Restaurant that Feed the Soul in the Philippines

"Sister Evangeline Paras head chef of the Ristorante delle Mitre (Restaurant of the Mitre) shows a roasted chicken dish for customers in the Philippines’ only Catholic-themed restaurant

The following is an article from the Gulf Times, Qatar dated June 8, 2011. It is titled Philippine restaurant seeks to feed the soul. I found it very interesting and a unique concept worthy of reprinting in one of my blogs. Here's the article:

"In the Philippines’ only Catholic-themed restaurant, Sister Evangeline Paras aims to enrich the soul as much as excite the palate. As head chef, the Theresian nun oversees operations at the Ristorante delle Mitre (Restaurant of the Mitre) and a menu made in honour of the Catholic church’s bishops but priced to suit all members of the flock.

The restaurant, which opened last year, aims to bring the church closer to the people in Asia’s bastion of Catholicism at a time when controversies such as sexual abuse scandals have alienated many believers.

“We want to show the positive side of the church... I consider this another ministry of the church,” Paras said amid frenzied cooking by her five assistants in the well-lit kitchen.
“It also gives you a glimpse of how the priests and bishops live, what they do and how they eat.”
In the dining area, waiters move quickly between tables, explaining the story behind each dish on the menu to an eclectic crowd, from labourers and unionists in casual clothes to smartly-dressed bankers.
Several hearing and speech-impaired workers under the restaurant’s equal opportunities programme also engage diners with animated hand gestures.
Hanging on the walls are photographs in sepia of the church’s past and present bishops and cardinals, as well as various memorabilia celebrating Catholicism in the Philippines.
A pianist plays “Amazing Grace”, a popular Christian hymn written by English clergyman John Newton in the 18th Century.
The soothing music envelopes the restaurant in a religious ambiance that is occasionally broken by the clanking of utensils and the muffled voices of orders being barked in the kitchen.
The name of the restaurant is derived from bishops’ hats that are their symbol of authority. The glass-encased mitres of three late Filipino prelates nominated for beatification are displayed in a corner, while a bookcase full of religious tomes offers diners a history of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
A life-sized mannequin in a cardinal’s vestments stares from a corner, towering over an altar with statues of the baby Jesus and Mother Mary.
“There is a certain charm to the idea that you are eating at a blessed place,” said Marissa Castro, 28, a banker based in Australia who was paying her third visit to the restaurant since coming back home for a holiday.
“It certainly is a unique restaurant.”
Businesswoman Elvira Go, who collaborated with the church to put up the restaurant, said the place was conceptualised when she and some bishop friends went on a pilgrimage to the Vatican several years ago.
They had frequented a small cafe where the clergy went, and the idea of putting up a similar place in Manila stuck.
The Philippines is the most obvious place in Asia to set up such a restaurant, with about 80% of the country’s 94mn people Catholic thanks to its former status as Spanish colony.
Go’s intention was just to put up a small canteen at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines building located inside the old Itramuros Spanish fortress of Manila.
But the plan soon got the endorsement of the bishops conference’s 120 members, some of whom asked friends to donate their time and services to the project. With no previous experience running a restaurant, Go said the biggest challenge was the menu -- the bishops stated that the food must be affordable to the common labourer without sacrificing quality.
“But one night when the bishops were having dinner, the holy spirit suddenly gave me inspiration,” Go said.
“So I went around the table and asked everyone what their favourite dishes were, and I was struck at how simple and doable they were.”
The result was an interesting mix of dishes with diverse influences, from Italian-inspired pasta to a fusion of Asian, Western and uniquely Filipino food.
Among the favourites is salmon in tamarind stew, crispy pork legs deep fried to a golden brown and other Filipino fare with prices ranging from 100 pesos to 500 pesos.
A 35-peso (less than a dollar) budget meal set is also offered, which will give one two dishes plus rice and the day’s chosen drink. But there are also pricey set meals which include a selection of soups, salads, steaks, pasta and seafoods from prawns to lobsters.
Ice creams, breads, pizzas and pastries are also freshly made in a backroom bakery.
Overseeing all the food is Paras, formerly the personal cook of Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, one of the country’s most senior spiritual leaders, who agreed to place her on loan to the restaurant.
The portly nun with an easy-going manner came from a small family in the impoverished island province of Marinduque, where she earned a degree in home economics from a local college.
Paras, 37, became a nun in 1991 and a decade later was asked to manage a religious retreat house, where her impressive cooking skills caught the attention of the cardinal.
“Cooking for God’s people has always been my calling,” Paras said.
She honed her craft by poring over cookbooks and experimenting on a fusion of local and international dishes.
“You just have to cook with passion, with your whole heart and prepare every dish as you would for your loved ones,” she said ".

