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.

Old Soldiers' Bittersweet Celebration

Veterans Day (last Monday) in the US is a bittersweet event for Filipino veterans of WWII. While they share in the celebration, they are also reminded of the unjust Rescission Act of 1946 which stripped them of the post-war benefits promised them by the US government for fighting alongside US forces. In time for this year's commemoration, the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP) released a brief documentary, "Duty to Country -- Remembering Our Veterans and Families" as the first phase of their education efforts to tell the story of Filipino WWII veterans. Watch the video on their site and share it with everyone you know. 

Another film that's making waves is "The Kingmaker," a full-length documentary by Lauren Greenfield on Imelda Marcos, whose legendary and continuing outrageousness is on full display. Author/publisher and regular PF contributor Cecilia Manguerra Brainard writes the review. ("The Kingmaker' Shows the Fragility of Democracy")

A Finn who teaches Filipino? Meet novelist/teacher Riitta Vartti who does that and more: not only does she speak Filipino fluently and teaches the language to Finns, she has also put together a Finnish-Filipino/Tagalog-Finnish dictionary. Chicagoland-based contributor Christian Gabriel Pareja writes the profile. ("A Finn Who Teaches Filipino")

For those cold nights, here's a perfect comfort food: Creamy Beef Macaroni Soup by Rene Astudillo.

Our In The Know links this week:

The new US Chess Champion is now ranked no. 2 in the world and opponents fear he’s still getting better.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/the-new-us-chess-champion-is-now-ranked-no-2-in-the-world-and-opponents-fear-hes-still-getting-better/2017/06/05/640f4c6a-49fd-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html?fbclid=IwAR00lS3p8LaunbW70A2zdeQdUXYNcQWNbOh3pRx_lEu45dw-j61jOtf2t74#comments

A Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist (VC) and his 5 advices for Start-ups
https://jqnomics.com/2461/a-silicon-valley-venture-capitalist-vc-and-his-5-advices-for-start-ups/?fbclid=IwAR1jbGdJfnDDGKK-B-HN3ssWcFCaGIZZCLuwIE0GAoq94uZtQnGBm_Cdyec

Seattle’s keeper of Filipino American history is an 87-year-old volunteer, and replacing her may prove difficult
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattles-keeper-of-filipino-american-history-is-an-87-year-old-volunteer-and-replacing-her-may-prove-difficult/?fbclid=IwAR115Jfd_OkuYkUp7Ns4LlXHWr6NnOctwVTjTaoLLrh3VGapbuclnUWn7ic

#MakingFilipinxAmericanHistory: 14 Filipinas in Tech
https://medium.com/women-of-silicon-valley/makingfilipinxamericanhistory-13-filipinas-in-tech-58bcd8ed9fd9

For video of the week, Youtube’s Top10 World channel lists the top 10 most beautiful cities in the Philippines.

There Are Places We Remember

A bright spot in San Francisco's theater world took place recently with the limited run of "The Chinese Lady," starring Filipino American stage actor Rinabeth Apostol in the starring role. The play is a true but hardly known story about the first Chinese woman to be brought to the US as exhibit A for Americans to behold the exoticism of the Orient. PF contributor Elaine Elinson gives us not only a recap of the play but also introduces us to the acting prowess of Rinabeth, which, she says, is nothing short of "astonishing." ("Rinabeth Apostol Shines in 'The Chinese Lady'")

There are places -- and people -- we'll remember all our lives (though some have changed), and for veteran broadcast journalist Lloyd LaCuesta, who recently went on his own magical mystery tour of Liverpool, where the Beatles were born and bred, he loved them all. ("A Magical Tour of the Beatles' Hometown")

Likewise, traveling to London and Paris, recently PF contributor Voltaire Gungab chronicles some of his encounters with interesting Filipino expats in Pinoyspotting.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is another one from Beth Romualdez from her cookbook, Cooking Lessons. This time it's her version of the classic favorite, Binagoongang Baboy. 

Just in: Fil-Am chess Grand Master Wesley So has just become the first world champion in Fischer Random Chess, beating the world's number one, GM Magnus Carlsen. [https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/in-brief/wesley-so-becomes-chess-world-champion] This is a good time to Read Again the very personal account of traveling with Wesley written by his adopted mom, Lotis Key: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/a-traveling-fool 

If you want to be updated on the Filipino diaspora but don't have the time to go through various publications, check out Positively Filipino's In Brief section for a quick rundown on important news happening in Filipino communities worldwide. 

And for stories you may have missed, here are our In The Know links this week:

Young Filipinos are in the midst of a mental health crisis
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/349884/young-filipinos-are-in-the-midst-of-a-mental-health-crisis/?fbclid=IwAR3TftWwsyzo-wtthxsCjK5QULg_aJj6O17ZdTF6TD9a5hIPZ0HqhZTWma0

51 Old Colorized Photos Reveal The Fascinating Filipino Life Between 1900 – 1960
https://filipiknow.net/old-colorized-photos-philippines/?fbclid=IwAR1iXA9G-AGzDlcjotd1ziSHbuLcsLrggiimLG57hEf4QJ6AyRHURPz3y_0

There are Filipinos in Alaska – they’re called Alaskeros, and they’ve been there for more than 200 years
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3008815/there-are-filipinos-alaska-theyre-called-alaskeros-and-theyve?fbclid=IwAR2iwBCCJS8Z1HwXJwGtUobCY8FM4z2eui3R80bDQEq8QFq3A3XCpg1NlFM

This Lady Bought Rice Through an App; The Farmers Wrote Her Back
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/farmers-write-letter-of-thanks-a00293-20191029?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20191029-fbnp-long-reads%2Ffarmers-write-letter-of-thanks-a00293-20191029-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR2MFv9TDDd2dgqk3r5t385juf3I014ARuzut25CuADq5E9eu6OqnIkXf-8

The ghosts of New Manila's Millionaire's Row, the spirits of 42 Broadway Avenue
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/11/01/19/the-spirits-of-42-broadway-avenue?fbclid=IwAR1B8bl42rHFw1jgFbDY9CyZ_Wsw91TH00C9hTgVd7JICxMgfUyIz1DnSv4

For Video of the Week, ABS-CBN News ran a feature on World Champion Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo.