Burnt Lumpia

In Like A Lion...

As indicated by the three measly recipes I've posted so far this year (here, here, and here), I haven't been in the kitchen much as of late. My absence from the Burnt Lumpia Worldwide Headquarters Kitchen is not due to a lack of motivation or hunger (OK, maybe a little bit).

In all truthfulness though, my winter has been very, uh, eventful. As the saying goes, In like a lion... I suppose.

Note: Not an actual lion.

I've been generally busy, but the events that have really kept me out of the kitchen and away from my blog range from terribly bad (this economy is a mother-effing bitch!), to wonderfully good (woohoooo!). And yes, I'm being very vague on purpose--I'll share more later (maybe).

But I did want to check in and let everyone know that I'll be back to posting recipes regularly, answering comments, and visiting everyone's wonderful blogs very soon--I just have to catch my breath is all. Spring is just around the corner, better days ahead... out like a lamb.

Theme Magazine

Theme Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine based out of Brooklyn, NY that focuses on contemporary Asian culture. True to it's name, each issue of the magazine follows a different theme.

The current theme for the current Theme is "For the Love of Food." And, as luck would have it, I happen to be mentioned in a wonderfully written piece by food writer, Drew Lazor, entitled "Gastroporn."

In the article, Lazor talks about the growth and popularity of food blogs, and touches on a few different types of food blogs like Serious Eats, gas•tron•o•my, FriedWontons4u, Gastroanthropology, Rasa Malaysia, Lunch with Front Studio, Midtown Lunch, and yours truly.

In addition to finding the above article online, Theme also features a soundtrack of food-related songs that I'm actually listening to right now. (You're looking good fly colored Asian.)

The Food Issue of Theme Magazine is out on newsstands now, so do pick up a copy and check the magazine out.

For The Birds

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

1. I will definitely be cutting my hair, as in like, this weekend.
2. Next time I do anything via Skype, I will lean back a few feet from my webcam.
3. I will never again do a TV segment in the same room as any loud pets (this will be explained further, below).

Despite the above, this most recent appearance went pretty well compared to my first appearance on Kababayan LA. I actually got to talk a bit about my blog and about Filipino food. And while Janelle and her producers could see me (upper half only, wink-wink) via my webcam, I, sadly, couldn't see the Oh So Lovely Ms. So from my end--I was only able to hear her voice.

Anyways, here's the vid:

Kababayan LA: The Return of Burnt Lumpia!

A few of you may remember that I made an appearance last year on a (very, very, very) local television show called Kababayan L.A.

And if you are one of the two or three people that remember that little factoid, you may also recall that the interview kinda fell short in that I really didn't have a lot of time to talk about Filipino food--the conversation, for whatever reason, centered around the very general topic of blogging.

Despite the little hiccup of a food blogger not talking much about food, I chalked the whole thing up to experience and appreciated that I got to sit a few feet away from the Oh So Lovely Ms. Janelle So.

As it turns out, the Oh So Lovely Ms. So contacted me again very recently and asked me to come back on the show. Why ask me back? I initially assumed that she had the hots for me. But she vehemently denied that over the phone when we spoke.

The real reason she asked me back on Kababayan L.A. is because she wanted me to partake in the show's new segment called "Viral Thursdays" (I didn't make that name up, though I wish I did) in which she talks to bloggers.

Besides my hair don't, a few other things will be different on my second appearance on Kababayan L.A.:

• I insisted that we talk about Filipino food. We'll see how that goes.
• I won't be in studio. Instead I'll be interviewed via Skype and my webcam. I imagine the show's producers want me as far away as possible from the Oh So Lovely Ms. So.
• I may opt to go sans pants (it's just another Thursday for me), on account of only my upper half being visible.

Since I'll be in the comfort of my own home, I'm not too stressed about this like I was last year. But that isn't a guarantee I won't make an ass of myself.

Anyways, if anyone in SoCal is going to be at home on Thursday Feb. 19, tune into LA 18 at 4:30pm to watch me on Kababayan L.A.

And if you miss the show, I'll post the vid when it becomes available.

No Reservations Update

Hello Everyone. Just wanted to provide a quick update on the No Reservations: Philippines episode. In my last update, I said that episode would air on the Travel Channel on February 9, but I've just been informed that that has changed. On February 9, a No Reservations: Food Porn episode will air instead (mmmmm, food porn).

No Reservations: Philippines is scheduled to air on the Travel Channel here in the U.S. on Monday, February 16 at 10pm ET. And yup, you guessed it, that time and date is subject to change. I'll keep everyone updated as the date gets closer.

In the meantime, enjoy a sneak peak of this Monday's episode of Tony in the Azores:

New Year's Reservations

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but in addition to enjoying the holidays and the New Year, I've been saddled with a nasty cold that's curled me up into a pathetic little ball hidden underneath a pile of sheets and blankets. Good times! As soon as the fog, grog, and snot clear from my head, I'll be back to posting shortly, hopefully.

But I did want to write today in response to a handful of emails I've received from some readers the last few days. It seems that everyone is wondering when the No Reservations: Philippines episode will be airing on the Travel Channel. I assume this line of questioning is directly correlated to the season premiere of No Reservations being debuted tonight (it's the Mexico episode), and people are curious about the Philippines episode.

I found these emails amusing because I usually only receive emails that A)Tell me how much I suck (thanks, I enjoy constructive criticism), B)Ask if my father really is as violent as I portray him to be (ehh, maybe), and C)Ask if I really am married (yes I am, now leave me alone).