There is nothing I can add to the above article but will definetly visit the restaurant the next time we are in the Philippines. Oh yes, I almost forgot to congratulate fellow Marinduqueno Sister E Paras on her culinary expertise and job well done!

Bullfighting and Cockfighting in Manila in the 1890s

While doing a web search on the Philippine-American War of 1899, two items attracted my attention, bullfighting and cockfighting. The first item is gone in the Filipino lives and culture for quite a long time. However, cockfighting remains ingrained into the Filipino mind, that is why it very popular gambling activity for a lot of Filipinos today. It is almost a national sport in the country side. A lot of money is lost or won every weekend in almost all towns and cities in the Philippines from cockfighting festivities. I wrote an article on my first cockfighting experience along with my two American-born kids, 2 grand kids and son-in-law about two years ago in this blog (see below for a short excerpt). That first cockfight experience in Marinduque will be the last time, I will put myself near a cockfighting arena. Here's a short paragraph on bullfighting in Manila in the 1890s.

"The bull ring was located in Paco district. An American writer who was in the Philippines in 1898-99, Joseph L. Stickney, described the state of the sport in the country: "Neither Spanish bull-fighters nor Spanish bulls are brought to the island, so that native talent has to be obtained to play both roles. The bulls are timid and lazy, the bull-fighters are little better, so that the traveler does not see bullfighting of the same sort that he would in Spain, Cuba or Mexico."

Here's a reprint of my first cockfighting experience in Marinduque

I grew up in the Philippines, until I was 25 years old. But I have never attended a cockfighting tournament. When I was growing up my parents instructed me never to go inside the arena or else I get a beating in the buttocks. However, without my parents knowledge, my friend and I were outside the arena a number of times where there are stalls selling merienda's( Filipino cakes and balot) and other goodies. So outside the arena, I could still remember the noise and commotion inside when the winner is announced in my mind even until today.

It was only two years ago, when we celebrated our Golden wedding anniversary that I attended a cockfighting tournament in Marinduque. This was the first request of my two sons, nephew to be (boy friend of my niece) and son-in-law who all grew up in US. They have heard and read about it, so they were really curious. So the first Sunday of their visit in Marinduque, I took them to my first cockfighting experience. We were accompanied by a local relative who was a cockfighting enthusiast and a semi-addict of this bloody sport and gambling activity in the Philippines.

WOW! What an experience! The crowds were 99.9% male. There were only three women out of about 300 gamblers. My son-in-law and "nephew to be" were the only white-skinned males(gringos) in the crowd. Of course my son-in-law who is 6 feet and 6 inches tall stuck out like a sore thumb with his height and bald head. At first I really did not understand what was going on, as the attendees were all shouting their bets to the bet taker almost at the same time. But I heard the bet taker never makes a mistake. What a memory! There were two sides, MAYRON or WALA. When I was growing up, the two opposing sides were “ SA PULA and SA PUTI”.

MAYRON means you have something and WALA means you have nothing. PULA means red and PUTI means white, indicating the opposite color of the roosters. But sometimes the roosters have the same color, so this was abandoned to the current mayron or wala as the two opposing sides.

Anyway, the noise was so deafening once a winner or a “kill” was declared. It sounded like a thousand males had an orgasmic experience all at the same time. It was so loud, that I had to cover my ears. I enjoyed more watching the antics of the crowd than the actual cockfights except for the moment of kill. After a few of these bouts, I got tired, so I went outside the arena. In the meantime, my guests were betting and enjoying themselves. We stayed for only about an hour since I was getting tired due to the noise, the heat and humidity in the arena. My son won about $10, but my son-in-law lost $15. They had a grand and fantastic time. I did not!

