August 25, 2021

The King and the Manila Boy

August 25, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

The first time I watched the movie musical "The King and I" as a little girl, I was mesmerized by the music and the strange costumes. That movie has since become one of my all-time favorites to re-watch on DVD and YouTube, and not just because of the unforgettable presence of Yul Brynner. "The King and I" remains one of most joyful musicals ever produced. For those who were equally entranced by the movie, did you know that the pre-teen kid who played the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn was Filipino? At that time, in the 1950s, Filipinos in a Hollywood movie were practically unheard of so Patrick Adiarte's feat was one that should be recorded and hailed in Fil-Am history, which is what PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia has done in "The Manila Boy Who Would Be King."

Quite a number of Fil-Ams (born and/or raised in the US) have decided to move to the Philippines and establish themselves there. One of them is Richard Cavosora who returned to Laguna to care for his mother and has since evolved into a maker of cheese. Read his story, "The Accidental Cheese Monger."

Following his very successful (and award-winning) stint with the acclaimed Washington D.C. restaurant, Bad Saint, Chef Tom Cunanan partnered with his former sous chef Paolo Dungca to set up, in the middle of the pandemic, PogiBoy, a sandwich fast food restaurant also in the DC area. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela writes about this newbie joint which has already been hailed by the Washington Post.

Earlier this month was the 44th anniversary of the demise of the International Hotel (I-Hotel) in San Francisco, one of the tragic events that in Fil-Am history that should not be forgotten. Read Again about what happened that night of August 4, 1977: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-last-night-of-i-hotel?rq=i-hotel

And here's another of my road trip stories: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/gemma/bison-and-brooklyn

For the Happy Home Cook, a repost of another delectable dessert from Voltaire Gungab: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-double-decker-chocolate-and-coconut-pudding

We have a thought-provoking Video of the Week, an interview by Toni Gonzaga of Jake Zyrus, who used to be the celebrated singer Charice Pempengco.

In The Know

Asian in the U.S. are the fastest growing racial group. What's behind the rise.
https://news.yahoo.com/asian-u-fastest-growing-racial-213021710.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

Hernández: Reality hit Manny Pacquiao after bruising loss, and he handled it with dignity
https://news.yahoo.com/hern-ndez-reality-hit-manny-123546530.html

Son, father remember rebel-poet: ‘We respect each other’s choices’
https://www.rappler.com/nation/kerima-tariman-son-father-remember-rebel-poet-respect-each-other-choices?fbclid=IwAR1qMzNRdUN4jjEJsCTQqeiWrxq6_2Fm22z_1tM43fzUF42bjdu2U5LtCyw

Family issues, racism compounded stress on Filipino-American college students during the pandemic
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/20/filipino-american-college-students-mental-health-suffered-during-covid.html

WWII veteran captured in Philippines worked in Japanese shipyard
https://news.yahoo.com/wwii-veteran-captured-philippines-worked-153600312.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

Stay out of our kitchen (if you can’t take the heat)
https://philstarlife.com/living/332967-kitchen-heat-cooking?page=2

August 18, 2021

Don't Let the Memory Fade

August 18, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

Thirty eight years ago on Saturday, August 21, the trajectory of Philippine history was altered unexpectedly and irrevocably when Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., the arch-nemesis of then-President Ferdinand Marcos, returned to Manila from a three-year exile and was summarily assassinated at the airport tarmac. Two generations have been born since and the memory and impact of that cataclysmic tragedy have faded. To commemorate the death of this national icon or introduce him to those that may not know him, here are two heartwarming stories, chapters of the book The Aquino Legacy: An Enduring Narrative by Elfren Sicangco Cruz and Neni Sta. Romana Cruz.

Did Ninoy Aquino die in vain? Our Manila-based political observer Ernesto Hilario provides an objective look at what his martyrdom had brought forth in contemporary Philippine history.

