Food and Memes

Merry Christmas! And to our non-Christian friends, Happy Holidays.

Nothing marks the holiday season better than food, glorious food. And for Filipinos, it's always a good time to return to the flavors that we grew up with. This week, St. Louis, Missouri-based chef, food blogger and well-followed YouTube and TV culinary personality Malou Perez Nievera, as profiled by Contributing Writer and fellow foodie, Elizabeth Ann Quirino, shares with us two recipes from her childhood in Tuguegarao, Cagayan. Papa Diddi's Stuffed Chicken is Nievera's take on the popular Christmas dish chicken relleno, this one inspired by her father. The second dish is Batil Patung, a traditional Tuguegarao noodle soup dish perfect for cold Christmas days. 

For those who are craving for Filipino desserts for the holidays, Elizabeth Ann Quirino just came out with her compilation, How to Cook Philippine Desserts: Cakes and Snacks, now available in print or on Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Philippine-Desserts-Filipino/dp/1541090799/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

And here's a collection of funny Pinoy memes to lighten your load.

Our Video of the Week is a very touching one about that little boy who did his homework at night outside a McDonald's in Cebu, and the young lady who helped him. This is tear-inducing, so be forewarned. 

Renewing the Spirit

What better way to celebrate Christmas than to visit the actual place where Christ was born. First-time contributor Genevieve Dee takes us vicariously on her trip to the Holy Land plus the ancient city of Petra, and shares with us the story of her spiritual renewal. 

During the same pilgrimage, Positively Filipino publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco met quite a number of Filipinos - OFWs and fellow pilgrims -- and introduces them in Pinoyspotting this week.

Switching to the homeland, Dr. Michael Gonzalez writes about the Dutch missionary and scholar Antoon Postma who, with eminent anthropologist Harold Conklin, lived with and documented the lives of the Hanunoo Mangyan of Oriental Mindoro. Because of Postma's thorough research, the rich traditions of this pre-colonial culture are preserved, its legacy intact for future generations to take pride in.

If you're still wracking your brains for the right food to give away this holiday season, here's Elizabeth Ann Quirino's easy recipe for cassava cake, a perfect gift, she says, guaranteed to be appreciated by your Filipino and non-Filipino friends.

For Video of the Week, the American cast members of the Hey Joe Show show their love for their adopted country by singing “Silent Night” in Tagalog, Visayan and English for Filipinos around the world.

Iffy Days Are Here Again

Dark, ominous clouds are looming over the Philippine political landscape. Even as thousands of people -- including a large number of millennials -- had just gathered in various cities all over the country to protest the hero's burial of whatever remains of ex-president Ferdinand Marcos, President Rodrigo Duterte effectively fired two women from his cabinet on Sunday, December 4. Vice President Leni Robredo and Patricia Licuanan, chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (with a fixed term as mandated by law until 2018), both got text messages from Cabinet Secretary Leandro Evasco Jr. dis-inviting them from attending Cabinet meetings. Reason given, at least to VP Leni, was "irreconcilable differences" with the President. (We are posting the Vice President's resignation announcement, the list of her achievements so far as VP, and Malacanang's official statement on this issue.)

Social media blew up following the announcement: Is the president paving the way for the installation of losing VP contender Bongbong Marcos, who has protested the results of the election? Or is this just a case of President Digong's inability to work with strong women who do not bow to his wishes and his whims? Since he himself admits that he is bipolar, was he on his manic state or his depressive state?

On another issue that's equally disturbing, Fil-Am writer Rene M. Astudillo asks, "Is our Freedom of Speech Under Attack?" The question is relevant in the prevailing atmosphere where trolls, fake news sites, divisiveness and the ascendancy of thin-skinned, authoritarian-leaning leaders are no longer the stuff of horror, but have indeed become reality.

And just a touch of levity in an otherwise scary scenario: Millenials with their generational humor and language dominated the massive protest actions against the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Here are some examples of the placards they did themselves. 

Interesting times indeed are forthcoming, in the Philippines, the US and the rest of the world where "populist" (code word for racist and authoritarian) leaders seem to be gaining ground. As in every drama and tragedy, the operative word is "Abangan ang susunod na kabanata." (Watch for the next episode).

Tomorrow we join in the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor with a statement fromthe Filipino Veterans' Recognition and Education Project. The Washington DC-based group recently chalked up a major victory with the passing of the bill bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor to Filipino World War II Veterans. President Obama is slated to sign the bill into law very soon -- one of his last acts as the 44th President of the US. 

Two notable Filipinos are profiled in this issue: Chef Paul Qui who won the "Top Chef - Season 9" of the popular TV show some years back and the James Beard Award for Best Chef for the Southwest in 2012; and Joji Ilagan Bian, a Davao-based educator and entrepreneur. Positively Filipino Contributing Writers Elizabeth Ann Quirino and Serina Aidasani wrote the profiles, respectively.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe of the week: Silken Tofu, Tapioca and Caramel Parfait (aka Taho) from Los Angeles-based chef and cookbook author Marvin Gapultos.

And for our Video of the Week, a powerful, heart-rending video by Ditsi Carolino, Gladys Llanes, and Kyle Venturillo on the new Marcos burial protests.