...the Singaporean food experience

Singaporean writes book on Filipino food

By Tonette Orejas
Inquirer Central Luzon

 April 1st, 2014

 

PHILIPPINE CUISINE AUTHOR. Singaporean Bryan Koh , 30, has written a three-volume book, “Milk Pig and Violet Gold (Philippine Cookery),” that is arranged according to the three main island groups Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. His inspiration in compiling recipes from Aparri town to Zamboanga City were his Filipino nannies who cooked “pinakbet,” “adobo,” “sinigang” and other Philippine dishes for his family when he was a young boy. PHOTOS BY E.I. REYMOND T. OREJAS/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON

ANGELES CITY, Philippines—On Saturday night when Singaporean Bryan Koh launched his book, “Milk Pigs and Violet Gold (Philippine Cookery),” Filipinos, including heritage-food chef Lilian Borromeo, were profuse with thanks.

Their gratitude to the 30-year-old Singaporean was well placed.

Koh must have been the first foreigner to produce a wide compilation of recipes painstakingly gathered from local cooks through meals in public markets, restaurants, carinderia (eateries), cafés and private kitchens from Aparri town in the northern tip of Luzon mainland to Zamboanga City in Mindanao.

Accompanying the recipes were good photographs, light accounts and a helpful glossary and index.

“It’s an authentic snapshot of Filipino cuisine,” Koh told the Inquirer, speaking of his three-volume book that is arranged according to the three main islands of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

It was copublished by Holy Angel University’s Center for Kapampangan Studies (CKS).

Koh remains humble even as his output of four years helps the world’s culinary community understand Filipino food.

“I did not want to come across as an authority. I’m on a journey. I’m just a scribe,” said Koh, a mathematics major from National University of Singapore, the same university where the idea for a Southeast Asian cookbook cropped up before he took up Master of Management in Hospitality at Cornell-Nanyang Institute.

The book’s title comes from what he calls two icons: the lechon de leche (roasted suckling pig) and ube (purple yam).

Inspired by nannies

Koh’s curiosity, later passion, for Filipino food was ignited by his Filipino nannies, Lydia Baltazar of La Union province and Evelyn Mendoza of Laguna province.

“This goes way back, from my yayas (nannies),” he said.

He was 2 years old when Baltazar worked for the Koh household beginning in 1986. She made adobo, sinigang and pinakbet weekly fares, he remembered.

Koh said Baltazar left in 1997 when she reached her 50s and moved to her relatives in Canada.

Mendoza cooked the same meals and introduced more fish dishes as she worked from 1997 until she left for Russia in 2009.

“They were two of the best cooks in the household. It’s a different experience when the cooking comes with care and love. I was fortunate to be exposed to such food,” Koh said.

He said he was grateful to his nannies because they allowed him to cook with them. “They gave me the foundations,” he said.

He honored them by relating how they cooked the family’s favorite meals.

It was when he took an assignment, as a freelance journalist, that he encountered The Farm, a place for wellness in San Benito in Lipa City in Batangas province, in 2008.



“After eating their raw food, I was completely riveted,” Koh said.

That was when he decided that he would write a Southeast Asian cookbook by starting with the Philippines “by learning more, going into the unexplored [cuisine] that few cookbooks pursued and understanding why Philippine food is misunderstood.”

Koh is a patient researcher, said retired advertising creative director Alex Castro.
‘Dinuguan’

“Two years ago, I got an e-mail signed ‘K. Bryan’ who asked for my mom’s recipe for tidtad (dinuguan or blood stew), which had two kinds of blood. He found this out from Ajinomoto’s book, ‘Pinoy Umami on Mekeni’s Meals,’” Castro said.

This, he said, began their friendship.

“[Koh] got around from the kindness of total strangers,” Castro said, pointing out that many Filipinos helped Koh complete his adventure.

 

Robby Tantingco, CKS executive director, said Koh documented the way the late Doreen Fernandez, Ana Besa and Claude Tayag did.

“Thanks for celebrating our cuisine,” Tantingco told Koh.

“He’s no more a stranger to the culinary delights of our country,” Castro said.


 

...the surfing destination

PH makes waves in world surfing map

Elaine Abonal on surfboard

By Norman Sison,
VERA Files


With over 7,100 islands to choose from, the Philippines is known for its postcard-lovely beaches. Of late, it has been making waves on the world map of surfing.

One Internet site, Wanna Surf (http://www.wannasurf.com/), describes the Philippines as "one of the last surfing frontiers". It lists 35 spots in the country. Fourteen of those are in Siargao Island alone, in the south.

San Juan town in La Union province is the northern Philippines' surfing capital. It is blessed with two surfing seasons — July to October and November to March — when waves spawned by the north swell crest from five to 12 feet.

Singapore-based Anne-Marie Bakker is often in San Juan with her white fiberglass board when she visits her parents' home in San Fernando City, less than half an hour south of San Juan. "Rain or shine, all the time I'm out there," says Bakker, whose cigar company, JB Global, champions Philippine-made cigars abroad and makes custom blends.