Anyhoo, to answer the original question, the No Reservations: Philippines episode will be airing here in the U.S. on Monday February 9 at 10pm ET, so I'm told. Now don't go marking your calendars with ink just yet, use pencil as that date and time is tentatively scheduled. And I'm not sure when that episode will air in the Philippines and the rest of Asia, so it's best to check your local listings, or to follow along with Market Man as he will actually be appearing on the Philippines episode and undoubtedly knows a whole lot more about it than I do.

When I know more about the Philippines episode of No Reservations, I will definitely post the info here as I'm sure everyone is super excited about it.

In the meantime though, I was given a sneak peak of the season premiere episode in Mexico (airing tonight on the Travel Channel at 10pm ET) and I'd like to share it with everyone here:

A Traveler Amongst You

Word on the street is that a particular Ramones fan with a taste for world cuisine is in the Philippines right now (as in right this instant). I just received an email from Paoix over at One Filipino Dish A Week that alerted me to this little tidbit:

Bourdain in the Philippines

That's right, Anthony Bourdain is in the Philippines (at long last) filming an episode of "No Reservations." So to all the peeps in the 'Peens who didn't already know, keep an eye out for him. And tell a friend.

He walks amongst you.

Tidbits

Vegetative State

Ugh.

Sorry for my absence in this space last week. On top of being busy at the office, things have also been hectic here at the Burnt Lumpia World Wide Headquarters as I was struggling with a side project for a few days (and by "busy at the office" I mean surfing the internet, and by "side project" I mean laziness, boredom, and a case of poo-poo brain).

Not that this post marks the end of my "busy side project-ness"--I still haven't spent much time in the kitchen as of late [for whatever reason I can't seem to shake my current state of blah]--but I have at least been out and about...

In Our Element

I've written in this space before about my usual apprehension when it comes to meeting persons unfamiliar to me.

So for me, it's a rare occasion in which I get to meet someone for the first time and then immediately feel at complete and total ease with that person. Rarer still are the times when I come across an entire group of strangers and feel a strong sense of camaraderie with them after only a few hours.

But such was the case last weekend, when my wife and I were lucky enough to attend a Food Blogger Party at the home of Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple. Not only were we treated to a seemingly endless array of great food, but we were also lucky enough to have met a group of truly wonderful people.

Todd and Diane's shindig started off innocently enough. After all of their guests had arrived, Todd led everyone on a tour of the world famous White on Rice Couple Garden. While everyone's mouth was agape from the awesomeness that is Todd and Diane's backyard, the hosts seized upon this moment of vulnerability among their guests--Diane quickly assigned each of us to go through this amazing garden and pick out various herbs that she'd be using for our dinner.

Despite this seemingly sly move by our hosts to get us all "working" at their dinner party, none of us minded helping them out one bit. Although we were all guests in the home of strangers, none of us shirked at our newly given responsibilities as herb foragers. As lovers of food, we reveled in these duties. And I was very content to count myself among these guests that night...

Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture

In case anyone that happens to read this blog will happen to be in SoCal from September 6-7...

The 17th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) will be going down in San Pedro, CA from September 6-7, 2008. As the name suggests, this two-day extravaganza will showcase a multitude of Pinoy arts and culture through this year's theme of:

Katutubong landas tungo masaganang bukas – “Native ways toward a prosperous future.”

According to the FPAC website: FPAC is Southern California’s largest and longest running Filipino tradition. FPAC is made possible by over 250 participating artists, 400 volunteers and 25,000 attendees over the weekend. Set in the breathtaking seaside park of Point Fermin, FPAC has something for the whole family to enjoy.

And from what I've been told so far, FPAC indeed has a lil' something for everyone this year. Headlining FPAC will be Latin R&B Singer Joe Bataan (I'm already shakin' my hips in anticipation, unless that's not cool for a guy to say. In that case, I'm tapping my toes.)

In addition to Joe Bataan, Christine Gambito of Happy Slip fame will also be headlining at FPAC and performing her debut comedy set (this I definitely have to check out as I am a HUGE Happy Slip fan).

Aside from the headliners at FPAC, there will also be live art and painting at the Pilipino Artist Network (PAN), as well as a number of other performances including traditional and contemporary Filipino music and dance. In fact, my own dance crew, Marvin and the Patis Patrol, will engage in a dance-off with Kaba Modern. Ooohhh, you got served!

(I'm joking, of course. Although Kaba Modern will actually be performing at FPAC, I will definitely not be competing in a dance-off. I've just always wanted to write Ooohhh, you got served! I feel complete.)

Although I will not be cabbage-patching (it's a lost art), I will definitely be in attendance at the Festival on at least one of the days checking out the multitude of food vendors and stuffing my face with Filipino food. In addition to the good eats that will be on offer, I've also been told that there will be a Balut-eating contest and a Giant Vegetable Competition in the Seniors Village (who's got the biggest ampalaya, perhaps?).

So if you're interested in learning about Filipino culture, or if you want to peruse some great art from Pinoy artists, or if you just want to eat some great food, then I strongly suggest you check out the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture. And no, silly, you don't have to be Filipino to attend. Tell a friend, homey.

What: The 17th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture

When: September 6-7, 2008. 10am-6pm for both days.

Where: Point Fermin Park, 807 Paseo Del mar, San Pedro, CA 90731

For more info, visit www.filamarts.org