I will never attend a cockfighting tournament again, I just don't like the gambling atmosphere and the smell of the place(amoy pawis). My preference in gambling are the casinos not the cockfighting tournaments. It was however, an experience worthy of posting in this blog. Cockfighting also reminded me of bull fighting in Spain, that I attended about ten years ago. I loved the bull fights, not the cock fights.

Six Delightfully Named Places in US and other Parts of the World

1. No Name, Colorado
150 miles west of Denver along I-70 lies a tiny little town that people were too lazy to bother naming. Therefore, it is simply called No Name, Colorado. Population: a whopping 123.



2. Boring, Oregon
This is one of those unfortunate towns named after some old dude (W. H. Boring…really), long before the old dude’s name came to mean something else in the English language. Or at least, we’re going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that “boring” didn’t mean then what it does today. Otherwise that’s just stupid.



3. Hell, Michigan, which is about 15 miles from Ann Arbor, has been around for a long time. There are two predominant theories as to the origin of it’s unique name, and both are stupid. One theory holds that some German travelers were overheard saying “so schön hell” (“so beautifully bright”), so some stupid locals started calling it Hell. The other theory posits that, when the founder was asked what to call the town, he said “I don’t care. You can name it Hell for all I care.” So they did. Like I said, stupid theories.


4. Anus, France
If anyone in this little medieval town had a sense of humor or entrepreneurial spirit, they’d be selling “I Heart Anus (France)” t-shirts by the side of the road.

Fucking, Austria
5. Fucking, Austria
In 1070 this town was called Vucchigen. It was called Fukching in 1303, Fugkhing by 1532 and, finally, Fucking by the 1900s. So you see, it took a long, long time for the German language to evolve to the point where “Fucking, Austria” became totally hilarious. Today, the sign at the entrance of town is the most sought-after object d’art for Americans backpacking through Europe (because it looks sweet on dorm walls).

Bald Knob, Arkansas
6. Bald Knob, Arkansas
Coming in at #6 is Bald Knob, Arkansas. With a population of 3,210, this metropolis dwarfs the previous two poorly-named municipalities. I wonder what residents of this town call themselves—Bald Knobbers? Bald Knobbians? Bald Knobbites? Whatever it is, I bet it sounds dirty.

Besides the above six, I have posted short articles on Intercourse, PA, French Lick, Indiana and Dildo, Newfoundland, Canada.
I hope I made your day! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Note: This is #5 to #10 of a series of articles on delightfully named places in US and other parts of the world.

Frequently Ask Questions about Dual Citizenship( Filipino-American)

The other day, one of my long time friend here in Northern California was asking me how to apply and what are the advantages of dual citizenship.( Philippines and American). Here is my answer to her from the article Frequently Asked Questions Relating to the Reacquisition of Philippine Citizenship under Republic Act 9225, published by The Philippines Consulate General Office.

1. Who are eligible dual citizens? Natural-born Filipinos who have lost their Philippine citizenship by naturalization in a foreign country, and their unmarried children who are below 18 years of age are eligible under Republic Act No. 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003.

2. What is the procedure in applying and what documents are required in order to apply? (a) Applicant shall present a copy of his/her Birth Certificate issued or duly-authenticated by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in Manila.

(Note: applicants who are based in the United States can request for an authenticated birth certificate from the National Statistics Office on-line through the following website: www.ecensus.com.ph)

In case of no records found, applicant must present a Certificate of Non-Availability of Birth Record from the NSO and other secondary documentary proof of being a former natural-born Filipino citizen (e.g. old Philippine passport, baptismal certificate, marriage certificate of applicant’s parents)

(b) Applicant accomplishes form entitled “Petition for Dual Citizenship and Issuance of Identification Certificate (IC) pursuant to RA 9225” and attaches three (3) 2”x2” photographs showing the front, left side and right side views of the applicant.

(c) Applicant submits duly-accomplished petition to the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago together with the photos, birth certificate and a valid ID.

(Note: applicants who are married and who wish to use their married names must submit a copy of their marriage certificate).

(d) Applicant pays a processing fee of US$ 50.00 and is assigned a schedule for his/her oath of allegiance before a consular officer. Applicant takes his/her oath.

