Why Filipino food
is my bowl of rice



FOOD and the partaking it of it with family and friends has always been a central part of Philippine culture, with major celebrations in the lives of Filipinos usually revolving around feasts and delicious dishes: from lumpia shanghai, chicken adobo, pancit molo, lechon manok, to halo-halo and bibingka.

Having been an aficionado of all things Filipino since 1990, I'm often asked to recommend a Filipino restaurant to Saudi friends, or to describe what Filipino cuisine is like to them. With its various influences, from Spanish to Chinese to American cuisines, Filipino food is not that easy to describe in words.

That is why I was delighted when I came across the new book "Not My Bowl of Rice" (1st Books Library, 192 pages) written by a Filipino-American, ER Escobar. Written in the form of a novel, the book weaves numerous recipes for various Filipino dishes into the story of Ligaya, a young immigrant to the United States.

I have always loved reading recipe books since the days when I used to read my mother's battered Betty Crocker Cook Book when I was around ten. Thus, melding a novel with a series of recipes, as Escobar has done here, seemed like a good thing to me until I realized that he had named every chapter in the book after a Filipino dish!

Nevertheless, the story of Ligaya, from being petitioned by her mother to immigrate to the US, to her "despedida" (farewell) party, to her arrival in the US and her funny encounters with American slang, was interesting enough to keep me reading. The recipes included at the end of each chapter were just an added bonus.

Escobar worked as a copywriter for the McCann Erickson advertising agency before immigrating to America, and it shows sometimes in his novel. He explains every single Tagalog expression known to any Filipino living abroad, such as TNT (no, not the explosive, but "tago nang tago", which means continually hiding, and is used to refer to illegal overstaying aliens who hide from the authorities), and at the end of the novel degenerates into a patriotic advertisement for how the United States is really the land of milk and honey that so many Filipinos believe it to be.

Which is strange, because I enjoyed the parts of the novel set in the Philippines the most. From Ligaya's emotional breakup with her hometown boyfriend Pedring, to her auntie's scary story of "aswang" (a local form of disembodied vampires that fly around at night looking for victims), the book's vital soul is Filipino. Escobar tries to gallantly promote his opinion that Filipinos can actually make it in the US and successfully integrate into American society by, among other things, marrying locals. While I don't disagree totally, I do feel that Filipino immigrants are too often more than willing to shed their culture and adopt a new, fake persona, just for the sake of blending in.

Escobar points this out in the form of Esteban, the gay cousin of Ligaya, who lives in San Francisco. When Ligaya is finally reunited with him in New Jersey, Esteban is unrecognizable: He's bleached his hair blond, and has had a nose job to get rid of his flat Asian nose. The author points out that Esteban has scrubbed out any hint of being Filipino, something that Esteban is obviously proud of.

Esteban is also HIV-positive, and Escobar uses this character to positively explain to the reader the reality of living with someone with HIV and to point out how accepting Philippine society really is.

All in all, I would have enjoyed "Not My Bowl of Rice" more if the author had been a little subtler and less didactic. He points out every single Filipino cultural trait, from the fact that Filipinos don't like opening presents in front of the giver, to the custom of not kissing on the first date. Escobar must have written this book with both a Filipino and American leadership in mind, as it could surely double as a handbook on Philippine culture.

Perhaps I am blinded by over-romanticizing the stories told by Ligaya that are set in the Philippines, but life in the US for Filipino immigrants sounds so boring, lonely and hard. Sometimes I wonder whether the huge sacrifices that many Filipinos make just to get to the US are really worth it.

I leave you with my friend's express version of chicken adobo:

1/2 kilogram of chicken breasts with bone in
5 cloves of garlic diced
One big onion chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar
1-teaspoon monosodium glutamate
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the chicken into small pieces, leaving the bone in. Season with a little salt and pepper. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic over a medium heat. When browned add the onion and fry for five minutes before adding the chicken pieces.

Brown the chicken well then add the soy sauce, vinegar and MSG. Simmer well for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and formed a thick sauce. Taste and check if salty enough. If not add a little salt or a little more soy sauce. If too salty, add a little more vinegar.

Serve with plain white rice. This recipe serves three. Enjoy!

Comments or questions? E-mail the author at manilamoods@hotmail.com. Visit the author's website at www.manilamoods.com to read past columns.