Several waves of Filipino immigrants, intermarriage with the Tlingit indigenous people, previous Filipino food entrepreneurs and a rapidly expanding Filipino community have enabled Marivic and Arsenio Carbonel to set up Sizzling Chow, serving Filipino delicacies such as sisig and chicharon to residents and visitors in Sitka, Alaska. Itinerant food writer Jennifer Fergesen reports in "Sitka’s Sizzling Chow Cuisine: Filipino Presence on a Platter."

You'll want to check out part 25 of "Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous" which includes a "Barbie Doll" doctor, an outstanding pulmonologist in Las Vegas, authors, artists, a publicist, a professor, a fashion designer and a military officer.

Here's part 2 of my 2015 Road Trip stories, first posted when we were driving across America. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/gemma/random-notes-on-a-road-trip

Sizzling Chow's chicharon specialty had me looking for a recipe and what I found is "Pinakupsan" which is another Cebuano term for chicharon. Same deliciousness, same cholesterol risk but what a (occasional) treat!

For Video of the Week, we feature One Down’s Body Shaming in Filipino Culture.

In The Know

What to Stream: “Bontoc Eulogy,” a Filipino Filmmaker’s Docu-Fiction About His Grandfathers’ Disappearances
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-to-stream-bontoc-eulogy-a-filipino-filmmakers-docu-fiction-about-his-grandfathers-disappearances?fbclid=IwAR0GJoLO14mLugPjYxj3EaAt2FnGftFkQNhYjWkEau7lPHug6dVWN_njxJc

In Dubai, Filipina pulls no punches in jokes on Mideast life
https://news.yahoo.com/dubai-filipina-pulls-no-punches-062524410.html

Mindanao Pride: The Hometowns of the Philippines' Tokyo Olympic Medalists
https://www.esquiremag.ph/life/sports/mindanao-olympics-hometowns-a00304-20210806?fbclid=IwAR0ESiqECex47Pd-4MHqGDvUhWm2Xgqx8m7A0RY826lIKy0kYHCVwSfOweQ

Exclusive: How this diet coach helped the Philippines bring home four Olympic medals
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/drive/sports/08/12/21/exclusive-how-this-diet-coach-helped-the-philippines-bring-home-four-olympic-medals?fbclid=IwAR16jGSL7CKE9MlLT2dtdFNMTkAoivICEMWyLN_-TI4oPcqQJMgjiJaAKkU

Why Silicon Valley’s Many Asian Americans Still Feel Like a Minority
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-08-06/why-silicon-valley-s-asian-americans-still-feel-like-a-minority?utm_campaign=news&utm_medium=bd&utm_source=applenews

August 11, 2021

Not Too Shabby

August 11, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

The recently concluded Olympics in Tokyo was the Philippines' most successful in its 97 years of participation. A medal haul of one gold, two silvers and a bronze from a delegation of 19 athletes is not too shabby for a country that hardly provides institutional support to its Olympic contenders. Here's an informative wrap-up of the Tokyo games by Olympic historian and PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia. ["Filipino Sports Stars in the Land of the Rising Sun"]

Retired Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr. provides a valuable history lesson on the parallelism between the Spain during its civil war years (1930s) and the Philippine Commonwealth era. He shines a spotlight on Adelina Gurrea, a little-known (in the Philippines) Filipino-Spanish writer of that period who blazed trails with her writing and her life. ["Philippine Echoes of Spain's Civil War"]

K-pop may rule the pop music world today but P-pop, its Filipino counterpart, is making big waves too, according to Harvey I. Barkin who introduces PF readers to BINI, the P-pop girl band which is a creation of ABS-CBN's Star Hunt Academy in cooperation with MU Doctor, the Korean company of dance and vocal trainers that handled such phenoms as BTS. ["P-pop's BINI: Not Just Eye Candy"]

Fully vaxxed people are reportedly embarking on road trips this summer in the US. It was six years ago when my husband and I began our road trip across the US that took us over 33,000 miles and three months. Read Again my first report on our adventure of a lifetime.

For the Happy Home Cook this week, here's a repeat of a popular Filipino street food: Banana-cue!

For Video of the Week, we feature the mansion Palacio de Memoria in Parañaque.