Have a Joyous, Restorative Holiday Season!

Wherever you are, whatever your beliefs, we wish you all a joyous and enchanting season with your family and friends of choice.

Who doesn't love Filipino fruit salad -- that sweet, creamy concoction made from canned fruit cocktail, condensed milk and heavy cream that accompanies most Filipino holiday feasts? Fil-Am writer Jen Palmares Meadows offers a tribute to her dad who learned to make this fave dessert not in the Philippines but in the US, and makes the dish a metaphor for all the things immigrants go through in their quest not just to belong but also for their American children to have a taste of their heritage. "My Father's Fruit Salad" is a savory read in time for the biggest holiday celebration of the year.

We know of many art and artists but few know about the tedious, exacting demands of art restoration, mainly because there are relatively few of them around. Which makes PF Correspondent Serina Aidasani's feature on June Poticar-Dalisay a valuable contribution to our art knowledge. "June Dalisay: Art Healer" gives us a peek into a craft that is unique, important and necessary. 

Here are some heartwarming Christmas stories to Read Again:

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/lulus-fifty-peso-christmas-gift

http://www.positivelyfilipino. com/magazine/theyre-all-we- shall-ever-want-for-christmas

And if you're still looking for books to give and some interesting stories to read, check out our In The Know list this week:

Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo's 27 Books to Give as Christmas Gifts
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/72308/filipino-books-christmas-gifts-a1877-20171212-lfrm8

The Party's Over
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/191559-party-over-keeping-democracy-alive-philippines-yearend-2017?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=thought-leaders

Faking your own death: How the Philippines became the global leader for a macabre trade
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/faking-own-death-philippines-became-172955277.html

The Sun Writers Club: Meet the maids reporting Hong Kong’s hidden stories
https://coconuts.co/custom-feature/sun-writers-club/

Egg-Yolk Hair and a Glitter Cake: Chef Angela Dimayuga gets ready to party
https://www.thecut.com/2017/12/profile-chef-angela-dimayuga.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=s3&utm_campaign=sharebutton-b

For another sumptuous Christmas meal that you can make yourself, PF culinary correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares her recipes for Pancit Sotanghon with shrimps, ham and vegetables; Carne Asado Kapampangan and Bibingka. 

For Video of the Week, David DiMuzio, an American singer who won online fans through his Tagalog language cover songs, offers advice to Filipinos who struggle with money.

They Who Dare

I met Sister Helen Graham of the Maryknoll Missionaries in the early part of martial law in the Philippines (1972-1981), when we were both visiting political detainees in Fort Bonifacio. That first meeting led to many more, inside and outside the camp, and involved such clandestine activities as smuggling in and out (of prison) letters and documents, and distributing mimeographed copies of news reports of arrests, tortures and other human rights violations that were, of course, never reported in the mainstream Philippine media. Those activities, if found out, would have resulted in military interrogations, if not arrest for us, but such dark possibilities didn't deter us. I took some of my bravado from Sr. Helen, who was feisty and outspoken, but who knew how to strike a balance between being friendly and intimidating to prison guards so she could get to where she wanted to go, and see whoever she wanted to see. 

More than four decades later, PF contributor Menchu Aquino Sarmiento writes about Sr. Helen's memories of those days of rage and disquiet (to paraphrase writer/author and former political detainee, Pete Lacaba) in "Helen Graham, MM -- Fighting Nun." Sr. Helen is 80 years old now and she has chosen to remain in the Philippines, still daring and raring to fight social injustice in keeping true to her religious vow. 

Not quite as dangerous but probably as daring in a much different context, video documentarist and popper Devon de Leña broke through barriers of race, identity and gender to seek her place in the cultural fabric of Seattle's indie film milieu. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela reports.

Want to give meaningful gifts for Christmas? Author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard comes up with a list of books by Fil-Am writers that should spread joy among readers this holiday season.

And if you're looking for a gift that will keep on giving, how about checking out my blog this week about the two recipe books of Elizabeth Ann Quirino, which make for good Christmas presents too.

Our esteemed PF culinary correspondent continues sharing recipes for the holiday table, this time for Ensaladang Labong, Pork Bagnet and Cathedral Windows Gelatin.

Here's our In The Know links to interesting articles this week:

Duterte's Philippines Economy Beats China's
https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2017/12/09/dutertes-philippines-economy-beats-chinas/#787c8fc6130d

Philippines defied experts advice on dengue vaccine
https://www.reuters.tv/v/JUh/2017/12/11/philippines-defied-experts-advice-on-dengue-vaccine

What Happens When the Government Uses Facebook as a Weapon?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-12-07/how-rodrigo-duterte-turned-facebook-into-a-weapon-with-a-little-help-from-facebook

Cafe sa Bukid
https://www.facebook.com/becomingfilipino/videos/1973992099532652/

For our Video of the Week, Fil-Am comic JoKoy introduces YouTube Host Sean Evans to Filipino cuisine at New York City's Jeepney Gastropub.

Eat!

Nineteen days before Christmas and we're pretty sure you're stressing over the meals you plan to make for your family. Well, stress no more as starting with this issue and the whole of December, our PF culinary correspondent/cookbook author Elizabeth Ann Quirino will share with you recipes she chose for proper holiday meals. This issue, she offers Estofado de Vaca, Lobster Thermidor and Almond Jelly with Lychees for The Happy Home Cook.

Ms. Quirino also writes about the successful culinary tour of Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, owners of Purple Yam in Brooklyn and Manila, in "Savoring Hidden Flavors of the Philippine Kitchen." 

Cape Town, South Africa, despite its storied legacy of apartheid, remains a favorite tourist destination. But did you know that in Kalk Bay, one of the city's picturesque suburb, some 80% of the original fishing families are descended from Filipinos? Former Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. tells us the story of how Filipinos landed in Cape Town sometime in the 1860s in "Filipinos in Cape Town -- A Valuable Presence Since the 19th Century."

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, PF Correspondent Rene Astudillo asks the question, "Will the Philippine Jeepney Soon Be Extinct?" as plans for a more modern, safer and more environmentally friendly transport system are about to be implemented.

Our In The Know links this week covers a variety of interesting topics you will want to bookmark: 

An Investment Boom in Philippines Leaves Neighbors in the Dust
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-28/an-investment-boom-in-philippines-leaves-neighbors-in-the-dust

14 Amazing Filipina Heroines You Don't Know But Should
http://www.filipiknow.net/greatest-filipina-heroines/

The Desirability of Storytellers
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/the-origins-of-storytelling/547502/

Young businessman reveals rivers of success bridged by enthusiasm
http://businessmirror.com.ph/young-businessman-reveals-rivers-of-success-bridged-by-enthusiasm/

For our video of the week, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center presents Frank Chi's film which was inspired by Carlos Bulosan's "America Is In Heart."