The end of Filipino-American History Month Celebration here at THD will be in 2 days. Michael( see photo above) at the Concierge Staff informed me he have been to the Philippines and has a Barong. I told him to wear it before the end of the month so we can have a photo shoot. Today is the day. Here are the photos of Michael with his Filipino Barong and me with my Guayabera Mexican Shirt. The Guayabera is identical to the Barong except it has short sleeves. Here are the photos.
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This is my last posting celebrating Filipino-American History Month here at THD.
While looking up my previous articles on Filipino food, I found the following "non-serious take" on Filipino food, that only Filipinos will understand and enjoy. So my apology to my numerous non-filipino readers if this article does not ring a bell or tickle your funny bone. Anyway, you will learn a few names of Pinoy comfort dishes very popular to the Filipinos all over the world.
What is Filipino Food? Reprinted from www.myfilipinokitchen.com
Filipino food is not Chinese food. If it is, our Adobo (marinated meat) would be steamed chicken with soy sauce. It is neither Spanish food. If it is, we wouldn’t be eating rice like breathing air. Filipino food is not American food either. If it is, Jollibee would have bigger servings. True? If you don’t agree with me, next time you’re in NY try convincing the hotdog vendor that his dogs are not American hotdogs… in fact it is German because that’s where all the sausages come from. Then brace yourself.
Filipino food is filipino food. Adobo was just named "adobo" by the Spaniards because they can’t name the beast. Kinilaw (raw fish in vinegar and spices) has been with us for thousands of years that when the Japanese witnessed it wiggling on our native bamboo table they attacked Pearl Harbor just to get to us… a pretty smart move I tell you. And Sinigang (fish soup) is definitely a Filipino original because if you ask from what region this fish soup originated, you are definitely promoting a royal rumble, you should have brought a ring with you.
But then what is Filipino food really? I’ll give two points in the meantime.
Firstly, it is food for the crazy.
You can’t just eat the salty-sour Dinuguan (blood and guts stew) by itself, you have to eat it with the majestic – Puto (rice cake). There you go, you became beauty and the beast at the same time. You can’t just cook Kare-Kare (tripes and ox tail in peanut sauce) with enough salt to taste, you have to cook it bland and then eat it with the salty Bagoong (shrimp paste) as a condiment. You crazy, woman?
Secondly, it is food for the lazy.
Filipino food is made for Juan Tamad (Lazy)… and has a tendency to just put in any ingredient that is conveniently available. Would you believe me? No? I’ll prove my point. Adobo is a dish where you don’t do any cooking at all. You just throw them all together in a pot, put it on the fire, wait for the fruit to fall on the ground and- Voila! It’s cooked! Did you do any cooking? No. Except for putting vinegar in before the whole blob dries up. Ladies and Gents, Juan Tamad can now eat Adobo. If you are telling yourself that it is just me exaggerating, stop right now thank you very much, here’s another dish. Bulalo (beef shanks and marrow soup) is a dumper’s food like Adobo. Dump all the meat and bones in the pot and after 3 hours, dump the rest of the vegetables, cook for a little bit and Bob’s your uncle. You dumpster.
Crazy and Lazy could have been your cat and dog’s names but when it comes to cooking, those words mean cutting edge while painless. It’s crazy because it’s bursting with flavors. It’s lazy because it is chill out food. That’s me saying I want to live.
Anthony Bourdain on his recent trip to the Philippines was asking the question, ‘What is Filipino food?’ again and again and I felt so bad that no one can describe to him what we are eating! Somehow in the end, it turned out that we have a food identity crisis. And I wouldn’t even start talking about the Filipino identity. I’ll die of hunger before I can stop talking and start shoving food in my mouth. Don’t you just hate it when you’re supposed to eat and you can’t stop talking?
I’ll stop talking now. Let’s get to work and make adobo. *wink wink*.
And Now here's a more serious description of Filipino Food and Cuisine.
Filipino cuisine has developed from the different cultures that shaped its history; it is like other Southeast Asian cuisines but with heavy Spanish influence. Some ingredients of the Mexican cuisine, such as corn, tomato and chili, have also found their way to the Philippines.
Though its cuisine is not as renowned as many of its neighbours, such as that of Thailand and Vietnam, Filipino cooking is nonetheless distinct in that it is possibly the least spicy of all South East Asian cuisines.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that Filipino food is bland, though. It is just that instead of spices, Filipino food depends more on garlic, onions and ginger to add flavor to the dishes. Painstaking preparation and prolonged cooking time is also a characteristic of most Filipino dishes, and when done properly is often what brings out the flavor of the food, as opposed to a healthy dose of spices.
With over 7,500 islands, the cuisine of the Philippines is rather a mish-mash of hundreds of local, regional, and ethnic cuisines, and without any qualifiers, you would often think of ubiquitous dishes such as adobo, sinigang, lechon,and Filipino-Chinese dishes.
Filipinos prepare great-tasting food, especially on special occasions with visitors around. Filipino cuisine is a mesh between Chinese, Mexican, Malay, Spanish, Indian, and American cooking.
It usually consists of six meals per day, including breakfast, snacks, lunch, brunch, dinner, and a final reach toward snacks to end the day on a full stomach. Most Filipino dishes involve rice, which is served alongside other edibles.
Most Filipinos regularly use spoons, forks, and knives to eat their food. But, sometimes hands come into play when seafood is involved.
Some of their most popular dishes include:
- Chorizo,
- Lumpia,
- Paksiw (pork or fish in vinegar and other spices),
- Kare-kare (a stew made of ox-tail),
- Sinigang (soup delicacy made of pork, prawns, or fish), and
- Longanisa (sweet sausage).
On the other hand, some popular snacks are bibingka (rice cake made with margarine or butter), polvoron (powder candy), puto (rice cakes), and chocolate.
Visit this website for my favorite pinoy dishes: https://myfavoritepinoydishes.blogspot.com
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