Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinks

There Will Be Food, or, My Giant Face

A few things I learned after my appearance on Kababayan LA:

1. Apparently, Daniel Day Lewis won some sort of an award.
2. Kababayan LA's Oh So Lovely Host, Ms. Jannelle So, is Oh So Lovelier in the flesh.
3. The camera doesn't only add 10 pounds, it adds a giant fat face to otherwise semi-normal and proportionate food blogger bodies.

With all that said, I still had a very good time taping my segment about "blogging." Like I mentioned in my previous post, I really had no idea what to expect going into this. And when I arrived at the LA 18 studios yesterday, I only met with the Oh So Lovely Ms. So for 2, maybe 3, minutes before I went on camera.

During this short meeting, the Oh So Lovely Ms. So explained that she would be asking me the "positives and negatives" of blogging--and that was pretty much all the notice I got as far as what I'd be asked. It seemed pretty general, but I figured I could handle it and get some of my points across.

Also during this briefing, the Oh So Lovely Ms. So said that she had forgotten that she would be doing an Oscar wrap-up show that day and that I probably wouldn't be on for very long--which in all honesty, was kind of a relief to me.  I was extremely nervous at this point and figured that the less time I was on camera the better.

After our little impromptu chat, the petite, red-clad hostess left me to my own devices in the green room while she went on camera to conduct an over-the-phone-interview with another guest for that day's show--a Pinoy news anchor from the BBC.

At this point, my nerves were really getting the best of me. I knew that in a couple of minutes, I'd be called in for my on-camera interview. I was doing everything I could to not piss myself.

Burnt Lumpia on TV

This Monday, February 25 I will be making an appearance on (very, very, very local) television--sans the charred lumpia hiding my identity.

Seriously.

If you happen to live in Southern California, and will be at home this coming Monday at 4:30pm, then you will be able to see yours truly on the local Asian station here: LA 18 KSCI-TV.

For some strange reason, I've been asked to make one appearance on the Pinoy television show "Kababayan LA".  For those of you that don't know, "LA" stands for Los Angeles. Oh, you knew that? Of course. For those of you that don't know, the word "Kababayan" translates to "townmate", but on a bigger scale it can mean "countryman," "compatriot," or my own preferred meaning of "homie".

Kababayan LA is described on its website as:

Southern California’s First and ONLY Pinoy Daily TV Show! Each day, host Jannelle So talks to the most interesting and exciting personalities making news around the Filipino community. Watch Kababayan LA weekdays for the latest local and Filipino news as well as the hottest entertainment, gossip and music.

I'm not sure how I fit into all of that. Sure, some may (mistakenly) say that I'm interesting and/or exciting, but I like to think that I was asked on so we can gossip about Britney Spears. Or maybe not...

Filipino Wine, Filipino Food

For home consumption, I very rarely purchase bottles of wine for over $10. Rarer still are my purchases of wine for over $20. And when I'm at a nice restaurant, I use my ol' standby for ordering wine: I tap my chin with my forefinger, cock an eyebrow skyward, then order the cheapest bottle on the wine list (it's a classy move).

As I've mentioned many times in this space before, I prefer my brain cells to die by way of fermented grains rather than fermented grapes--I would much rather spend my money on good beer than iffy wine.

It's not that I don't like wine, or don't enjoy wine. It's just that, honestly, besides the generalities, I don't know anything about wine. And when indulging in Filipino food, I instinctively clear my gullet by reaching for the nearest cold beer--be it a San Mig or one of my favorite microbrews.

With all that said, I had to put my predilection for cheap wine aside after discovering a particularly intriguing winery--a winery that promotes the pairing of Filipino food with wine.

Yes, you read that right.

Wine pairing with Filipino food.

It's a concept that many of us, myself included, have never even considered. But it's a concept that perhaps more Filipinos should start experimenting with. Although our cuisine has historically been enjoyed with beer, Filipino food is equally delicious when paired with wine.

Mac On Some Ube Cupcakes

I started Burnt Lumpia a year ago today. Strange, I know.

At the time, I really didn't know what I was doing (that's not to say I know what I'm doing now). But I knew I wanted to learn, I wanted to cook, and I wanted to write about what it was that I learned and cooked (and maybe poke fun at my family along the way).

I honestly had no long-term plans for this blog. I didn't think I'd have the time to experiment, research, cook, write and maintain a blog. After all, that would cut into my busy schedule of, uh, hmmmm. Well, it would at least cut into my beer drinking. But then I figured out that I could experiment, research, cook, write, and maintain a blog whilst enjoying liquid gold! Oh beer! A glorious beverage of convenience you are!

Anyhoo, I initially thought that after a couple of silly posts I'd slowly fade away. "Eh, I'll give it a couple months," I thought. But then, something funny happened.

The more I learned and cooked, the more I wanted to write and share. And vice versa. It was a vicious cycle. But I was enjoying myself. And, inexplicably, people started to respond to me.

So, I wanted to send a big thanks to all of you who check into this here blog on the regular. Thanks for sending me tips in emails and in the comments section--I learn quite a lot from my readers. And thanks to all you lurkers out there too (I see you! I've got a magic romper room mirror!).

As a sign of gratitude, I made something. I wish I could tell you that I felled a bull with a swift kick to his groin, quartered him with a machete, then pan seared some of his muscle mass for a bloody steak. But instead, I baked cupcakes.

Ube Cupcakes.

I know. Not as cool sounding as killing a bull. But that's what I get for starting this thing on Valentine's Day. Egads!

Strange Times, and Pigging Out at The Oinkster

Delightfully unexpected things I thought I would never see in my lifetime:

• The arrival of a grizzly Spaniard bringing new hope to La La land.
• Portman and Johansson in the same movie at the same time. (woohoo!)
• A black dude and a white chick making a case for themselves as the next possible U.S. president.
• Ube prominently featured in a non-Pinoy restaurant.

Strange, no? But, inexplicably, all of these things seemed to simultaneously materialize as I read the newspaper while lunching on the outside patio at The Oinkster today.

The Oinkster is a pastrami joint in Eagle Rock that I've been meaning to check out for the last year or so. But, thanks to a general lack of geographical knowledge (I had no idea it was so close to where I work) it's taken me quite a while to make a pilgrimage to this piggy purveyor.

Although I've heard good things about The Oinkster's pastrami sandwiches and pulled-pork sandwiches and Belgian-style fries, hearing about something else on The Oinkster's menu was what initially piqued my interest:

Ube Milkshakes.

Yes, milkshakes. Made from sweet Filipino purple yams. At a pastrami joint no less!  Learning this bit of information had me perplexed. But, it turned out that this wasn't such a strange occurrence after all. After consulting with The Goog, I found out that the owner of The Oinkster is Filipino American. Now I really had to try this place out.