Filipino Food Month: For Filipinos, mealtime fills the belly and feeds the soul

If you enter a Filipino household, the first thing the host will ask you is, "Have you eaten yet?"

And before you can answer, you will be invited to the table, "Let's eat!" or, in Tagalog, "Kain tayo!" That's not an invitation, its a declaration of welcome to a guest.

Eating with Filipinos isn’t just a meal. It is a full-contact, heart-centered, communal experience that redefines the idea of hospitality. 

I'm told a story of some US-born Filipinos visiting relatives in Tondo, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Manila. Though the host family was evidently not wealthy, they served their American relatives lechon, roasted pig, a delicacy that probably cost them a fortune.

If you are used to the quiet, individualistic pace of a Western dinner party, walking into a Filipino kitchen is like stepping into a warm, chaotic, and delicious embrace.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the invitation isn't a formality. "Kain tayo!" (Let’s eat!) is the standard greeting. It doesn't matter if they just met you or if they only have enough for the family; you are getting a plate. In this culture, food is the primary language of love. To feed someone is to respect them, and to eat their food is to become part of the tribe.

Then there is the rice. In the States, rice is a side dish. In the Philippines, rice is the sun around which every other dish orbits. If there isn't a mountain of steaming white rice on the table, it isn't a meal—it’s just a snack. And forget the steak knife. You’ll be handed a spoon and a fork. You use the fork to push the food into the spoon, which acts as a shovel, a knife, and a delivery system all in one. It is incredibly efficient and makes you wonder why we ever bothered with dull butter knives.

But the real magic happens during a Boodle Fight. Imagine a table covered in massive, vibrant green banana leaves. There are no plates. There are no chairs. Just a literal mound of grilled pork, salted eggs, fried fish, and mangoes piled on top of a long ridge of rice. You eat with your hands—kamayan style—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone else. It’s primal, it’s messy, and it completely strips away the barriers we usually put up at the dinner table.

There is also a beautiful, democratic sense of taste here. In a high-end French restaurant, it might be an insult to salt your food. In a Filipino home, the "sawsawan" or dipping sauce is your birthright. You get a little saucer and mix your own alchemy of vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi, and bird's eye chilies. You are the final chef of your own bite.

Ultimately, eating with Filipinos teaches you that a meal isn't about the calories. It’s about the "salu-salo"—the act of gathering. It’s about the laughter that is louder than the clinking of spoons and the "shy piece" left on the platter because no one wants to be the one to take the last bite from a friend.

Eating together is a reminder that we are at our best when we are sharing, reaching across the table, and making sure everyone leaves full.

If you are lucky enough to be invited to eat in a Filipino household, you don't want to insult the host so even if you've already a meal, you've got to force yourself to eat, even for a few bites.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Jolibee's fried chicken beats out US fast food rivals

For the second year in a row, the Filipino chain Jolibee was judged to have the Best Fast Food Fried Chicken in the United States according to USA TODAY 10Best.

This year’s USA Today Readers’ Choice poll, voted on by thousands of Americans, confirms just how far Jollibee has come. The Philippine fast-food favorite was chosen over some of the United States' better known fried chicken outlets.

"They’re best known for Chickenjoy, the signature juicy, flavorful fried chicken. Order it in buckets or accompanied by sides — and don’t forget to dip it in their silky gravy,” 10Best writes.

The fast food chain from the Philippines, although not heavily marketed beyond word-of-moiuth, beat Guatemalan fast food chain Pollo Campero, Popeyes, and Chick-fil-A. Kentucky Fried Chicken didn't even break into the top 10.

The top 10 Best Fast Food Fried Chicken brands are:

1. Jollibee
2. Pollo Campero 
3. Guthrie's Chicken
4. Huey Magoo's Chicken Tenders
5. Popeyes
6. Golden Chick
7. Chick-fil-A
8. Krispy Krunchy Chicken
9. Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken
10. Bojangles

While the fried chicken is a star, Jollibee also offers other popular menu items, such as the Filipino-style Jolly Spaghetti (with a sweet-style sauce and hotdogs), Burger Steak (beef patty with mushroom gravy), and Peach Mango Pie. For the more curious customer, Jolibee's take of Filipino favorites,  pancit palabok and adobo fried rice, is a good introduction to the Philippine palate.