(e) Applicant is given the original copy of his notarized oath of allegiance together with an Order of Approval issued by the Philippine Consulate General.

(f) The Philippine Consulate General forwards to the Bureau of Immigration in Manila the petition, oath, order of approval, and other supporting documents for issuance of an Identification Certificate.

(g) The Bureau of Immigration issues an Identification Certificate (IC) and forwards it to the applicant through the Philippine Consulate General.

3. What rights and privileges will dual citizens enjoy? Those who retain or reacquire their Philippine Citizenship under RA 9225 shall enjoy full civil and political rights and be subject to all attendant liabilities and responsibilities under existing laws of the Philippines and the following conditions:

(a) Those intending to exercise their right of suffrage must meet the requirements under Section 1, Article V of the Constitution, Republic Act No. 9189, otherwise known as “The Overseas Absentee Voting Act 0f 2003” and other existing laws.

(b) Under the Act, the right to vote or be elected or appointed to any public office in the Philippines cannot be exercised by, or extended to, those who are candidates for or are occupying any public office in the country of which they are naturalized citizens and/or those who are in active service as commissioned or non-commissioned officers in the armed forces of the country which they are naturalized citizens.
(b) Those seeking elective public office in the Philippines shall meet the qualifications for holding such public office as required by the Constitution and existing laws and, at the time of filing of the certificate of candidacy, make a personal and sworn renunciation of any and all foreign citizenship before any public officer authorized to administer an oath.

(c) Those appointed to any public office shall subscribe and swear to an oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines and its duly constituted authorities prior to their assumption of office: Provided, That they renounce their oath of allegiance to the country where they took that oath;

4. As a dual citizen, can I own land in the Philippines? Is there a limit as to the area or size of the land or real property which I could purchase under my name?As provided for under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, there is no limit as to the area or size of the land or real property, which a Filipino citizen may acquire or purchase under his/her name. Naturally, this principle applies to former Filipinos who reacquire their citizenship under RA 9225.

5. As a dual citizen, how long can I stay in the Philippines? Having reacquired your citizenship, you can stay in the Philippines for as long as you want without having to pay an immigration fees. You can even choose to retire or permanently settle back in the Philippines. As a Filipino citizen, you are subject to duties and other obligations imposed on other ordinary Filipinos, such as paying the necessary community tax residence and other tax liabilities in accordance with the tax laws of the Philippines.

6. Will I have to pay income taxes for my earnings here in the United States?In accordance with current tax laws of the Philippines, all income derived by Filipino citizens from sources abroad are not subject to income taxes.

7. As a dual citizen, am I allowed to practice my profession in the Philippines (e.g. doctor) ? Under the law, those intending to practice their profession in the Philippines shall apply with the proper authority for a license or permit to engage in such practice.

8. After I reacquire my citizenship, are my minor, unmarried children also considered as Filipino citizens? Under Section 4 (Derivative Citizenship) of Republic Act 9225, the unmarried child, whether legitimate, illegitimate or adopted, below eighteen (18) years of age, of those who re-acquire Philippine citizenship shall also be deemed citizens of the Philippines. Applicants who have unmarried minor children should submit copies of the birth certificates of their children upon filing of the petition.

9. If I need to get more details on the rules and procedures for the implementation of RA 9225, which government office do I contact in the Philippines? Under Administrative Order No. 92 Series of 2004 dated 12 January 2004, the Bureau of Immigration has been designated as the government agency in charge of formulating the rules and procedures for the implementation of Republic Act No.9225. The contact details of Immigration Commissioner Alipio F. Fernandez are as follows: Office of the COmmisioner, Bureau of Immigration, Magallanes Drive, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. (Tel. No. (63)2 527-3265 / Fax No. (63-2) 527-3279)

Little Manila in Stockton, California

There is section in downtown Stockton( China Town), California called Little Manila. Macrine and I had been to this historic site a number of times when we were still residing in Modesto, way back in the late 1970's. It is a historic site and the video below shows that a group of Filipino-American residents in the area are working hard to preserve this section in the City of Stockton. Do not forget to view the related videos illustrating the struggles of Filipino workers and immigrants in the early 1930's in Stockton, California.

