Doing Us Proud

This week is about Filipinos who have crashed the international scene in their respective fields and have made us proud:

F. Sionil Jose, the grand old man of Philippine letters, the country's foremost chronicler of the Filipino experience, is paid homage to by author Rafaelito Sy, who writes about his recent encounter with the National Artist for Literature. ["F. Sionil Jose and a Nation's Memories"]

Cris Comerford, the White House chef of three US administrations (Bush, Obama and Trump), was recently awarded a doctorate honoris causa by her alma mater, the University of the Philippines (UP). Sonia Delen, current president of UP's alumni chapter in San Francisco, profiles Cris. ["Her Lola's Legacy: Chef Cris Comerford's Secret Sauce"]

This week is also about remembering, this one a painful episode in 1929-1930 when anti-Filipino riots broke out and ended tragically in California. Read Again Alex Fabros' "In The Heat of the Night: The Exeter and Watsonville Riots 1929-1930."

And speaking of remembering, we join the sports world in grieving the untimely death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant. Here's our Video of the Week showing him dancing the tinikling.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is for Chocolate Cake from Ballesteros, Cagayan baker Dondon Catli, who we featured earlier this month.

ICYMI, stories you may have missed or want to read again:

WOMEN OF THE EASTERN CALIPHATE: Hiding in plain sight
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/245849-women-eastern-caliphate-hiding-plain-sight-isis-part-1

WOMEN OF THE EASTERN CALIPHATE: By blood and marriage
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/245822-women-eastern-caliphate-by-blood-marriage-isis-part-2?utm_source=Rappler+Subscribers&utm_campaign=82d6b16cbd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_01_07_04_22_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d18b1557b8-82d6b16cbd-96223989&mc_cid=82d6b16cbd&mc_eid=0c0639d4af

'Kill Everyone Over 10' –Jacob Smith, the ‘Monster’ of the Philippine-American War
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/jacob-h-smith-philippine-american-war-a1926-20190919-lfrm?fbclid=IwAR0G4IHMUvqfn428wobgF_nFqUGTX7L5EX2IR3G5ev4llfrtHoK57TdtC64

Reviving ancient Cordillera textiles
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1211779/reviving-ancient-cordillera-textiles?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR26HEwT8pJLsvIYCnHdeHPVRapsWcjuEv__OCLhgRx8NWXiTWcCDa9WF8w#Echobox=1578786243

Baguio, What the Hell?

If you've been to Baguio recently and can remember the Baguio of yesteryears (peaceful, romantic, the air replete with the aroma of pine trees), you know that the Philippines' summer capital has some big, big-city problems (traffic, crime, congestion, pollution). But banning cussing in public? Baguio-based PF correspondent Rene M. Astudillo reports on the recent city government ordinance -- questionable, unenforceable -- that  makes one wonder if taxpayers' money is truly wasted on legislators. (Read "Baguio City Goes Cuss-Free, or Will It?”)

Speaking of nostalgia, PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia shares his memories of a trip to a London suburb he won't forget, and how he racked up mileage miles on the late, lamented Trans World Airlines (TWA). ("The Night I Drove to Bexleyheath")

We missed out on commemorating the 145th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio last week so here's a fitting Read Again from cultural historian Penelope V. Flores on the Philippines' other National Hero.

Our In The Know links this week:

Filipino-American Vet Says Starbucks Barista Wrote Racial Slur On His Cup
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/12/01/filipino-american-starbucks-racial-slur-cup/?fbclid=IwAR0GRRm8tyIa8RyLBb3p3RRVVuEA3wNc0b79bMl1zTBufLT0dSL6y0Ye7T8

The hardest job in Silicon Valley is a living nightmare
https://www.fastcompany.com/90263921/the-hardest-job-in-silicon-valley-is-a-living-nightmare 

This year’s buffet of Fil-Am and Fil-Canadian cookbooks
https://usa.inquirer.net/17026/this-years-buffet-of-fil-am-and-fil-canadian-cookbooks#ixzz5YoRgHV2l 

Meet a history-making White House executive chef
https://share.america.gov/meet-history-making-white-house-executive-chef/?fbclid=IwAR3tPVAMoMiUnxRmFLrrXhd0QqHq1e07y2LwJalIQSEpNAWZh9PsAz0AsAU 

If you're starting to stress out with your planned Christmas menu, here's something to ease the tension somewhat: our Happy Home Cook recipe for Instapot Leche Flan, another of Elizabeth Ann Quirino's time-saving shares. 

In our video of the week, the story behind the well-loved Filipino Christmas carol “Pasko na, Sinta ko.”

A Month of Celebration

October is a busy month in the U.S. as we celebrate Filipino American History Month along with Mental Health Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Prevention Month, all three issues significant to Filipinos in America. Stay tuned to Positively Filipino as we celebrate the month with our usual collection of stories that inform, inspire, and entertain.

The history of Filipinos in America is replete with tales of hardship and heroism, triumphs and tragedies. It wasn't an easy life our predecessors had to endure in the early- and mid-1900s as Filipino American historian Alex S. Fabros Jr. narrates in "In the Heat of the Night: The Exeter and Watsonville Riots of 1929-1930."  To those who came before us, we owe a big debt of gratitude for paving the way.

This month we likewise welcome Ballet Philippines as it tours the U.S. to highlight its 45th year with a rich repertoire that showcases Philippine culture in all its glory. Writer Marlina Gonzalez introduces Ballet Philippines' president Margie Moran-Floirendo and artistic director Paul Alexander Morales to us as they lead this distinguished dance group in its six performances in the U.S. For details, see our Partner post: Ballet Philippines Brings "Master Pieces" to the U.S. and Canada.

Speaking of entertainment, our popular contributor Lotis Key comes up with another zinger this issue. "Lunatic Magnet" highlights once more her wit, humor and astute observations of Filipino culture that marked her previous essays for Positively Filipino.

Before you savor yellow fin tuna, read our Partner post from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which talks about what the fish means to our fishermen and our ecosystem, and what we can do to ensure that we will be enjoying its subtle flavor for generations to come.

My blog this week introduces some books that you might want to read.

And in Our Video of the Week, CNN correspondent Isha Sesay interviews White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford.