tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77877750233791118972011-11-27T16:49:58.127-08:00Bringing the world to the Filipino table, and the Filipino table to the world.Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-4235140837707216372011-07-17T19:55:00.000-07:002011-07-30T18:50:05.647-07:002011-07-30T18:50:05.647-07:00

We found Dimsum Break, which served Chinese fastfood, nestled in one of the nooks and crannies of the busy Fuente area in downtown Cebu. If appearances were to have any consequence, I wouldn't have eaten here. It's no secret that I hate fastfood and franchises--let alone of Asian food, and the last thing I want to ingest is something churned out by the precise movements of an unfeeling machine

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-63318376450698045352011-07-06T21:27:00.000-07:002011-07-06T21:35:42.961-07:002011-07-06T21:35:42.961-07:00

The first thing one notices coming out of the Cebu airport are the festive jeepneys that look like banderitas criss-crossing the street. Cebu is saturated with color, and its spaces filled with the vibrancy of perhaps the same spirit that possesses the Sinulog. It is this sort of spirit that makes me wonder what becomes of new installations such as a massive Ayala mall (miniscule still compared

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com2Cebu City, Philippines10.3591887 123.8634544000000210.2396762 123.77939290000002 10.478701200000001 123.94751590000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-88905633386258485732010-06-04T03:19:00.000-07:002010-06-04T03:22:46.755-07:002010-06-04T03:22:46.755-07:00

Found this video on YouTube by comic book writer and artist Gerry Alanguilan who I know is famed for once inking Wolverine. Each family and each region insists on a particular kind of ingredient from what vinegar to use to that secret vegetable or herb that will enhance the flavor of this beloved dish. For Alanguilan, it must be Ajinomoto's Ginisa Seasoning Mix, I don't know why but I guess I

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-63968537310068209082010-05-27T16:01:00.000-07:002010-05-27T16:02:09.028-07:002010-05-27T16:02:09.028-07:00

Bought an apartment in Manila a few years ago that was supposed to be my first home. It's a modest place. Too modest that I couldn't afford to paint and install a kitchen sink to move in. The plan was to save a little more to afford the paint, tiles and the basic fixtures I wanted, move in, survive a few years with hand-me-downs, phase them out slowly buying big and little things a paycheck at a

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-73081199075470931042010-05-07T20:46:00.000-07:002010-05-07T20:50:29.351-07:002010-05-07T20:50:29.351-07:00

Whoever invented fresh spring rolls gets my nod for president. Unfortunately, I can't vote as registration for absentee voting expired last year, even before I got here. And even if I did get to vote, I wouldn't know who to vote for. The least of all evils? Sadly that's the fate of Philippine politics for me. Democracy has given us an illusion of choice, but the choices are between a burger and a

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-44393179659315200082010-04-30T06:09:00.000-07:002010-04-30T06:22:40.752-07:002010-04-30T06:22:40.752-07:00

My introduction to Australian food happens through television. It has to as I can barely afford to eat out. When I first got here, the first season of Masterchef just ended and everyone who had a TV raved about it especially after finding out I was doing a thesis on the sociology of food. I watched My Kitchen Rules religiously and was somehow disappointed with the aggrandizement of French cooking

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-76772142139444071212010-04-27T04:57:00.000-07:002010-04-27T05:08:25.832-07:002010-04-27T05:08:25.832-07:00

While I find Perfect Italiano's cheeses not exactly perfect, their newest ads are semi-perfectly hilarious:Sometimes when I cook, I weep. How I wish I can say the same thing.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-50638848928347624432010-04-26T02:47:00.000-07:002010-04-26T04:29:51.502-07:002010-04-26T04:29:51.502-07:00

I am trying to conquer duck. I bought two duck breasts last week and named them Donald and Daffy respectively, which partly explains why I have avoided cooking duck for the longest time. I'll probably draw the line with rabbits, but i do see a lot of rabbits here so... I digress. I cooked Donald last week when I tried to make roast duck in red curry. The curry taste was pretty standard but the

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-6618265155505705952010-04-25T20:20:00.001-07:002010-04-26T02:45:06.277-07:002010-04-26T02:45:06.277-07:00

