Cooking for the Holidays

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We're approaching holiday season here and with the pandemic receding (hopefully for good), what better way to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas than to check out recipes from the bounties of new cookbooks from Filipino chefs in various countries. Positively Filipino will be hosting a virtual gathering of cookbook authors on Tuesday, November 9 (Wednesday November 10 in the Philippines). Below are the details. To register: 

For those who missed -- or want to listen again -- to last week's webinar on the USS Telesforo Trinidad campaign, here's the link to the recording.

"Instagrammable" Cafes 

It's not only K-drama that is trending in the Philippines; 2D cafes patterned after South Korea's famous Greem Cafe is sprouting in Philippines cities. Baguio-based PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo brings us there.

Reading Centers to Stir Up Filipino Children's Appetite for Learning

With more than a decade of experience running a volunteer reading center for disadvantaged kids, medical technologist Ana Maria Bacudio opens a second one for Mangyan children in Baco, Mindoro. With partial funding from a California-based nonprofit, the project includes a mobile library.

An "Upsetting" Story

We've gotten many book reviews but this one is a stand-out for its raw honesty. Manila-based author George Deoso shows us what good fiction reads like.

For the Happy Home Cook

A recipe using the Cordilleran smoked meat called etag need not faze home cooks thousands of miles away from those mountain communities. Any smoked meat from the supermarket will do.

Video of the Week

Filipino Heritage Night at the Houston Rockets stadium got especially thrilling as two exceptional Fil-Am ball players — Jalen Green of (team) and Jordan Clarkson of (team) face off. 

In The Know (Standard Edition)

How the music of Filipino youth continues to rock the regime
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-11-01/how-filipino-rock-transcends-the-white-norm?utm_id=41070&sfmc_id=472786

Nearly 3 decades-old FACINE is the longest-running Fil-Am film festival
https://thefilam.net/archives/34932?fbclid=IwAR1vCM46aYRfSl_ttjTuGVGtm16jgfa_w_b-fNaJJj4cyT7KBR1ottWyMrU 

In major ocean polluter Philippines, group turns plastic waste into planks
https://news.yahoo.com/major-ocean-polluter-philippines-group-043219267.html 

The last of the asinderos: a look at Bohol’s heritage “unbroken” salt
https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/24/the-last-of-the-asinderos-a-look-at-bohols-heritage-unbroken-salt/?fbclid=IwAR2FL5sKI0Mbh5pjRGB1zvegmJCGVESNbyy_rzKSiLsNGp0F6QqzBbU1yEc

A new Tate Gallery installation tells a story of martial law corruption through jewelry
https://cnnphilippines.com/life/Culture/art/2021/10/15/pio-abad-frances-wadsworth-jones-martial-law-jewelry.html?fbcd&fbclid=IwAR1MrGtXDnUZCO4ri-IRURm3yXCb-pWrgZFphtNKbwOQipYskKruQqUDBVU

Flavors of Beijing: Filipino cuisine finds a home in the Chinese capital
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-10-29/Filipino-cuisine-finds-a-home-in-the-Chinese-capital-14KFTaUWlNu/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2z9TLgZfFbUVdnmBa950KZnj5GQOw6l7nppk_GgYjApWUYOg4mgHn410A

Remembering the Thrill of Reading ‘True Philippine Ghost Stories’
https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxdewn/true-philippine-ghost-stories-book-series-nostalgia?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit%20Hub%20Daily%3A%20October%2028%2C%202021&utm_term=lithub_master_list&fbclid=IwAR3YwyjwX3e6jIxwtUncwUvGXXPWqY5BbYAC0pDILO_F1FxGyoFpwK6PHGU

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Timeline of Our Lives

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As soon as we posted Positively Filipino's Fil-Am History Timeline in our October 6 issue, readers started sending reminders of items we missed or items that we didn't know about. After research, we have updated the timeline, so here's the new version. We thank those who participated in making this timeline more comprehensive and current.

(L-R) Philip Vera Cruz, Carlos Bulosan and Larry Itliong

We're now at the end of our tribute to deceased Fil-Am community elders who paved the way for all of us living in the US today. Part 4 features our heroes in Media, the Arts and the Military. 

Alex Esclamado, founder and publisher of Philippine News

After being cooped up during the pandemic year 2020, retired college professor James Sobredo took to the road this summer on his beloved BMW motorcycle on a cross-country trip across the US that was exhilarating, harrowing, liberating and soul-renewing, Which means it was a road trip to remember. 

Riding on the “Loneliest Road in America,” Highway 50 through Nevada was a pleasant break. Almost no cars behind me for nearly three hours. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset behind my shoulders as I rode to my motel. (Photo by James Sobredo)

Twenty years ago, Fr. Gerdenio "Sonny" Manuel wrote a reflective piece on how it was to be Filipino in an Italian neighborhood and later, in the Jesuit order. He resurrected that essay recently (his 50th year as a priest) because he thought it is as timely now as it was in 2001. We think so too. 

Father Gerdenio Manuel serving communion.

