A Lot Like Christmas

Fourteen more days before Christmas and Filipinos worldwide are gearing up for Simbang Gabi, the annual tradition of dawn masses starting December 16 that, of course,  includes food afterwards (traditionally bibingka, puto bumbong, salabat and tsokolate -- all served fresh and hot -- in churchyards). While the weather in the northern hemisphere is not friendly to outdoor activities, that doesn't stop Filipino communities from replicating these traditions indoors. PF contributing writer BJ Gonzalvo relates how his Pacific Northwest community prepares in a big way for Simbang Gabi in "Getting Ready for Simbang Gabi, Even Before the 'Ber' Months."

"Every writer draws on one's own past for material, and at such a young age, Bayani's history was already an armory of dramatic ammunition...", thus author/essayist Rafaelito Sy profiles Jason Bayani, a FilAm poet who has already published three anthologies. Read "Jason Bayani's Fire Within" for a compelling introduction.

As filmmaker Lauren Greenfield's documentary ‘The Kingmaker’ winds its way to theaters in the US, former-student-activist- now-a-professor Patricio N. Abinales tells us how the ghosts of traumas past came haunting back as he watched the film. ["Why The Kingmaker Sparks Memories of Terror and Defiance"]

If you're in the midst of Christmas meal planning, here's a unique dessert recipe for Warm Ensaymada Flan with Dulce de Leche Cream, as perfected by San Francisco-based foodie, Voltaire Gungab.  

Our In the Know links, ICYMI. 

Crony capital: How Duterte embraced the oligarchs
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cover-Story/Crony-capital-How-Duterte-embraced-the-oligarchs

Arnis, Philippines martial art that evokes Magellan's nemesis
https://news.yahoo.com/arnis-philippines-martial-art-evokes-magellans-nemesis-024509649.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=fb

Gwendolyn Pascua - Cordilleran physicist working as a mission controller for astronauts in Europe
https://www.wowcordillera.com/2017/03/gwendolyn-pascua-cordilleran-physicist.html?fbclid=IwAR21axIbU4NCxU2PreTFgrqtF-ElqD3ZRCcvST3eCXGb4bnVgz9jxm9pb80

Tech For Good: A Plant Breeder’s Journey
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bayer/2019/11/27/tech-for-good-a-plant-breeders-journey/?fbclid=IwAR2pQaktuHtQSHacDqmQL-mq0yaTVCscwZPWMOrgPAYE9sZpdGju84Dseoo#3ab9d9ce6402

For video of the week, we feature the University of Santo Tomas flashmob ushering in the Christmas season at the Philippines oldest university.

More Dispatches from the Diaspora

Filipinos are all over the world, we know, but it's still a pleasant surprise to find out that in such exotic places like Tbilisi, Georgia (once a country within the USSR), there is a nondescript Filipino restaurant called Little Manila Grill and Restaurant that serves comfort food to visiting OFWs mostly from Mideast countries. Quite a brave entrepreneurial move in a country that only has 25 Filipino households, but owner Nante Marilag and chef Don Palmero, OFWs themselves, were willing to take the risk, if only to provide kababayans based in pork-banning countries with their fave pork dishes. Intrepid PF contributor Jennifer Fergesen smokes out this little-known Tbilisi restaurant in "Surprise! A Filipino Table in Tbilisi."

From Don Palmero, chef of Little Manila Grill and Restaurant, comes our Happy Home Cook recipe this week for Lemon Peel Papaitan. 

In New York, the Ma-Yi Theater company celebrates its pearl anniversary (30 years) by staging "the first musical created by Filipino Americans to open Off Broadway.” Author and theater expert Walter Ang relates the evolution of this innovative troupe in "Ma-Yi Theater: A Pearl in the Big Apple."

Speaking of OFWs, a book called A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves by New York Times reporter Jason DeParle documents the very complicated journeys of a Filipino OFW family over a 30-year period. Perhaps the most detailed and up close account of the travails and triumphs of overseas workers, the book is reviewed by first-time PF contributor Lily Chua O'Connor.

ICYMI, here are links to stories that you might find interesting:

Filipino American actor Dante Basco details successes and sacrifices in new memoir
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/filipino-american-actor-dante-basco-details-successes-sacrifices-new-memoir-n1076541?fbclid=IwAR1qltckJmOFetRllH0k7mT1BlytsrXqc5hCckBzUwaW9_JhELPliveYfA8

#MagandangMorenx: How Asia Jackson is igniting a mission to end colorism and challenge Filipino beauty standards
https://www.asianjournal.com/magazines/mdwk-magazine/magandangmorenx-how-asia-jackson-is-igniting-a-mission-to-end-colorism-and-challenge-filipino-beauty-standards/ 

Arnis: The Philippines' National Sport and Martial Art
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/arnis-the-philippines-national-sport-and-martial-art/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=share&_branch_match_id=719483218834507064&fbclid=IwAR24e5Q1rest9nQWpXQPiFzxBuAq_ROfGwB6clH-BH2a6VgL_GxPfe

The Mysterious Curse of the Manila Film Center
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/manila-film-center-haunted-a1729-20191107-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=201911107-fbnp-long-reads-manila-film-center-haunted-a1729-20191107-lfrm2-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR1QpRE4Hf-PuFu5QxrrBstyqu01kRvIO0TcTv8y6bX-NyVmrcm2_Gt4Mb8

For Video of the Week, National Graphic presents “The Nightcrawlers,” a documentary on the ongoing drug war in the Philippines.