Eventually, her acts of kindness have been reciprocated as she was gifted with baking ingredients from someone who requested for a cake. To her surprise, the supposed-to-be-recipient gave her bountiful of baking ingredients that enabled her to make more cakes.
“She told me to just continue what I’m doing. Then it went on, from one person to another, until I saved too many ingredients,” Purificacion said.
“I baked day and night. It almost felt like I’m baking forever,” she added.
When asked about her drive to give without expecting anything in return, she simply said: “It has always been in my heart not to expect. I am a happy giver.”
Although the pandemic cost the world a huge amount, Mukbang Free Cake is a personal testimony to the good that can be unearthed beneath the weight of a crisis. More often than not, the good in a catastrophe is always found for free.
"We can make a difference if we all stay united. Giving too much won't make you poor," Purificacion stated.