A last-minute addition to our lineup for this last week of Fil-Am History Month is this report on activist Filipinx nurses who are fighting for better working conditions in the time of Covid. With the National Nurses Union (NNU), they stand strong.

Seton Medical Center RNs protest on April 2, 2020

It's always a delight to watch Chef Sandy Daza cook so, for the Happy Home Cook, let's witness how he whips up two comfort dishes from his childhood -- Lolo Farm's Baked Chicken Spaghetti and Chicken Casserole.

Lolo Farm's Baked Chicken Spaghetti

Labor leader Larry Itliong (Source: ABC10)

Filipino World War II Veterans

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

A Ship for a Hero

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What does it take for a US Navy ship to be named after a Filipino American naval hero? Positively Filipino's forthcoming webinar next Wednesday October 27 zeroes in on this important and intriguing topic. I hope you can join us. Get the details below and please help us spread the word.

We're now on part 3 of "We Stand On Their Shoulders," our tribute to deceased Fil-Am historical figures, as compiled by our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco. This week's list covers community leaders, and notable achievers in the fields of medicine and the academe.

Retired Sony Pictures executive Fritz Friedman has left the private sector and is now a commissioner of the Arts and Culture Commission of the city of San Diego, California. San Diego mayor and fellow Fil-Am Todd Gloria tapped Friedman, who now heads his own production and marketing consulting firm in addition to his non-profit activities.

To mark the 77th founding anniversary of the United Nations, retired Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr. shares with us significant historical events that occurred during his time as Third Secretary of the Philippine Mission to the UN. It was a time of great upheaval in our homeland and Reyes, on his first diplomatic assignment, was there to witness the rumblings and ripples of history.

 For our young adult readers, get a heads up on Brown Boy Nowhere, a newly released novel by Fil-Am Sheeryl Lim, as reviewed by Audrey Bell, a freshly minted Fil-Am college student. 

PF Correspondent and resident foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares a recipe for another perfect cold-weather treat, Lomi Noodle Soup with Pork, Shrimps and Vegetables.

For Video of the Week, Seattle’s KING-5 News features Dorothy Cordova of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

In The Know (Philippine Election Edition)

As the Philippine election season heats up in preparation for the actual voting in 2022, Positively Filipino will be posting links to stories from other publications that we hope will educate, inform and clarify issues, and, more importantly, prod overseas Filipinos to vote.

Facebook Data shows Leni Leading
https://wilson-chua.medium.com/adds-report-shows-leni-leading-1669032eab95

Vulnerabilities of the automated elections
https://opinion.inquirer.net/145234/vulnerabilities-of-the-automated-elections?fbclid=IwAR3-3lEWPx4GrfMjDYgcRjMe5qkrJirl3Vkvdwl7bOitfQUXO2EpgIU9RXs

Sui Generis: Rule of law matters 
http://us4.forward-to-friend.com/forward/show?u=81b6ec9d9be6b6261a822deb0&id=cb4c02ee33

In The Know (Standard Edition)

My Family Moved To The US For A Better Life. But What Does That Really Mean?
https://news.yahoo.com/family-wanted-white-americans-cousin-173834292.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

Shades of L.A.: The Filipino American Experience
https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/filipino-american-history-month?ct=YTo1OntzOjY6InNvdXJjZSI7YToyOntpOjA7czo1OiJlbWFpbCI7aToxO2k6MTI2O31zOjU6ImVtYWlsIjtpOjEyNjtzOjQ6InN0YXQiO3M6MjI6IjYxNjkyYThiNGMxYWQ5NTYyNjYwOTkiO3M6NDoibGVhZCI7czo2OiIxNzYxMzQiO3M6NzoiY2hhbm5lbCI7YToxOntzOjU6ImVtYWlsIjtpOjEyNjt9fQ%3D%3D

The Government Is Never Incompetent: Power In The Pandemic Under Duterte
https://itsgoingdown.org/the-government-is-never-incompetent-power-in-the-pandemic-under-duterte/?fbclid=IwAR2jxy4IknfYdbBe9cgqr8MFWcI15WvcmmiurM88jAYFkjxEQxBarFNQdX8

‘We just need food’: Manila’s newly homeless tell stories of survival in lockdown – photo essay
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/oct/08/we-just-need-food-manilas-newly-homeless-tell-stories-of-survival-in-lockdown-photo-essay?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR10t4Bb8zducxk_q9a853F76ryEH4NcRpQ4QA3bWRDpahauIscLI4nWypI

4 Oldest Chinatowns in the World
https://www.traveltrivia.com/4-oldest-chinatowns-in-the-world/XqgZkXU1XQAGkiMB 

The Filipino actor from ‘Squid Game’ shares his struggles before his big break 
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/series/meet-christian-lagahit-filipino-actor-squid-game?fbclid=IwAR0021ovkDd1IyP7ubwaEaHfESeu7dromm2_JJjLZHp90TfNQ34ZvfO45II

Anatomy of a Monique Lhullier Gown
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/style/monique-lhuillier-bridal-fashion.html?fbclid=IwAR0dWUay913cStNkQsuuJteZmsOpRoeDVY00R7Z_Doi3RppqB2BZoh93ujQ

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino