Burnt Lumpia

Bourdain in the Philippines, and a Giveaway Winner

Here are my initial thoughts after watching tonight's episode of No Reservations: Philippines:

• Even though I was born and raised in the U.S., I am very proud to be Filipino.
• On many levels, I can very much relate to Augusto's feelings as an outsider (though I'm not sure many other Fil-Ams would admit as much).
• Overall, it was a great episode, and I hope everyone learned some new things about Filipino food and culture.
• Marketman is a God among men (did you see those piggies?!!).

And thanks to Marketman's lechon, the Philippines has moved to the top of Anthony Bourdain's Hierarchy of Pork: check out Tony's blog post about the Philippines.

And if you are wondering more about what else Tony ate in Cebu, hop on over to Market Manila for a behind-the-scenes look at what Tony called "The best pig ever."

Also, here are some of my own recipes for a few of the dishes that were mentioned on No Reservations tonight. Are my versions as good as the real thing in the Philippines? Hell no. Of course not. But I hope they are at least a good introduction to anyone wondering about Filipino cuisine.

Reminder

Don't forget! Tonight's the night!

No Reservations: Philippines
Monday February 16, at 10pm ET

And also don't forget about my giveaway for an autographed Anthony Bourdain picture.

No Reservations: Philippines, And a Giveaway!

In exactly one week from today, the Travel Channel will finally be airing the long awaited, much anticipated episode of No Reservations: Philippines. Ah yes, it's been a long time coming, but Anthony Bourdain will be presenting Filipino cuisine and culture on a worldwide stage on Monday February 16, at 10pm ET.

As such, I will be giving away the Anthony Bourdain photo you see above to one of my lucky readers, courtesy of the Travel Channel. It's an 8.5 x 11-inch photo of Tony in Indonesia. And best of all, the photo is autographed by Tony himself. Since this photo was sent to me by the Travel Channel, I'm sure the signature is legit.

For a chance to win the autographed photo, just leave a comment in this post and tell me what Filipino dishes you hope to see in next Monday's episode of No Reservations: Philippines. If you don't know any Filipino dishes, shame on you.

For an insider's look at Tony's visit to the Philippines, see this post at Market Manila, wherein Marketman shows Tony around Cebu and then treats Tony to a Lechon feast.

And for another preview of Tony in the Philippines, check out this video (thanks Alisa) of Tony and Ivan Man Dy trying out some Filipino street food:

If Marketman's post and the preview video don''t whet your appetite for No Reservations: Philippines, I don't know what will. So don't forget to tune into the Travel Channel to watch...

No Reservations: Philippines
Monday February 16, at 10pm ET

Tell a friend. Heck, tell all your friends. Tell everyone you know. Send out mass emails about this episode and air time, twitter it, face book it, tattoo it on your forehead, yell it out your windows!

All comments for this post will be accepted as entry for the giveaway and this contest will end on Monday February 16, 2009 at 11:59 PM Pacific time. I'll randomly select one winner and announce that winner on Tuesday February 17.

***UPDATE: This contest is now closed.***

Good Food, Better Company

Earlier this year, I received an email from a blogger in the Philippines named Mila. After reading one of my adobo posts, Mila (who writes the blog, Watergirl) kindly offered to send me a cookbook comprised of nothing but adobo recipes. I replied to Mila and, of course, accepted her generous offer so that I could further my research into the salty and tangy subject of adobo cookery.

After exchanging a couple more emails, Mila informed me that she and some of her friends (other Pinoy food bloggers and readers of my blog) happened to be chatting one night and decided that they all would like to meet me if I ever made my way to Manila during my trip to the Philippines.

Upon reading this bit of information, I was initially excited at the prospect of meeting people that I had become acquainted with via their own wonderful blogs and through their helpful comments left here on my own blog. But then my ego slowly started to deflate as my inherent sense of suspicion kicked into high gear. Personal experience dictates that when a group of women talk about me when I'm out of earshot, the conversation usually revolves around how huge of a dork I am, followed by giggling, more conversation about my dorkiness, and then ending with uproarious side-splitting laughter while fingers are pointed at me from afar (sigh, high school sucked).

In spite of (or maybe because of) my dubiousness and low self-esteem, I cautiously wrote Mila back, said it would be wonderful for all of us to meet, then closed my eyes and hit the SEND button. Because this was still a few months before my trip to the Philippines, I promptly forgot about this whole exchange no more than 30 seconds after hitting said SEND button (my short-term memory is lacking in, I forget).

A couple months later though, I received "The Adobo Book" in the mail. Inside the book was a short note from Mila reminding me that everyone would still like to meet me and my wife for dinner in Manila.

By now, I had come to grips with the fact that perhaps there does exist a type of person who would actually want to take the time and meet other human beings in a friendly atmosphere rather than incessantly mocking them. These people are called "normal", whereas people like myself are referred to as "anti-social," "paranoid," or "surly hermits". Despite my usual status as a "surly hermit," I was again excited at the prospect of meeting other bloggers and lovers of Filipino food.

So, after much planning and organizing on Mila's part (thanks again, Mila), I was able to wine and dine with a wonderful group of people on one of my last nights in the Philippines.

Hits from the Pasalubong: Vol. 2

After our stay in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, we made our way by bus to my auntie's house in Baguio for a couple of days, got on another bus, and ended our trip at another auntie's house for a couple more days in Manila. Since we weren't at either place for very long, I don't have many food pictures from Baguio and Manila. Sad, that. So instead, I figured I'd post a roundup of all the goodies I brought back home from the Philippines for my family (but mostly for me).