If she's not in San Juan, she is out in the water at her beachfront home. "It's hard not to be in the water and the elements when all is so near and tangible," says Bakker, who is half-Filipina and half-Dutch. Her love for surfing gave her an idea to put up a water company, Alon ("wave" in Filipino), also in Singapore.

At Urbiztondo Beach, resorts sport walls decorated with framed photos of big-name surfers and visitors. San Juan Surf Resort, which boasts of several trophies from past international surfing competitions, is home to Filipino-Australian surfer Luke Landrigan, who has flown the Philippine flag in competitions overseas.

"La Union became known abroad because of surfing," says local resident Joy Agustin-Oropesa, who hails from neighboring Bacnotan town, also a surfing spot. "Before surfing became popular, people just went to the beach during the summer. The beach is the province's only tourism attraction."

A Japanese started the surfing trend in La Union in the 1980s. Kazuo Akinaga, who was then working for a surfboard company, read about the Philippines in a magazine. He came, he surfed, he stayed. Today, he lives near the beach in San Juan. His dream: to produce surfboards "made in the Philippines" as most boards are imported and expensive.

Surfing was only what Elaine Abonal calls an "underground sport" when she took up the board 10 years ago. There were hardly any surfing schools and resorts back then, she recalls.

But things have changed. "More surf brands are coming to the Philippines because they know that there is a market here. There are more events and sponsors," says Abonal, who runs Surfista Travels
(http://www.surfistatravels.com/).

Local tourism in La Union is mostly dead during the rainy season. The province is often in the path of typhoons rampaging usually from the Pacific. But typhoons don't scare off everybody. "Surfing addicts are still at it even after a typhoon," says Oropesa. "Most of them are foreigners. The bigger the waves, the better."

This time of the year is for beginners aside from the usual beachgoers escaping the heat, when waves roll in much more gently, just enough to lift swimmers off their feet. But the sea still pounds the off white sand with a crash.

At the north end of Urbiztondo Beach, to avoid ramming swimmers, local tourists — including children — are on surfboards, lined up in the water, taking pointers from local instructors. They wait for that perfect wave and they get a helpful nudge from their instructors. Most wipe out after three seconds. Girls scream in delight as they go down with a big splash.

Aside from targeting surfers abroad, introducing surfing as a fun ride to locals has become a niche market for tour operators. "Surfing takes going to the beach to a whole new and meaningful level because you actually play with the sea or the ocean," says Abonal.

But surfing is not for everybody. It needs a certain skill set, time for travel and money. "Here in the Philippines, surfing is mostly marketed towards the 18-35 age bracket, associating the sport with the easygoing, beach lifestyle so many of us young professionals yearn for," says Cedric Valera, a managing partner at Travel Factor.

Travel Factor (http://www.travelfactor.org/) offers budget weekend tour packages, bringing visitors from Manila for a day of surfing in San Juan. Surfboards and lessons are included. You leave Manila on a Friday midnight in a van. It is a six-hour ride north. You have stopovers in Tarlac and Pangasinan provinces along the way for bathroom breaks and breakfast. You arrive in San Juan between 6 and 7 a.m., and you are on a surfboard by 9 a.m.

There are factors that come into play when selling surfing to local tourists. "A typical Filipino's idea of a beach is one that is safe, calm and suitable for swimming and frolicking around," says Valera. "Filipinos, in general, are scared of the water!"

Also, Filipinos don't like to travel during the monsoon season. However, that is when peak surfing conditions arrive.

As for selling the Philippines to experienced surfers abroad, the main consideration is the inconsistent quality of the waves. Philippine waters are fickle unlike those in Australia, Bali or Hawaii. So, the trick is to know when to visit.

There are things that make up for it, however, such as that world-renowned warm Filipino touch. "Some of our foreigner participants are so delighted with their one-on-one surfing lessons because their instructor is so kind, welcoming and caring compared to the instructors they enlisted in Bali or Australia," says Valera. "The Philippines has world-class surf spots. Couple that with our trademark Filipino hospitality and we've got ourselves something to offer to the world."




surf board sign

...the new ICC judge

Miriam elected as judge to Int'l Criminal Court

abs-cbnNEWS.com

12/13/2011

 MANILA, Philippines - Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has been elected as a judge in the International Criminal Court, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday morning. This marks the first time a female judge from a developing Asian country has been elected to the ICC.

“I will be the first Filipino to sit there. Plus, I will be the first Asian from a developing country. So this is an honor for the Philippines actually and for President Aquino who nominated me,” Santiago said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

Santiago won as judge in the ICC elections during the 10th session of the Assembly of States Parties in New York on Monday (US time).

“It’s really an achievement of our people there in the UN. It’s really our Department of Foreign Affairs that needs to be congratulated,” she said.

