Trish Fontanilla 8/22/18 Trish Fontanilla 8/22/18

Filipino Books at the Boston Public Library

By Trish Fontanilla

Fun fact: growing up I went to library school instead of preschool, so I started reading at a very early age. And while other kids’ favorite games were Candy Land or Mouse Trap, my favorite game was Dewey Decimal Classification Bingo. So it’s probably no surprise that when I moved to Boston I quickly fell in love with the Boston Public Library. Now that I’m a consultant, I spend even more time there, and it’s one of my favorite places in the city by far.

Another reason I love the BPL is because of the number of Filipino books it has on the shelves.

Here are 8 books on my Later shelf (a category on the BPL website for folks like me that have a ton of books checked out AND are on the waiting list for an equally absurd amount of books):

1. The Oracles: My Filipino Grandparents in America by Pati Navalta Poblete

I’ve gotta admit, I was initially drawn to this book because of the title. I regularly call older family members The Elders Council because they are the last say on important decisions that impact our very large family (dates people can get married, when reunions are, etc). In this memoir, Poblete talks about the intergenerational issues she experienced growing up Filipino American and living with her immigrant grandparents.

2. Filipino Cuisine: Recipes from the Islands by Gerry G. Gelle

This is one of the larger Filipino cookbooks available at the BPL, with hundreds of recipes from different parts of the Philippines like Northern Luzon, Central Plains, Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao. So if you’re looking for a cookbook that’s a general overview of Filipino cuisine, this one’s definitely it!

3. Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories by Liana Romulo (hard copy / eBook)

Growing up in America, most of my bedtime stories were about my dad’s farm in the Philippines. So while my favorite stories are of Filipino origins, I’ve actually never heard Filipino retellings of classic folktales. In this book, Roulo compiled 13 stories, some of which have companion tales in other cultures. Bonus: Romulo’s book Filipino Friends is also available at the BPL!

4. The Filipino Americans 1763 - present: Their History, Culture, and Traditions by Veltsezar Bautista

The 2nd edition of this book is available at the BPL. As Filipinos are not generally credited for their contributions in America, I found it fascinating that in reading this book’s description, it covers everything from the economy, politics, entertainment, and more.

5. Filipinos Represent DJs, Racial Authenticity, and the Hip-Hop Nation by Antonio Tiongson

Stoked to read this. I knew many Filipino Americans growing up who were obsessed with hip hop, and I actually did a little hip hop choreography at my cotillion (Filipino American Sweet 16). I’m just going to share the Amazon description here because I couldn’t have worded it any better: “Looking at the ways in which Filipino DJs legitimize their place in an expressive form historically associated with African Americans, Tiongson examines what these complex forms of identification reveal about the contours and trajectory of contemporary U.S. racial formations and discourses in the post–civil rights era.”

6. Asian Americans in the Twenty-First Century by Joann Faung Jean Lee

This book covers oral histories of First to Fourth Generation Americans from China, Japan, India, Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Laos. I love that it features AAs from all these different countries and differentiates some of their experiences. I feel like people often forget how much of a blanket term “Asian” is, and how different we all can be from hair / skin color to cultural and religious traditions.

7. Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes

I was wondering why I hadn’t heard of this book before, and realized it came out in 2018! “Told with a lyrical, almost-dreamlike voice as intoxicating as the moonflowers and orchids that inhabit this world, Monsoon Mansion is a harrowing yet triumphant coming-of-age memoir exploring the dark, troubled waters of a family's rise and fall from grace in the Philippines. It would take a young warrior to survive it.”

8. 10,000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines by Yasmin Newman

Admittedly, this isn’t a book on my Later shelf, I have this book checked out right now… but I promise to return it soon! So far I’ve made mango icebox cake, flan, and empanadas. I love Newman’s take on a cookbook as a cultural guide, and her notes on the origins and influences on each recipe.

Boston Public Library Courtyard / Taken by Trish Fontanilla

What are your favorite Filipino books at the BPL (or locations across the city)? How about books that should be at the BPL and aren’t? Comment below!

We’re always looking for BOSFilipinos blog writers / subjects! If you’d like to contribute or have a suggestions, feel free to send us a note: info@bosfilipinos.com.

Leila Amerling 8/16/17 Leila Amerling 8/16/17

NO FORKS GIVEN - An interview with an inspirational Filipina chef, Yana Gilbuena

A little over 3 years ago (woah!), I had the pleasure of meeting a very passionate and energetic young Filipina chef. Wait... this is not how this post should start, because honestly June 1, 2014, the day I met Chef Yana Gilbuena, was the day I changed all of my #lifegoals. She brought out an excitement in me that was dormant. She brought the ultimate Filipino Food experience to Boston. For one night only, Boston was given the opportunity to eat classic Filipino food, made by Chef Yana, and enjoyed Kamayan-style.

On June 1, 2014, Chef Yana was here in Boston for her 14th pop-up dinner. Massachusetts was the 14th state out of her 50 state Kamayan (Filipino for “eating with your hands”) tour, called the SALO Project. Her initial goal was to host 50 pop-up dinners in 50 states.

“Actually it ended up being more,” she told me during our recent phone interview. “I did all 50 states, plus DC, 8 provinces in Canada, 4 cities in Mexico, and 3 states in Colombia.” She said this project was inspired on impulse. “It was during a time in my life where I needed to figure some sh*t out...one of my friends said to me, ‘there’s 50 states and there’s 52 weeks...and I said, ‘well ok then!’ The concept seemed easy!”

Chef Yana wanted to create a community by “the act of sharing.” Salo in tagalog means “gathering” (side note, I looked up the word Salo, conveniently, in Slavic, salo is also a type of food.) “The SALO Project was initially going to be a documentary,” she said. She traveled to 26 states with a videographer but “...traveling [this much] isn’t for everyone.”

Chef traveled in accordance to the sun and the seasons. She cooked with local produce, and used online couch surfing platforms as well as Facebook and Craigslist to find places to stay, and host her pop-ups. “I met some good samaritans along the way,” she said. To her it was never about connecting directly with the Filipino community. Sometimes she’d be the only Filipino at her event. She would connect with someone in one city, and through that person she'd be introduced to a group of contacts in another city.

Her memories and experiences needed to be heard, or rather, read. If it weren’t for the community she created, this project would not have been successful. So she decided to write the book No Forks Given with the help of a team of talented Filipinos. The book is a compilation of 3 major parts: a map of her tour, recipes from some of the dinners she hosted, and a memoir. She dedicated this book to all that have helped, and who are still helping her. “I still keep in touch with some people I met during the SALO Project. I want to say thank you to the people who helped,” Yana said. “I want to tell the story. Sometimes I’ll be on a hike and suddenly laugh because I’m thinking of a memory [from the tour].”

In a way, this book couldn’t have been written at a better time. Through her travels she discovered that “this country is not all that bad. I’m a woman of color traveling alone, but I was fine!” With all that is happening on the news these days and all of the country’s uncertainties, this book will remind us, across ALL 50 states, there is still faith, love, kindness, and humanity. It’s not just about the food. It’s not just about being Filipino. It’s about community. It’s about SALO.

It’s the last day to help her get her book ON the shelves by going to her KICKSTARTER page here!

If you want to learn more about her book and the SALO Project, check out the video below and head to her website at saloseries.com.