More hits from the pasalubong! Consider this the remix.

Locals in Ilocos

After our stay in Boracay, the wife and I traveled to Ilocos Norte, a region located in the northern part of the Philippines. More specifically, we would be staying in the town of Badoc and spending the next few days at the family home that my mother grew up in, and in which my Grandfather and another set of cousins (and a whole lot of nieces and nephews) are still residing.

At this point of our trip, we would also be meeting up with my mother (my father stayed home in L.A.). My mom actually flew to the Philippines with the wife and I, but she had been staying in Badoc while we were in Boracay. Considering the fact that my mother can get under my skin when only traveling to the end of her driveway back in California, and that she would be joining us for the remainder of our journey through the Philippines, I knew that my patience would be tested considerably (I'm joking, of course! Well, partly joking).

Even though I've been to Badoc and wandered about the other towns of Ilocos Norte before (once when I was 9 years old, then again at age 22), this place, this headquarters of my family, never ceases to amaze me. And because we'd be surrounded by family, the wife and I would easily fit in and become locals ourselves (who am I kidding, we stuck out like sore thumbs!). At the very least though, I did realize how much Ilocano I understand as I was able to follow along with conversations in the local dialect, and answer any questions back in English (I understand, but I still can't speak Ilocano).

I also knew that most, if not all, of our meals would be homecooked, so I was looking very forward to this leg of our trip. I was not disappointed.

Never Boring in Boracay

The Wife and I began our 2-week trip to the Philippines with a 4-day stay on beautiful Boracay Island. Prior to this trip, I had visited the Philippines twice but had never been to Boracay, and my wife had never been to the Philippines at all. So I figured a few days of sun and sand at a beach resort would be a great start to our vacation.

With its powdery white sand and warm blue waters, Boracay is as close to paradise as it gets. But aside from the main beachfront drag known as, what else, White Beach, there are plenty other activities to keep one occupied on Boracay: sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, island hopping, girl ogling people watching, shopping, drinking, eating, eating, and eating.

Luckily for the wife and I, two of my cousins stayed at a nearby resort and accompanied us for our first two days in Boracay. I say luckily because we enjoyed the company of my cousins (of course), but also because my cousins were quite adept in the fine art of haggling with the many hawkers and vendors roaming the white sands of Boracay. If it weren't for my lovely cousins, I think I would have paid a jillion pesos and my yet-to-exist first-born child in exchange for a souvenir Boracay T-shirt. But thanks to the bargaining prowess of my cousins, I only had to pay 150 pesos for the shirt (whew!).

Go Go Archipelago!

Hello all!

The Wife and I are literally on our way out the door to go on our vacation.  We are heading to The Pearl of the Orient (or The Land of A Thousand Islands, or The Land of the Morning Sun), where we are sure to enjoy some sun, probably some rain, and definitely some delicious home-cooked meals.  I will be attempting to post from the road, but we'll see how that goes...

Talk to you later.

Hits From the Pasalubong

Pasalubong is a Tagalog word that generally refers to gifts and souvenirs one gives out upon arriving/returning to/from another place.  More specifically, and perhaps more appreciated, is Pasalubong of various food items from wherever you traveled.

Luckily for me, one of my many cousins from the Philippines is visiting the States for the very first time and she arrived at my parents' house bearing many food gifts.  Although it's been a few years since I saw my cousin when I last traveled to the 'Peens, our conversation upon her recent arrival went something like this:

Me: Hey cuz! Nice to see you again! How was your trip!

Cuz: Hi! The plane ride was very long and...

Me: Hey that's great, what's that you got there?  Looks like you brought some goodies!

Family relations are not my strong suit.

But I do like to eat! And I'm sure my cousin understood my curtness with her as she happily opened up her luggage and extracted what seemed to be a never-ending stream of Filipino eats.  Don't worry, we eventually had a civil conversation as soon as I stuffed my face with some of the sweets she brought.  And besides, she's going to be here for a month, there's plenty of time for us to catch up and for me to corrupt her sensible Pinoy tastebuds with the zany, bastardized concoctions I've created.

Until then, here's a rundown of the Pasalubong I was able to steal given from my parents:

A Flashback from Florence

Last month, in an excruciatingly long post about my travels in Italy, I made small mention of Ristoro Terra Terra--a little restaurant in Florence that my wife and I happily stumbled upon.  Although the food at Terra Terra was spectacular, it was not the only thing from this restaurant that left a lasting impression on us.

Our waiter at Terra Terra was a sight to behold.  Don't get me wrong, the service he provided was excellent as he made spot-on recommendations for our wine and food.  But we also found delight in certain eccentricities displayed by our server. Here is what I previously wrote about him in the old blog post I mentioned earlier:

"At Terra Terra, a little restaurant that was literally around the corner from the famed Duomo, we were greeted by a gentleman dressed in black baggy jeans, a black t-shirt, dark hair pulled into a pony tail, and a  goatee.  He pretty much looked like a non-threatening Satan.  He spoke very good English and had a gruff voice that was a cross between Cobra Commander, Antonio Banderas, and Count Dracula.  When he wasn’t serving guests he was either outside smoking (five cigarettes by my wife’s count) or behind the bar downing a glass of cold white wine (three glasses by my count).  An all-around cool dude if you ask me.  Seriously."

There was so much more that I wanted to write about our waiter at Terra Terra, I just didn't because I didn't have the pictures to back up my outlandish descriptions.  Until now...