Guiding Light

A few days ago, on September 28, the Philippines lost one of its most esteemed citizens, Bienvenido L. Lumbera, National Artist for Literature and beloved by many as writer, professor, activist and guiding light. Here's why his legacy will forever be revered  in the annals of Philippine arts and letters, from the web site of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, where Bien taught for years.

Positively Filipino joins the Filipino nation in paying tribute to this national treasure. 

Bienvenido L. Lumbera

A writer’s truth: The legacy of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera

Meanwhile in Broadway, Fil-Am actor Marc delaCruz made history when he played three major roles in the much acclaimed musical, "Hamilton," -- the lead role of Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr (Hamilton's "ideological foil", and King George, the British monarch who was the enemy of the revolutionaries. In the still relatively un-diverse New York City theater world, DelaCruz's singular feat is an important breakthrough. PF contributor Walter Ang, author of "Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History", writes about "The Talented Mr. delaCruz."

With part 30 of the very long list, "Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous" will take a break to give way to another important list in October. Watch out for it starting next Wednesday.

There is no stopping the remarkable and famous from getting well-deserved honors, however. Irene Natividad, one of the most prominent community leaders, was honored by the French government recently for her gender activism. Washington D.C. community leader Jon Melegrito reports.

"Kuhol" (snail in English, escargot in French) is a relatively new delicacy in mainstream Filipino cuisine. PF Correspondent and cookbook author Rene M. Astudillo gives us the dark origins of this exotic dish and shares two recipes for it for the Happy Home Cook. 

For Video of the Week: One Down features Food Insecurity in the Filipino Community

In The Know

Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai students ‘invisible’ victims of STEM inequality
https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2021/09/asian-stem-disparities.html?fbclid=IwAR1MVwxoOuurl9Vs0Cnp_1OXeec5KMjYip2F1u6hIe5GERTssS_PBsIkKoQ

Dante Basco reflects on diversity in Hollywood as a child star: 'No one even knew what a Filipino was'
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/dante-basco-hook-avatar-the-last-airbender-child-actor-are-the-kids-alright-150049635.html?soc_src=yahooapp

Washington DC version of Jollibee spaghetti is among best dishes of 2021, says Food & Wine mag
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/restaurants/09/23/21/jolly-spaghetti-homage-among-best-dishes-of-2021?fbclid=IwAR2uo058_-EOxoIYINMyQUZO99ze-ZucZpaSkrmrgAlsIzepg_oovVSQZSk

The making of “Squid Game” and why Pinoys can’t get enough of it
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/movies/09/28/21/the-making-of-squid-game-and-why-pinoys-are-watching?fbclid=IwAR1ZT2OLL0m02yEtXAYJEvU-HMJM6E7M2VrIHBU_ZmUczbULGPeivww3RWM

Tatler Spotlight: The International Icon Of Elegance, Style, And Beauty, Isabel Preysler
https://www.tatlerasia.com/the-scene/people-parties/tatler-spotlight-isabel-preysler?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2jJS_IrDlAHq03mLAat7-toKJ3nKWoVvHHfWHRIqEklKCok6U4wkMUfsE#Echobox=1632366815

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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.

Ube Art

Ube, that beloved purple root crop ubiquitous in Filipino desserts, takes center stage in San Francisco Bay Area-based artist O. M. France Viana's latest installations at Mills College Museum's 12 Degrees MFA Exhibition. Viana, a recent MFA graduate of Mills, has made it her mission "to chronicle how Filipino immigration is redefining what it means to be American," as PF contributor Manzel Delacruz reports. Along with ube, a collection of Black Madonnas, to which Viana claims a personal devotion, distinguished her exhibition.

Filipino cuisine has been getting a lot of press in the US lately but in the United Kingdom, it's still relatively unknown. But not for long, as self-made chef Roni Bandong has made it her personal crusade to promote Filipino cooking through her Maynila Supper Club (the British equivalent of the pop-up restaurant) and by winning in a UK-wide TV cooking show. Bandong's "chicken relleno" was chosen "Best Alternative Christmas Dish," as PF Correspondent and foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino writes. That award-winning "rellenong manok" recipe is our Happy Home Cook feature for this week. Bookmark it for your Christmas cooking.

Here are the links to interesting stories this week, for you to be In The Know:

6 Filipino scientists who are changing the world
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/06/27/6-filipino-scientists.html

CBCP guide lists websites peddling fake news
http://www.rappler.com/nation/173832-cbcp-list-websites-fake-news

Jojo De Carteret's Homecoming
https://www.facebook.com/kapusomojessicasoho/videos/10154922026076026/?autoplay_reason=user_settings&video_container_type=0&video_creator_product_type=2&app_id=2392950137&live_video_guests=0

Pinoys the 'greatest' supporters of Trump in the world - Pew Research
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/616064/pinoys-the-greatest-supporters-of-trump-in-the-world-pew-research/story/

In Tama's No-Frills Space, the Filipino Food is Anything But
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/15/dining/tama-review-filipino-restaurant-brooklyn.html

And our Video of the Week: actor Dante Basco, director Jonah Feingold and their team just launched “Bangarang,” a prequel short film to Steven Spielberg's “Hook.” The Kickstarter-backed film explores the life of Basco's character Rufio before he became the leader of the lost boys in Neverland.