It's been a while and I have no excuses for it. I have cooked a lot and ended up with disaster and promise. While I am dying to share the latter, much of the thought about food has not just dwelled on taste, it has also crossed over other concerns. Genetic modification is one of them. Not since living in Thailand 4 years ago have I been wary of genetically modified fruits and veggies. If you go

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-25384530999956275052009-11-09T20:31:00.000-08:002009-11-10T00:20:34.026-08:002009-11-10T00:20:34.026-08:00

I can't believe how we haven't had any post on any kind of pancit here.Pancit is how Filipinos have assimilated stir-fry noodles. If you trust Wikipedia, the word is an abbreviated version of a Fukienese or Hokkienese (dominant language in Southern China) phrase that means 'to be cooked conveniently'--or the basic premise of the underrated culinary art called stir-frying. But before we get to the

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-80849017476616018032009-11-03T01:36:00.000-08:002009-11-03T02:22:50.777-08:002009-11-03T02:22:50.777-08:00

My gout has left me imprisoned at home for almost a week, and so I was forced to make do with a lot of saltless, purine-less and basically, tasteless fare. If you read the literature about gout, especially coming from the internet, it can be confusing. Some say you can eat broccoli, some say you can't. Others say to avoid strawberries, others say its a good remedy. Others say apples work wonders,

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-72425116361318002822009-10-25T03:54:00.000-07:002009-11-03T01:32:15.655-08:002009-11-03T01:32:15.655-08:00

I'm without skewers so this chicken satay had to be stir-fried. The satay gets its distinct taste from the use of peanuts. It's a dish that has different interpretations across Southeast Asia, and is believed to be an incarnation of the Mid-eastern kebab. Indonesians love it with kecap manis, so theirs is sweeter. Thais put coconut milk in theirs so it's a bit more indulgent and creamier. I

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-82198226748403580622009-10-25T02:52:00.000-07:002009-10-25T05:21:59.732-07:002009-10-25T05:21:59.732-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. I missed this blog's first year anniversary and I have no excuses for it. To commemorate the first birthday and to celebrate our steadily rising readership, Recados Filipinos is now a dot com! So, avid reader, make sure to change your bookmarks to http://www.recadosfilipinos.com.I think the honeymoon phase of my move to Melbourne has ended, and surprisingly I am not

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-63361867173934655022009-09-04T02:14:00.000-07:002009-09-04T04:30:38.174-07:002009-09-04T04:30:38.174-07:00

Apparently the idiom, too many cooks spoil the broth, is true. In this case there were just two. I was supposed to cook Chicken Afritada and went through the motions of preparing everything. I was nearly done, and was just simmering the pot when I decided to enter my room to sit out the five minutes of waiting in there when another housemate comes in to the kitchen, opens the pot, gets a whiff of

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-89734685640695644422009-08-29T05:23:00.001-07:002009-08-30T05:05:52.716-07:002009-08-30T05:05:52.716-07:00

I obsessed over cannelloni for days. I ate quiche a few days ago from one of the cafeterias in school and it sucked. So I decided to respond to my own spinach and feta cravings by tinking about stuff like cannelloni and lasagna. So the plan set: what better day to do it then on a lazy Saturday. And did I look forward to Saturday. And here, Saturday. I woke up to really bad weather today. It was

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-70410294553854101842009-08-28T17:29:00.000-07:002009-08-28T23:53:06.349-07:002009-08-28T23:53:06.349-07:00

Walking around the Northcote end of High Street and stumbled upon the Wild Yak Tibetan restaurant and thought why not?The inside interior was a bit too campy and would baffle the likes of Edward Said. It's Tibetan orientalia trying to accommodate the flourishes of Western dining: fan-folded paper napkins, plastic laminates for tabletops, poorly placed dim lights, and a menu that's structured

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-28969426439950238142009-08-27T18:38:00.000-07:002009-08-30T13:49:42.043-07:002009-08-30T13:49:42.043-07:00

You know you are not in Kansas (or Manila) when you peel a garlic and realize the whole bulb is an entire clove. I had to bite it to make sure it was garlic and not some premature onion or a kind of onion, so I had to suffer with this stinging garlic taste in my mouth for the rest of the day. Yes, it is garlic. Afraid the whole thing might not last if I store it, I decided to use it all.

