Filipino cuisine

by George Banez “Wake up!” I heard my late mother say.  I remember not budging.  The faint flashes my half-opened eyes caught appeared more like midnight stars. We, four children and mom, likely went to bed at eight that night because…

Fortunately, nobody could read my mind, especially when I am hungry.   “Just order something, anything, I’m paying!”  I grumbled with my mouth shut.  I saw stars swirling as I listened to the back-and-forth chatter between the China-born owner waiting…

“This cooking competition streams globally. I feel like the time and platform have come to showcase Filipino dishes that have yet to hit mainstream.”   Bohol-born Rex Alba said. “I wanted to show Filipino grit and our resilience under pressure.…

by George Banez “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”  Says Juliet to lover Romeo whose family name betrays him as nemesis to her own.  She convinces him that…

by George Banez “NO.” I politely told one of the participating housewives. She suggested adding sugar to the Filipino “Chicken Adobo” recipe I prepared for them to cook.  Back in Fukuoka, Japan, in the 90s, I said “YES” to every opportunity…

by George Banez “We need to first know our own food so intimately before we can fully present its diversity internationally,” declared Filipino French digital content creator Erwan Heussaff. The James Beard Foundation Media Award recipient for promoting Filipino cuisine…

When a co-worker found out I grew up in the Philippines, he could not stop enthusing about the parties Filipino Americans throw here in the U.S.  He gushed over “lumpia” spring rolls and “pancit” stir-fried noodles.  As a frequent Latino…

Over lunch of rice, soup, fish, and vegetables at my sister’s house in Paranaque, Philippines, I found myself explaining to the family’s caregiver what a sandwich was like in the U.S. where I live. Needless to say, I had a…