Preserving Little Manila in California

Timeliness in Filipino-American Relations in US

Obama and his Immigration Reform
Do you know that the first Filipinos in North America landed in Morro Bay near San Luis Obispo, California in 1587? The following are historic timeliness in Philippines-American History. Note the dates are up only up to 2006. Do you know of another historic event on Filipino-American relationships from 2006 to the present? Please add your comment to the following listing.

1587, first Filipinos in North America landed in Morro Bay near San Luis Obispo, California
1763, first permanent Filipino settlements established in North America near Barataria Bay in southern Louisiana
1781, Antonio Miranda Rodriguez chosen a member of the first group of settlers to establish the City of Los Angeles, California
1898, United States annexes the Philippines
1899, Philippine-American War begins
1903, first Pensionados, Filipinos invited to attend college in the United States on American government scholarships, arrive
1906, first Filipino laborers migrate to the United States to work on the Hawaiian sugarcane and pineapple plantations, California and Washington asparagus farms, Washington lumber, Alaska salmon canneries
1920s, Filipino labor leaders organize unions and strategic strikes to improve working and living conditions
1933, California Civil Code, section 60, amended to prohibit marriages between between white persons and members of the Malay race (i.e. Filipinos). (Stats. 1933, p. 561.)
1936, Philippines becomes self-governing. Commonwealth of the Philippines inaugurated
1939, Washington Supreme Court rules unconstitutional the Anti-Alien Land Law of 1937 which banned Filipino Americans from owning land
1946, Philippines becomes independent. Republic of the Philippines inaugurated; America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan published
1955, Peter Aduja becomes first Filipino American elected to office becoming a member of the Hawai'i State House of Representatives
1956, Bobby Balcena becomes first Filipino American to play Major League baseball, for the Cincinnati Reds
1965, Congress passes Immigration and Nationality Act to facilitate ease of entry for skilled Filipino laborers
1965, Delano grape strike begins when members of Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, mostly Filipino farm workers in Delano, California walked off the farms of area table grape growers demanding wages on level with the federal minimum wage. Labor leader Philip Vera Cruz subsequently served as second vice president and on the managing board of the United Farm Workers.
1974, Benjamin Menor appointed first Filipino American in a state's highest judiciary office as Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court
1975, Governor John A. Burns (D-HI) convinces Benjamin J. Cayetano to run and win a seat in the Hawaii State Legislature, despite Cayetano's doubts about winning office in a white and Japanese American dominated district; Kauai's Eduardo E. Malapit elected first Filipino American mayor
1981. Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes were both assassinated on June 1, 1981 inside a Seattle downtown union hall. The late Philippine Dictator Ferdinand Marcos hired gunmen to murder both ILWU Local 37 officers to silence the growing movement in the United States opposing the dictatorship in the Philippines.
1987, Benjamin J. Cayetano becomes the first Filipino American and second Asian American elected Lt. Governor of a state of the Union
1990, David Mercado Valderrama becomes first Filipino American elected to a state legislature on the mainland United States serving Prince George's County in Maryland
1991, Seattle's Gene Canque Liddell becomes first Filipino American woman to be elected mayor serving the suburb of Lacey City
1992, Velma Viloria becomes first Filipino American and first Asian American elected to the Washington State Legislature
1993, Mario R. Ramil appointed Associate Justice to the Hawai'i Supreme Court, the second Filipino American to reach the court
1994, Benjamin J. Cayetano becomes the first Filipino American and second Asian American elected Governor of a state of the Union
1999, US Postal worker Joseph Ileto murdered in a hate crime by Aryan Nations member Buford Furrow
2000, Robert Bunda elected Hawai'i Senate President and Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. appointed Hawai'i State Supreme Court Justice
2003, Philippine Republic Act No. 9225, also known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003 enacted, allowing natural-born Filipinos naturalized in the United States and their unmarried minor children to reclaim Filipino nationality and hold dual citizenship
2006, Congress passes legislation that commemorates the 100 Years of Filipino Migration to the United States
I would be delighted to see a Filipino-American in Obama's cabinet as well as in several Federal Offices in Washington, D.C soon or perhaps after the 2012 election, if he gets reelected.