It also offers a spicy version of the fried chicken. In addition, the fried chicken can be in a sandwich and chicken tenders.  

This year’s USA Today Readers’ Choice poll, voted on by thousands of Americans, confirms just how far Jollibee has come since opening its first US store in Daly City, California in 1998. The Filipino fast food chain has expanded to over 90 locations across North America, 76 stores in 14 US states, drawing long lines and loyal fans wherever it lands.

Jollibee's projected expansion goal is to have 350 stores across both the US and Canada in the next couple of years. Jollibee's franchising program will play a critical role in this growth strategy, with franchise-owned stores projected to make up the majority of its footprint.

FYI: For more information about the franchise program, such as application requirements and frequently asked questions, please visit www.jollibeefoods.com/franchising.

"Jollibee brings a special warmth and hospitality to the QSR landscape in North America – it's a unique element that our brand is very proud of, and we are even more proud to provide that joyful dining experience that you won't find anywhere else," said Maribeth Dela Cruz, Business Group Head, Honeybee Foods Corporation dba Jollibee. "Franchise candidates have the opportunity to build upon 47 years of expansion and usher in a new era for Jollibee."

The number one menu item that sets the chain apart from anyone else is its gravy. Don't be surprised if the Jolibee's US competitors introduce their own gravy dipping sauces. The gravy arrives as a bowl of piping hot, velvety, flavorful, hazelnut-colored goodness. Imagine that perfect gravy you love on a plate of poutine, add the Jollibee logo, and you've got it. For the full flavor experience, make sure to dip every piece of chicken you have in that bucket into the gravy. 

For several yars, celebrated chefs and food critics like the late Anthony Bourdain have predicted the food of the Philippines to be the "next big thing."  Perhaps unwittingly, Jollibee's success in North America might be the gateway for more people to discover the complexities of Philippine cuisine beyond the fried chicken.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.

'Taste The Nation' returns for second season with three Asian American episodes

Just what is American cuisine? The answer is complicated. At least, that's what Padma Lakshmi is trying to say in her Hulu series that is part travelogue, part food show, part political commentary.

"We throw around a lot of platitudes like, ‘nothing’s as American as apple pie,’" says the Top Chef host. "Well, apple pie is not American. Not one ingredient in apple pie is indigenous to North America. Not even the apple! So what are we talking about here?”

In a new season of Taste The Nation, Lakshmi travels the United States to discover more of the American food experience via the various communities that have been built by immigrants over the country’s history adding to the potpouri we call America.

Three of the ten episodes of Taste the Nation's second season focuses on the Asian cuisines of Afghanistan, Cambodia and the Philippines.

"Taste The Nation is a show about what connects us as Americans and as human beings.⁣ It’s about the undeniable spirit, adaptability and resilience of the immigrants and indigenous communities who shaped this country and what we now know as 'American' food," says Lakshmi, who came to the US when she was 4-years old. ⁣⁣

Lakshmi, an Indian American, is proving to be an more than able host. The series' style is more in the vein of Anthony Bourdain's food/travelogue series, using food as a door to dive deeper into the people and culture.

For example, in Episode 6, the Filipino episode, "Ube in the Bay," she shows that she does her homework. She explores how colonialism has affected how Filipinos view their own cuisine and how they view themselves; why Filipino nurses are so plentiful in the US; and how a new generation of Filipino Americans are breaking away from "colonial mentality."

Lakshmi won't come out and say the underlying message of Taste the Nation: the United States, like its food, is a melange of cuisines drawn from around the world. In her unassuming and comfortable way, she would like the viewers come to that conclusion on their own without hitting them over the head with a sledgehammer.

