Food and the Filipino Diaspora

[Sophie Lizares-Bodegon (HS Class '71)]

Hello All! Yesterday's launch of the book, A Taste of Home: Pinoy Expats and Food Memories turned out to be a reunion of friends from the writing community (not surprising) but also a meeting of "probable relatives" from Negros and Panay. The topic piqued a television host's interest so I've been invited to guest on her show to talk about food and expat life. The interview will air on Sunday, 7 Dec.

This forum seeks to bring in all the LCCians now living abroad to share experiences (past, present, and desired) regarding food. Yunmn....So please share such things as

1. pinakamanamit nga pagakon from Negros/Philippines
2. recreating Negrense or Filipino food overseas: why and how

Thanks!
Sophie

PS Naku Annabelle, do you still make dule de leche and yema like the ones you sold during the Mission Month?

[Tomas Arturo A. Bomban III]

Food I really missed from Bacolod?? There's a lot, but the numero uno in my list is, Inasal na Manok with sinamak served with hot steaming rice garnished with fried garlic and achuete colored cooking oil with a dash of soysauce from "Sabel". Served after 5pm along Cuadra St,, by State theater, infront of the public plaza a long time ago . I have been trying to imitate this delicacy but was never successful at all.. I may not only have the right ingredients for marinating the chicken, but I think the taste of the native chicken is different from the hybrids .....Anybody out there who could give me some tips on cooking this abroad is welcome.....yummmmm

[Sophie Lizares-Bodegon (HS Class '71)]

Sus Thomas when was the last time you were in Bacolod? Chicken inasal seems to be the signature food of Bacolod. For years there's been this quarter near the plaza called Manokan Country and there are chains upon chains of chicken houses. I suspect though that the chicken isn't the free-range backyard ones that you long for. The next fad was pala-pala where one could choose fresh fish and other sea food and for cooking in some restaurant (nipa and bamboo of various sizes and states of cleanliness). Not to be forgotten are the grills such as Enteng"s of Sagay and Aboy's which just keeps on growing. Then of course the hamburgers and the bakeshops (take note, hindi bakery!). Now there's a rise in coffee shops, good old Bob"s for example. McCafe and most recently Starbucks have joined in.

Food pasalubong shopping is also getting more varied. Sugarland barquillos and pinasugbo are getting a lot of competition from Bong Bong"s, Virgie's and Merci. A great place to be is Sweet Greens, formerly a garden shop, now a coffee shop selling organic veggies, wafer-thin piyayas. The new airport in Silay has great sources for Bacolod delicacies -one of them offers the same 10% discount for plane ticket holders which is offered in the city outlets. No there is no excuse nga nalipat magbakal!

Hope you find someone to share the secret chicken recipe!

[Andrea Lizares Si (HS'73,AB '78)]

Manang, the discriminating can still order native chicken from the restaurants in Manokan Country, the relocation site of Tom's Cuadra St. kilid State sidewalk chicken barbecue stands/payag-payags. I don't recall if Sabel's is still there, however. My husband prefers native chicken but even when broilers are used, the chicken inasal in Negros is more delicious than chicken inasal in Manila and other places, even though Negrenses may be operating the Manila chicken inasal restaurants. So it isn't just in the marinade. My theory is that in Manokan, the chicken is very fresh, cooked on the day it was slaughtered or at most, the day after it was slaughtered. The Manokan country people don't use frozen chicken corpses.

Tom, what you think is achuete colored cooking oil is not ordinary cooking oil, it is oil from chicken fat, more loaded with cholesterol than you can imagine. Chicken skin is delicious because of all the fat, so try brushing more of this yummy fat while you're barbecuing the chicken, mas manamit pa gid ang insasal. In Negros, the usual marinade for barbecues - chicken, fish, pork - also has calamansi.