Selena Gomez' boyfriend Benny Blanco tries Filipino fast-food for the first time
For the past few years, Filipino fast-food giant, Jollibee, has been getting recognized globally after it opened branches in parts of South East Asia, the Middle East, East Asia, North America, and Europe.
Many influencers and content creators have also jumped on the popularity of the fast food giant. It has also been featured on the YouTube accounts of Joshua Weismann, Anthony Bourdain, BuzzFeed UK, and Insider Food.
Last week, Benny Blanco, Selena Gomez' boyfriend, also tried it for the first time. But Filipinos did not like the way he ate and reviewed the dishes considering he grew up eating Filipino food because of his stepmother who is from the Philippines.
He ordered the classic Chickenjoy and adobo rice combo, which he thought was dry. The chickenjoy was to his liking when he dipped it in gravy. Otherwise, he thought it was soggy and the flavors were only enhanced by the gravy.
The next thing he tried was the famous pineapple juice from Jollibee which was unclear if he liked it or not. Benny even experimented and dipped his fried chicken into the pineapple juice.
Benny also tried the iconic Jollibee sweet spaghetti topped with cheese and hotdogs. Initially, he did not like how it looked and smelled, but his review of the food got even worse when he tasted the food.
After trying a spoonful of it, Benny had to withdraw the food from his mouth because the taste was not to his liking.
He even said, “I feel like I just ruined my night.”
Aside from chickenjoy and spaghetti, Benny also ordered Jollibee fries which he did not try because they appeared to be soggy.
Out of all the items he ordered, the only thing he liked was the infamous peach mango pie.
He even sent out a closing message that said, “Don't go to Jollibee. This [place] sucks.”
Others thought it was reasonable if he did not like the taste of it, especially because Americans and Filipinos have different tastes when it comes to food. However, what they could not accept was how he handled and disrespected food.
Someone wrote, “It's okay if Jollibee isn't your thing, but there's no need for disrespectful comments. Everyone has different tastes and preferences.”
A few day after his Jollibee TikTok review, Benny uploaded a new video where he tried top-rated Filipino restaurants in Los Angeles, California.
In the video, he also tried Jollibee's chicken sandwich after a friend recommended it to him. After taking a bite, Benny ran in circles, showing how much he loved the food. He even said, “... I completely reverse my opinion of how [Jollibee] sucked.”
Aside from the chicken sandwich, Benny also tried lumpia, sausage, inasal, and pansit, which he all loved.
His Filipino viewers, however, thought it was just a publicity stunt and a way for him to redeem himself after his Jollibee tasting video.
Benny Blanco is an American record producer who has worked with global superstars like BTS, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and his girlfriend Selena Gomez. They confirmed their relationship last December 7, 2023 through an Instagram post after dating for about six months.