That's "the whole point of the show," says Lakshmi. "We create more understanding between types of Americans, and hopefully, we do it in an entertaining and delicious way with lots of history and culture thrown in there."

FYI: 'Taste the Nation,' can be streamed on Hulu.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

 

Google honors the Philippines' adobo

Today's Google Doodle is of the Philippines' national dish: adobo.

Why today, March 15, of all days? "The word ‘adobo’ was first added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in December 2006, and was included on the word list of the next OED quarterly update, released on this day in 2007," Google explains.

Mind you, we're not talking about the adobo of Spain, Portugal, Mexico or Puerto Rico. The adobo of the Philippines is nothing alike the adobo of the aforementioned countries except for the liberal use of vinegar.

Contrary to popular belief, adobo is not a relic of the 300-year era when Spain ruled over its Asian colony. I don't know who or why the Spanish word "adobo" was applied to this indigenous dish, but the name stuck over the centuries.

With scores of variations, it seems that every Filipino family has its own recipe for the iconic dish, but they all share the common ingredients of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper.

Google writes: "Several areas within the Philippines give their adobo a regional twist. Locals in Visayas enjoy adobong puti (white adobo), considered by some to be the original indigenous style, which exclusively uses vinegar without any soy sauce. In places like Southern Luzon, where coconut milk is a food staple, creamier adobo recipes like adobong manok sa gata (chicken adobo with coconut milk) are extremely popular. Others substitute meat with seafood like squid, or locally available vegetables like kangkong (water spinach) or sitaw (string beans)."

PORK ADOBO

"For children of immigrants, our relationship with our parents' food is a complex one," says Doodle artist Anthony Irwin. "On one hand, my mother's cooking made me feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. It felt special and safe and warm. But on the other hand, most kids just want to fit in. Growing up in the U.S., I didn't want my food to be special. I didn't want to feel different. I just wanted to be like everyone else.

"Now as an adult, I get to find all of these opportunities to be proud in ways childhood didn't let me feel proud. I can claim Filipino food as a part of my culture and celebrate the connection it creates between my mother's identity and my own," he writes.

"I ordered some southern-style chicken adobo from a local restaurant to stir up some memories while working on the art for this Doodle, and the first thing that hit me was the smell. It was so bright and nostalgic, and instantly filled my apartment with that familiar feeling: this is exactly how things are supposed to be. 

"So I tried to capture that simple childhood joy of leaning in and savoring the kind of food that makes home feel like home. Kain nang mabuti!"

When Filipino American chef Leah Cohen gets that craving for comfort food, she makes her family's adobo which includes coconut milk and onions.

"While working in other kitchens over the years, this has always been my go-to staff meal," she continues. "It is easy to make, and while it braises away in the oven, I can get my prep done. Most importantly, the staff always loves it. Now I make it for my son, Carter G. It is one of his most loved dishes."

TV personality and owner/chef  of Flip Sigi restaurants, Jordan Andino's take on the dish involves shredded pork butt, oyster sauce and Sriracha for a little kick.

"(Adobo) is something I adore and have always loved eating and making. Simplistic and cheap, yet incredibly delicious, this dish gets better as the days go by and can be repurposed in so many different ways for all your make-ahead dinner plans," he tells Today.com.

For TODAY.com's senior health editor, Filipino American Maura Hohman, it's comfort food. "My own twist? A runny fried egg because the adobo’s tartness begs for it, in my opinion. 'You like adobo?' is the subject line of that email, an inside family joke from when two Filipino strangers asked my brother that very question upon finding out his mother’s ethnicity. Of course, I do, and everyone else should, too."

Even Mickey Mouse has an adobo recipe.

There's no mistaking the aroma when you walk into a Filipino household and adobo is being served. I love the aroma as it wafts through the house seeping into the rug and upholstery. While growing up there was a love-hate relationship with adobo; the smell may linger for hours announcing with no uncertainty that this is a Filipino home may make youngsters reluctant to have friends visit, it is an aroma I've learned to savor bringing back warm memories of many family meals of my childhood shared with friends and neighbors. Here's the recipe for my family.

