All About Filipino Food

An underground Filipino food source in Iceland? Who would have thought? Contributing writer Jennifer Fergeson introduces Pinoy Taste Reykjavík, ran by Raquel Landayan and her husband Arie Bob Riesenbeck. The couple sells home-cooked Filipino food exclusively  through social media (thus the term "underground"). For the 1,500 Filipinos in Iceland, it's a heaven-sent salve for homesickness. So take that, President Duterte, people in Iceland, including our kababayans, don't eat ice, like you snidely remarked; they eat good food. ("Pinoy Taste Reykjavík')

From Pinoy Taste Reykjavik also comes our Happy Home Cook recipe this week, Cabalen Maki.

Culinary historian Felice P. Sta. Maria takes us back in time with a highly informative piece on the evolution of the Filipino breakfast. Treat your senses to "From Bahao to Breakfast," and enjoy not just old recipes but also the history.

From fish expert and first-time contributor, Robert Woods, here's a how-to piece on setting up an aquarium with fishes found in Philippine waters. ("Five Fish Breeds for Beginning Fishkeepers")

Our In The Know Links this week:

Who pays for Amazon’s “customer obsession”? The service reps who pick up the phones.
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/7/22/20691918/amazon-customer-service-call-center-philippines?fbclid=IwAR0eH4Y9FbiI0QkPtTJ-wuO1FpUdRVger2MSXB0w42pYtw70hA4Tsbg_ysg

The sacred weaving practice of Bukidnon's women
https://cnnphilippines.com/life/style/2019/7/5/Tagolaonen-weavers0.html?fbclid=IwAR3f4Bae3RF7NnC03so4GdsVCAyfEyqllKM7-1Rd8Mfcld3AyoaNnUPAZRs#.XSM99RAYaD1.facebook

Manuel Quezon’s Residence at 45 Gilmore Street: The House that Saw History Unfold
https://www.townandcountry.ph/out-about/arts-culture/manuel-quezon-s-residence-at-45-gilmore-street-the-house-the-saw-history-unfold-a1957-20190716-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-RealLiving&utm_medium=Siteshare&utm_content=20190717-QuezonResidenceGilmore&fbclid=IwAR2zt3aVmX0J4Hz_KZ6AoHVDVrVkiDUyJmjhtqEyFd7JZ8UOfTUgqq0-Uvc

Most Filipinos think it’s important for PH to regain control of territories invaded by China
https://www.yahoo.com/news/most-filipinos-think-important-ph-022449217.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

Our Video of the Week is a fascinating dive into sea-urchin harvesting in Bohol -- an i-Witness documentary by Kara David.

Jordan, Julius and Purple Yam

With the chaos happening now in the Middle East, tourism has taken quite a hit. But it wasn't always that way, nor will it stay that way. As our travel sketcher Jojo Sabalvaro-Tan illustrates in her fascinating drawings, "Sketching Jordan," traveling through that country is a valuable education, a profound experience and a step back in time, where history and tradition dominate the landscape. Definitely a bucket list item, Jordan is. But it might be prudent to wait until peace is established once more.

Our regular food writer Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino introduces us to her cousin Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, the power couple behind Brooklyn's Purple Yam restaurant and the award-winning book, Memories of Philippine Kitchens. After making Filipino food popular in New York, the two have crossed the ocean and returned to their homeland with another Purple Yam, this time in the Besas' renovated ancestral home in Malate, Manila. If you're on that side of the Pacific, be sure to check out the restaurant and partake of Romy's unique Filipino dishes.

Those planning a start-up or a nonprofit would do well to consult Julius Paras, a creative, innovative Filipino American consultant/thought leader/motivational speaker whose heart is definitely in the right place when it comes to helping his compatriots succeed. Contributing writer Harvey I. Barkin profiles him in "Julius Paras: He Came, He Saw, He Wants to Make a Change."

Our video of the week confirms what we suspect all along: Filipino call center workers are the best in the world. We applaud these talented workers and hope that the next generation will evolve into innovators and entrepreneurs.

My blog this week is about betrayals.