My good friend and fellow freelance writer Alma Cruz Miclat knew I was in Manila (down from my base in Baguio City) for just a week and insisted on a long ladies’ dinner on a Sunday at Cibo (second level of the original Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City). The name “Cibo,” meaning “food” in Italian,...
Category: Food
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Lessons on the beloved potato (or how it fits quite nicely in Filipino cuisine)
Think of a few of your typical savory Filipino dishes—adobo, menudo, kaldereta, nilaga, maybe even kare-kare or sinigang. You can easily imagine all of them incorporating that ubiquitous and beloved brown-skinned vegetable. “I don’t think you will grow up or get to this age in the Philippines without having potatoes, because we love our potatoes,” Reji Retugal, Philippine representative of...
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Popularity of K-pop and K-food surging worldwide, says report
K-pop and Korean cuisine are surging significantly in popularity worldwide, indicating the strong influence of Korea’s culture exports that ride on the Korean Wave, or “hallyu,” according to the 2024 Global Korean Wave Trend Analysis Report. Countries in Asia accounted for the most voluminous content about the Korean Wave (50.6%), followed by those in Europe...
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Lola Mameng and my kitchen prep
Not everyone cooks. But those who don’t cook and take pride in the inability should be ashamed of themselves. Not being able to cook is surprising, given how popular culinary courses are now and even just how dime-a-dozen cooking shows are crowding television and the internet. In fact, the food and beverage industry is among...
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The American potato’s 7,000-mile adventure
First, you put all the dry ingredients in a big stainless bowl—200 grams of standard potato granules, 250g of all-purpose flour, and 3g of salt. Once they’re incorporated, you can form a well in the center for the wet ingredients—four eggs, 200 milliliters of water. Mix until everything coagulates into a stiff dough. You massage...
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Over a hot stove: ‘Ube halaya’ and love’s labors
I was born into a transnational extended family. My father, the eldest among his siblings, married before his brother (younger by only a year), was drafted into the US Navy. As a consequence, slowly, the brother and his parents and seven other siblings eventually came to live in the United States. We, the family of...
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The necessity of not wasting food when others are going hungry
In 2019, the 74th United Nations General Assembly designated Sept. 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste in order to promote “global efforts towards resolving it.” I came to know this because I looked it up, my curiosity having been piqued by certain groups that are pooling their efforts in...
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‘Namit!’ highlights the tastes and aromas of Iloilo food
There are many reasons to travel to the beautiful province of Iloilo, from its rich history to its food. And adventurous foodies will surely enjoy each town’s traditional cuisine, which will be highlighted in the annual three-day celebration in April called “Namit!” April is Filipino Food Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 469, issued...
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Solidarity is also served at Palestinian Filipino food line
After attending the Veneration of the Cross at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Parish of the Holy Sacrifice on Good Friday, I went straight to Our Little Gaza Kitchen in Don Antonio Heights, Quezon City. The event was announced online a few days earlier and shared by over 100 within hours. It was pegged...
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What’s cookin’, Juday?
Viber beeps a message: “Can you take a call?” I reply: “Who is this, please?” A few minutes later, Viber beeps again: “Hello, Mr. Farmer. Can I call?” I realize who it is. Ext. Seashore. Early morning. The scene opens with a man preparing to cast a fishing net into the sea. Another man is...