One cool memory I will always treasure: adobo (and a plethora of other Filipino dishes) was served to then-Philippine Vice President Fernando Lopez who was visiting my little suburban California town to give a speech. There was the Philippine Vice President with his wife, members of the high-brow society, eating off of TV tables in our humble living room, proclaiming, "Ito ay masarap!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

#FAHM2022 Mickey Mouse presents his recipe for Filipino adobo

Culinary experts may disagree, but many people say adobo is the national dish* of the Philippines. The simple umami-packed dish got a stamp of approval from perhaps the world's most famous chef -- Mickey Mouse.

October is Filipino-American Heritage Month in the United States, and to mark the occasion, Disney released on its social media accounts an adorable illustrated recipe of one of the most recognizable Filipino dishes, chicken adobo.

“Mickey and friends are here to share a special chicken adobo recipe. Chicken adobo is a popular Filipino dish and each family has their own way of making it,” Disney wrote on its Facebook page, featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy, with Mickey holding a bowl of adobo while Goofy carried some white rice.

The artwork featured a simple five-step recipe, with ingredients such as chicken, bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic cloves, as well as some water, sugar, and black peppercorns.

Illustrator Bianca Austria at her graduation ceremony.

The recipe was illustrated by the up-and-coming Filipino American artist, Bianca Austria, who graduated summa cum laude in Fine Arts from California State University at Long Beach.

FYI: View more of of the artwork of Bianca Austria

“This has been in the works for a few weeks now and I’m so excited to finally share with you all! For Filipino American History Month, I had the honor of working with @disney to bring to life an illustrated chicken adobo recipe!," Austria revealed on her social media site. 

"It is now live on their feed but obviously had to post on my page for you all!!! Thank you to the team at Choreus and Disney for having me on board, although this project was short and sweet, it’s definitely one for the books,” the artist wrote.

RELATED: Adobo recipe of this editor

*Apologies to fans of lechon and sinigang.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Groundbreaking Filipino American restaurant Bad Saint closes its doors

Customers line up in the rain for a meal at Bad Saint.

Bad Saint ,the Washington DC restaurant that opened eyes to Filipino cuisine, closed its doors permanently, a victim of the pandemic economy. 

The Filipino American restaurant that drew national attention in 2019 served its last meal July 9.

“The attitude that I think we and a lot of people had in the beginning (of the pandemic) was ‘We’ve just got to make it to the other side of this,'” co-owner Genevieve Villamora told Eater. “At some point, probably in the last nine months, I was like, there’s no getting on the other side of this. This is it. This is the new reality.” 

At it's height, people would line up and wait up to three hours to get one of the 24 seats in the tiny restaurant.

The restaurant was an instant hit when it opened in 2015 under the direction of chef Tom Cunanan, who left the restaurant in 2020. 

Serving the cuisine of the Philippines, the Bad Saint (named after Saint Malo, the first Asian American community in the US) gained national attention by ranking No. 2 best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit in 2016 and earning Cunanan a James Beard award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic in 2019. Despite Cunanan's departure,  the restaurant was able to maintain it's high standards.

Bad Saint's culinary success lent a new air of credibility to the long-neglected food from the Philippines. While adventurous diners flocked to restaurants of numerically smaller Asian American communities like the Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese and Malaysian, Filipino restaurants failed to depend on the loyalty of Filipino clientele.

Since Bad Saint's breakthrough, other restaurants have opened up offering high-end versions of Filipino dishes. The Chicago restaurant, Kasama, became the first Filipino American restaurant to earn the coveted Michelin star this year. Chicago Tribune critic Louisa Chu proclaimed Kasama, owned by Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, one of the best restaurants in the world.

On the other end of the dining spectrum, food trucks offering Filipino fare, offering meats in familiar taco and burrito forms have helped introduce the cuisine to more casual foodie fans.

