By Cristina DC Pastor “I Am a Filipino” is best remembered as Carlos P. Romulo’s patriotic anthem. Where I went to school back in the day, we were required to memorize it and declaim it in front of the class, complete with knowing when to pause and when to enunciate the dramatic phrases. More than […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Consul General Claro Cristobal is not a layover kind of guy. A diplomat who has lived out of suitcases, he knows what he wants in his airport and airline. “I don’t like stopovers,” he declared before an audience of travel executives, community leaders, and journalists who attended the recent launch of […]
By Wendell Gaa My trip to this green and peaceful country on the far side of earth — known to fans of the “Lord of the Rings” as “Middle Earth” — gave me the wonderful opportunity to join several members of the Filipino-Kiwi community of Auckland, New Zealand at a special literary-and-culinary event. It was […]
Filipino Americans across the country have food in their hearts and on their minds: What we eat, how to cook them, and which restaurants to find the best Filipino dishes. In Washington D.C., a new book on Philippine cuisine, “The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from around the Globe,” made its debut on September […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Kare-Kare is Alexandra Cuerdo’s favorite comfort food. The filmmaker who spoke to almost a dozen chefs and presented their oral history in the food documentary “Ulam: Main Dish” said it’s her grandmother’s Kare-Kare she keeps coming back to. “It’s what I remember growing up, my lola’s Kare- Kare,” said Allie, 28, […]
Warek-Warek and Dinardaraan may sound like tongue twisters only because we do not know that they are the Ilocano renditions of Sisig and Dinuguan, respectively. On June 16, A Taste of Ilocano Food & Culture will unveil culinary specialties from the Philippines’ northern region. If Dinengdeng is the only Ilocano dish you know, you will […]
By Wendell Gaa With his trademark grin, cap and sci-fi T-shirt, Washington D.C. native Fred Corder — affectionately known as “That Guy” — was more than delighted to share with me the mouthwatering taste of ‘Maryland Chickan.’ It is chicken the way his grandma would make it: fresh, fried, with no MSG or extenders. The […]
By Rene Pastor Filipino chefs in NYC are mourning the death of celebrity chef and travel writer Anthony Bourdain who, according to news reports, hanged himself June 8 in a hotel in France. “Anthony Bourdain’s death is a tragic loss to the culinary world,” said Jappy Afzelius, executive chef at Tsismis, a Philippine-inspired tapas & […]
By Carina Evangelista On the subway ride to the restaurant, while I was coaxing Romy Dorotan to talk about childhood memories, I said I was curious about what memories he might have had around food as a child–say, if something had sated him so wonderfully after hunger. As we stuffed our faces with our sandwiches, […]