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-9882395797008186662009-08-23T16:53:00.000-07:002009-08-23T17:04:00.478-07:002009-08-23T17:04:00.478-07:00

Somewhere in the suburb of Nedlands in Perth is Ned’s which serves wonderful coffee. Teri-Ann’s assistant Susan recommended the place so the first thing I did on the little free time I had was to go immediately to Ned’s to sample the coffee. You get a good balance of that in this macchiato. What I am liking about the coffee in Australia is the subtle hint of sweetness that doesn’t overpower the

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-15435502328262986042009-08-11T21:48:00.000-07:002009-08-12T00:37:34.157-07:002009-08-12T00:37:34.157-07:00

Settling in to Melbourne slowly. The snow-less winter and torrential rains have made it difficult with temperatures reaching a low of six degrees. So going around on foot is a nightmare considering home is a 20 minute walk from the tram and work and school is another fifteen minutes. The nose has been runny the past few weeks but thankfully—knock on wood lest I jinx it—there have been no signs of

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-297313762414403622009-08-09T22:11:00.000-07:002009-08-09T23:19:16.629-07:002009-08-09T23:19:16.629-07:00

The day before our flight back to Melbourne, I tagged along with Christine to Fremantle. It’s a small town off Perth. If the population in Perth made its money through mining, Fremantle—or Freo to the locals—is believed to be the domain of the old rich, whose forays are inscribed in the town’s symbols from sailing and yachting to really good beer.It’s unfortunate that I was only able to spend an

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-1151373948436772422009-08-09T16:51:00.000-07:002009-08-09T17:08:11.554-07:002009-08-09T17:08:11.554-07:00

What is beguiling about Annalakshmi is not the food, but the concept. The food is good—don’t get me wrong. It features a staple selection of Indian classics from basmati rice to vegetable curry that all taste well, albeit a little more sedate than usual. Annalakshmi operates like a soup kitchen, where anyone can come in, grab a fairly large platter, and fill it up with the stuff you can find in

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-46192513605977922082009-07-29T01:23:00.000-07:002009-07-29T01:41:06.355-07:002009-07-29T01:41:06.355-07:00

I don’t know what will become of this blog now that I have relocated to Australia temporarily. Will it be about rekindling ties back home through food, processing nostalgia in the process, even looking for substitutes for those elusive ingredients that have been synonymous to home? Will it be about Australian food, how a Pinoy like me tastes and appreciates it? I’m keeping my plans in order so I

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-81974355179081911212009-07-14T02:21:00.000-07:002009-07-17T01:28:36.204-07:002009-07-17T01:28:36.204-07:00

The pluses of moving away is that you get gifts like this: 1001 Foods You Must Try Before You Die. One of my pre-departure gifts is this wonderful book of literally a thousand and one items of epicurean delights from all over the world. This is a lifetime project in the making, as I imagine not every well-heeled soul can lay claim to half of it. Scanning through it, I've found a fair amount of

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-91197046157086655412009-06-25T09:10:00.000-07:002009-06-25T09:15:18.969-07:002009-06-25T09:15:18.969-07:00

My first encounter with Bandung nearly two years ago left me awestruck with the potential and range of Indonesian food that I never realized in Jakarta. The latter will always fall prey to standardized tastes, considering its more significant culinary achievements often stand and compete with fastfood chains accompanied by processes that hardly provide room for any whimsy and flair. Food is often

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787775023379111897.post-23801818804106949692009-06-18T08:46:00.000-07:002009-06-18T10:09:35.836-07:002009-06-18T10:09:35.836-07:00

Ma Mon Luk is the iconic panciteria of old Manila. Those days that saw an influx of food practices from nearby Asian and Southeast Asian countries as well as innovative kitchen techniques by folks from all walks of life struggling to deliver their passion for food into something that can bring money to the table. Ma Mon Luk has such fabled beginnings. Named after the owner and founder of the

Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583228139109597291noreply@blogger.com3