The tight quarters of Bad Saint worked against the restaurant during the pandemic which required social-distance dining. Other business strategies: patio dining and takeout, didn't produce enough profit to save the restaurant.

The pandemic hurt Villamora physically, as well. She came down with COVID-19 during this critical time.

“All of the pressure and anxiety of the restaurant trying to survive in this environment really ratcheted everything up a few notches for me,” Villamora told Eater “It was only a few months ago that I was honest with myself about how much I was struggling and how much I really needed help and finally got that for myself… It’s challenging but we have to find ways to take care of ourselves and take care of other people.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter. 

Kasama - Filipino restaurant earns a Michelin star

INSTAGRAM

Tim Flores and Genie Kwon celebrate the Michelin star for their restaurant Kasama

A Filipino-themed restaurant in Chicago has been awarded a Michelin star, a coveted accolade in the culinary community. 

Kasama - owned by husband-and-wife couple of Filipino American Tim Flores and Korean American Genie Kwon - is now a one-Michelin star establishment, the Michelin Guide announced on April 7. Apparently, the only Filipino American restaurant to earn that distinction.

The 2022 Michelin Guide raved about how it “emphatically displays the talented team’s training, experience, and heritage for an experience that is ambitious, clever, and distinct.”

Michelin evaluators were impressed by Kasama’s contemporary fusion dishes, such as the maitake mushroom adobo sauced with mussel emulsion; pancit with thin squid ink noodles, scallop conserva, and shaved Serrano ham; and Chef Kwon’s sophisticated version of the halo-halo with Asian pear granita and pandan ice cream.

Flores and Kwon did not anticipate opening a fine dining restaurant when they debuted Kasama in July 2020. Their original idea was for a cafe with morning pastries baked by Kwon and a casual menu with sandwiches and lumpia from Flores in the afternoons.

Kasama, a Tagalog word translates to "companion," or "date." It opened almost two years ago just as the pandemic was starting in the East Ukranian Village neighborhood of Chicago as a bakery and a restaurant serving modern Filipino cuisine located in the East Ukranian Village neighborhood of Chicago.

Nearly two years later, Kasama features a 13-course tasting menu — one that includes lumpia — has brought joy to diners, especially within the Filipino American community. That may not have been Flores’s intention, but he's proud his creations and interpretations of traditional Filipino dishes have been accepted and promoted by Filipino American diners.

“So many people have teared up at dinner,” Flores tells Eater. “It was never my goal, The goal was just to make good food (that) I grew up eating, not to help Filipino Americans get in touch with their roots.”

Philippine cuisine, a blend of Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, American and indigenous influences, has been gaining in popularity in recent years as the more adventurous Gen X and Gen Z are willing to expand their palates.

According to the culinary magazine Chef's Pencil, it’s “an awful shame” that Filipino cuisine had been excluded from the list of fantastic food experiences often dominated by European countries and the more familiar East Asian cuisines.

A 2020 survey conducted among 250 chefs by Chef’s Pencil which ranked the top three South-Asian countries, namely the Philippines (1), Thailand (2), and Vietnam (3), among the world’s five most underrated foodie destinations.

The chefs that were interviewed in November last year ranked the Philippines in first place among the three cuisines in the list which is dedicated to “incredible destinations” that “don’t get the exposure they truly deserve” as well as higher recognition in the culinary world.

"It is still hard to believe what this industry has been through since the beginning of 2020," the Kasama team wrote on Instagram. "To make it here and to be recognized by the @michelinguide is truly beyond anything we could have ever imagined."

It’s one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in America. Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Louisa Chu reviewed Kasama in December and she hailed it as one of the best restaurants in the world.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Lumpia added to food fare offered at SF Giants ballpark

INSTAGRAM / Bon Appétit Oracle Park

Chef Alex Retodo in front of his food booth serving up the crispy, tasty Lumpia Shanghai athe Giant's Oracle Park.

