“I’ve brought you there before,” my protesting husband declared after I told him I’d honor an invitation to witness and take part in the Bangus Festival in Pangasinan early this month. For some reason I couldn’t recall that experience. Instead, I have memories of a lechon festival in the same province, when I was mindful...
Category: Food
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As near as I could get to St. Peter’s Basilica
By that I meant the Basilica of St. Martin of Tours in Taal, Batangas. I recall a senator once telling me to not miss a chance to visit this church, especially after its lighting, frescoes and tromp l’oeils were improved and restored. A visit here, she said, felt like being transported somewhere in Europe when...
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From culture vlogger to viral restaurant owner
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Surprised to see lines of people on one side of the highway starting around 9 a.m. in Barangay Beckel, just at the border with Baguio City? They’re drawn by internet-personality-turned-restaurateur Etag TV and his restaurant. Etag TV is actually Mark Dave Yamoyam, a registered nurse from La Trinidad who has been vlogging about Igorot...
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Homegrown brews in what feels like a European setting
BAGUIO CITY—I don’t want to be that girl. That one who, after a trip to Europe, starts comparing, and very loudly, things Philippine to European, taking every opportunity to brag about the places she saw and the stuff she tried there. But I did spend time there pursuing a master’s degree under the Erasmus+ program....
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From Michelin to Terra Madre: On (slow) food, identity, and connection
BACOLOD CITY—At the Terra Madre Asia & Pacific, surrounded and overwhelmed by dishes, beverages, and flavors, I thought a lot about food. Food, to borrow the words of anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, is “good to think with,” and surely I’m not alone in doing so, especially in the wake of the Michelin Guide’s arrival in the...
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Not bad for what began as a ‘carinderia’
BAGUIO CITY — What does a Malaysian chef who has worked in five-star hotels and resorts like to eat at home? It’s pinakbet cooked by his Filipino wife. The love story of Gina Ulat (originally from La Union in the Philippines) and Alvin Emuang (of Penang, Malaysia) began in the late 1990s when they met...
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An abundant display of Laguna’s food and heritage at ‘Sa Pantalan 2025’
SANTA CRUZ, Laguna—The exhibition hall of Sa Pantalan 2025 at the back of Ted’s Kitchen was bustling and festive on the morning of Oct. 25, with Philippine folk songs playing in the background. At the forum at the end of the hall, a member of the audience has just asked guest speaker Socorro “Corito” Llamas...
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Oodles of noodles, and more to love
I’m a noodle and siopao person. Ask my husband who has to put up with my delivery orders whenever I fail at my kitchen duties. A good thing Rolly Fernandez is a beef and mami person, too. Otherwise, he’d starve, or fast, for a day. Pianist Najib Ismail, a certified foodie (just take a look...
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Experience Sorsogon one delicious bite at a time
Sorsogon at the southernmost tip of the Bicol Peninsula usually draws local and foreign tourists to its coastal fringes. Among the top seaside destinations are Donsol and its whale sharks, Paguriran Island in Sorsogon City, Subic beaches in Matnog, and the surfing hubs in Gubat. But there’s an alternative experience that visitors shouldn’t miss: a...
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Authentic French breads and pastries enliven the City of Pines
BAGUIO CITY—It’s common to see the end of the queue as you enter the parking lot—long before you get to the front doors—of L’Atelier du Grain in this mountain city. “We usually sell more than 3,000 kinds of breads and pastries per day in the weekends,” says co-owner Merna Brazil. At the helm of the...