She topped the first round with 79 out of 104 votes, making her the first to be elected out of 18 candidates vying for 6 seats in the ICC Judicial Division.

Will not immediately resign

Winning a seat in the ICC would mean that Santiago would have to give up her post a member of the Philippine Senate. The new post has a 9-year term of office.

“I'd have to resign. But I don't have to resign immediately. People think that once I am elected I have to take the first plane out to The Hague and sit in a court. No. I will take my oath of office in March together with 6 other new judges. They are still in the process of being voted upon. The Philippines was number 1 in the first round of voting. That is something for the Philippines,” she said.

The senator added that the new ICC judges cannot assume office immediately “until we are officially called to report for work”.

“There are 18 judges in the ICC. The rule is, once a judge has participated in the trial of a case, he has to stay beyond his retirement date, until after the trial is finished.”

“That is why I will not leave the Philippine Senate immediately.

 I might stay for 6 months or a year or more. I can continue my work in the Senate but once I am called to The Hague I will resign,” she said.

'More than qualified'

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario hailed Santiago's victory, saying the senator is more than qualified for the post of ICC judge.

“Dr. Santiago is eminently qualified. She has shown competence and commitment in defense of the rule of law. She has demonstrated her intelligence and legal acumen through her decisions that have been cited by the Philippine Supreme Court. She has shown independence and integrity in her actions. She is more than qualified for this position,” del Rosario said.

“This is the message that we emphasized in the campaign. We are pleased that the international community has listened to us. Indeed, it is a new day for the Philippines, a day of pride for our country and a day of honor, knowing that this is a tremendous responsibility and mandate placed upon our compatriot."

Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan, likewise, praised Santiago's win. “Dr. Santiago’s triumph is a victory for the entire Philippines and a demonstration of the international community’s complete faith and confidence in her outstanding abilities and of the country’s commitment to the global fight against impunity... We are elated that a Filipina will sit as Judge at the International Criminal Court." - With report from ANC, Don Tagala, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau 

...the champion painter

Filipina, 13, hailed best out of 600,000 in United Nations painting contest

By: Dexter R. Matilla
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

A very mature, yet simple, take on the global state of forests helped 13-year-old Trisha Co Reyes to bring home 1st Place in the 20th International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep).

Reyes’ work shows a young girl parting gray curtains filled with pictures of the devastation and death brought about by floods, which, as the young artist perhaps intended, is caused by the excessive cutting of trees. Behind the curtains she sees an ideal world filled with lush greens and with animals in peaceful coexistence.

“My painting shows two sides: a good and sustainable forest, and the causes of forest destruction,” says Reyes. “Forests are essential for life on earth, but [today] the destruction of the forest has become a worldwide problem. We must treasure the earth’s greatest biological treasure, so that we will always have forests in our lives.”

Reyes, who aspires to be a pediatrician, adds it is her love for walking through the forests that served as her inspiration, and she hopes people would start planting trees and appreciate the value of forests so that in the future her “little patients will enjoy the good health” she wants them to have.

This year is also declared by Unep as the International Year of Forests and Reyes says it is a noble cause that makes people aware of the need to preserve the forest before it is totally destroyed.

“Through art, children like me can express our stand to help save our forests,” Reyes says. “Because forests are essential for life on earth, they give us shade and shelter, medicines, refuge and refreshment, clean air and water.”

The student from St. Stephen’s School received $2,000 in prize money and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Tunza International Children and Youth Conference on the Environment in Bandung, Indonesia, where she will formally receive her award.

The 2011 International Children’s Painting Competition, with the theme “Life in the Forests,” has seen over three-million children from some 100 countries participate by painting their hopes for the environment, damaged through the years, portraying how they hope to solve the problems that include pollution, habitat destruction, deforestation.

...the Canada's best chess bet

Pinoy teen Canada's bet in intl chess tilt

07/30/2011
GMA News

An 18-year-old Filipino will represent Canada at the World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil this November, after topping the Canadian Youth Chess Championship in Toronto earlier this month.

Loren Laceste bagged the championship less than two years after he and his family settled in Canada from Santo Tomas town in La Union province in the Philippines.

“It was the toughest I’ve played so far," Loren said of his latest win over international master Arthur Calugar, according to an article posted on Philippine Asian News Today.

One of the challenges waiting for Laceste, who recently graduated with honors from Carson Graham Secondary in North Vancouver, is raising enough funds for his trip to Brazil.

“Sana ho matulungan kami [ng] ating mga kababayan para sa travel costs to Brazil at makabili ng laptop for Loren to use for chess game analysis of his opponent," said Melchor, Loren’s father.

Melchor, a custodian at Capilano College in Canada, said he taught Loren to play chess when he was young.

He said his son is now training for his next matches by playing chess online, and will play tune-up matches in British Columbia tournaments at the end of July and at Thanksgiving.

The elder Laceste can be reached via email at melchorlaceste@rocketmail.com or by phone at 604-339-4079. — JE, GMA News