Ah, baseball, the great American pastime conjures up old-time American tradition: the smell of fresh cut grass, the crack of the bat, the home town cheers, a cold beer and hot dogs. Now, add lumpia.

The San Francisco Giants' Oracle Park has a deserved reputation of serving up the cuisine that represents the San Francisco Bay Area community, one of the most diverse in the country.

That Filipino classic finger food, lumpia, has now joined hot dogs, hamburgers and kettle corn and the more exotic fare of crab sandwiches, Hawaiian poke, Chinese chow mein, garlic fries, and more.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, chances are you're familiar with Filipino cuisine thanks to the popularity of the food truck scene. Lumpia is one of the most popular items and serves as an introduction to the more exotic dishes of Philippine cuisine.

Several school districts even serve lumpia as a lunch choice, mainstream grocery chains offer frozen lumpia, and instead of bake sales, some churches offer lumpia sales.

Lumpia Shanghai has proven to be a popular food item for baseball fans.

Filipino American chef Alex Retodo of The Lumpia Company has made the big leagues with his concession stand on the promenade level serving up various forms of lumpia, calamansi ice cream, and San Miguel beer.

The Giants baseball team was among the first sports franchises in the US to hold a Filipino American Night as a tribute to its Filipino American fans who can get in at a special price and receive a gift with a Filipino theme. It has proven so popular that the Giants scheduled two Filipino Heritage Nights. The first one was held in the Spring.

The next Filipino Heritage Night is September 25, where special event ticket package includes a ticket to the game against the Rockies, as well as a limited edition Filipino/Giants Two Flaps Down Hat! Hopefully, the Lumpia Company stocks up extra lumpia for that game.

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Olympian Natalie Coughlin: Fried rice & eggs breakfast of champions

Breakfast of champions: Fried rice, kale, topped with eggs with soft yolks.

So the secret is out. Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin draws on her Filipina grandmother for inspiration when she eats breakfast before a swimming meet -- fried rice, veggies with an egg on top.

Filipinos are familiar with the silog breakfast: tapsilog, longsilog, spamsilog or any variation with meat and/or vegitables mixed in with fried rice with an fried egg on top. Some say the silog recipe was the inspiration for the popular Hawaiian breakfast, the loco moco.

Coughlin, who has won more swimming medals than any other Olympian not named Michael Phelps, may have ended her days of competitive swimming but she is being kept busy taking care of her infant daughter, tending her home garden and cooking.

On the Today Show Tuesday, Coughlin demonstrated how to make her grandmother's lumpia and her favorite breakfast.

WATCH Natalie Coughlin cook lumpia and breakfast of champions

She also has come out with a new cookbook, "Cook To Thrive," a healthy twist to traditional recipes.

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TGIF Feature: Popular food vlogger tries Filipino food for first time

I LOVE FOOD. I love cooking, eating and the bonding experience from sitting around a table and sharing a good meal.

I came across the Youtube series "Strictly Dumpling" with Mike Chen. The food vlogger visited the Philippines for the first time earlier this year and "discovered" the joys of Filipino cuisine.

What I enjoyed most was watching Chen eat. He really savors every bite and it shows on his reactions. He transports himself to another world.

It was a good thing that he llikes pork. It seemed half the dishes he tried hat pork in it. His most common reaction to the dishes he tried? "Hmmm. That's good!"

He made me crave for some good Filipino food. After being overlooked for decades for the exotic food from other Southeast countries, Filipino cuisine is finally having a moment in the food world as foodies discover the joys of sinigang, adobo, lechon, pancit, boneless bangus and Phiippine BBQ.

Watch his series as he tries out Manila's night markets, visits the Cebu to try the best lechon. He even tried some dishes I wasn't familiar with. Chen is fun to watch and his  episodes from the Philippines might inspire you to search for the closest Filipino restaurant

DIOKNO

A feast prepared in Cebu for "Strictly Dumpling" host Mike Chen.

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