Filipinos in Boston: An Interview with Journalist & Educator Alyssa Vaughn
By Trish Fontanilla
Happy New Year, BFers! We’re kicking off 2019 with an awesome new profile: Alyssa Vaughn. While I haven’t met Alyssa in person, we connected over social media and I was totally fascinated by her work with Teens in Print. Thank you Alyssa for taking time to chat with BF, and I hope y’all enjoy learning more about her!
Where are you from?
Alyssa: I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. My mom’s family immigrated to the Midwest from Cavite City.
Where do you work and what do you do?
Alyssa: I work full time at a nonprofit called WriteBoston, where I manage Teens in Print, an after school newspaper journalism program for Boston public high school students. I’m also currently the editorial fellow at Scout Magazines, the hyperlocal bimonthly magazines of Somerville and Cambridge. Basically, I spend my days designing lessons to teach my budding writers the basics of journalism, and I spend my evenings and weekends making sure my own journalism skills stay sharp!
Can you tell us a little more about how you got started with Teens In Print?
Alyssa: After college, I knew I wanted to work in journalism in some capacity, but I wasn’t sure how. I was also interested in spending a year serving in the AmeriCorps program, as I participated in a lot of community service throughout my high school and college years. As I was looking through the AmeriCorps positions available in Boston, I came across a position with Teens in Print, and it seemed like the perfect way to both serve the community and pursue my interest in journalism. After my service year, I was fortunate enough to be hired by WriteBoston as a full time staff member—so now I get to continue teaching journalism and working with amazing kids, but with a real salary instead of that tough AmeriCorps stipend!
On Boston...
How long have you been in Boston?
Alyssa: This is my sixth year here—I moved here originally to attend Boston College.
What are your favorite Boston spots:
Alyssa: I’m totally partial to Cambridge and Somerville since I spend so much time learning and writing about those communities. I love Bow Market in Union Square (I’m eagerly awaiting the kamayan dinners that will be hosted there at Ellie Tiglao’s Filipino restaurant, Tanam!). I cook a lot, so I also love to poke around the city’s specialty food shops, like Capone Foods, Formaggio Kitchen, and the Central Square H-Mart. I also appreciate all the beautiful outdoor spaces we have in this part of town—North Point Park is my favorite place to sit outside and read in the warmer months.
What's your community superpower?
Alyssa: As you can probably tell from what I do for a living, I’m passionate about building community through writing. I’ve actually written for the local magazine of every city I’ve ever lived in because I love to uplift people who are doing amazing things right in my own neighborhood. I think that storytelling is an incredibly powerful force, and that when you read about your community, you can’t help but feel more connected to and excited about it. I feel really lucky to have a career that’s focused around facilitating that connection.
On Filipino Food...
What's your all-time favorite Filipino dish?
Alyssa: That’s such a tough question! The winner has to be my Nana’s pork adobo.
What's your favorite Filipino recipe / dish to make?
Alyssa: Chicken adobo was one of the first things I learned how to cook, and I make it ridiculously often. I just follow my mom’s method: I lightly sear about a pound and half of chicken thighs in a pot, then pour 1/2 a cup of vinegar, 1/2 a cup of soy sauce, and all the garlic in my apartment over them. There’s also nothing quite staining my clothes and making my whole house smell like oil while frying up a batch of lumpia.
On Staying in Touch…
How can people stay in touch? (website / social / email if you want!)
Alyssa: Follow me on Twitter!
We’re always looking for BOSFilipinos blog writers / subjects! If you’d like to contribute or have any suggestions, feel free to send us a note: info@bosfilipinos.com.
Thank You For An Amazing 2018!
What a year! 2018 was the first calendar year for BOSFilipinos as an organization, and we wouldn’t have made it through without our awesome community. We’re so thankful for everyone that we’ve met, from the folks that have connected with us on social (Facebook // Twitter // Instagram) to people that have attended our meetups to volunteers that helped us at events to blog readers like you (Hi! Thanks for visiting!). We’re so thrilled we could elevate different people and voices in the Boston community this year, and we’re hoping 2019 is even bigger and better! So if you want to help make that happen, just let us know. Every helping hand makes a difference! #teamworkmakesthedreamwork
We hope you all are having a healthy, happy holiday season and we’ll see you in 2019 (hopefully at our first meetup of the year)!
Filipinos in Boston: An Interview with Hairdresser / Colorist / Educator Trish Mullen
By Trish Fontanilla
WRITER’S NOTE - March 2019: Trish Mullen just started her own business! To learn more check out: https://www.sunandstarshair.com/
I’m not gonna lie, it was a little weird interviewing someone named Trish, but when past BF interviewee Tina Picz told me about her awesome Filipina stylist I just had to meet her! Thank you so much to Trish Mullen for taking time to chat with me during this busy holiday season. She was also super generous and offered a special discount code for BOSFilipinos readers. Read on to learn more about this awesome Filipina in Boston!
Picture of & provided by Trish Mullen
Where are you from?
Trish: I was born in Malolos, Bulacan and came to the U.S. with my parents when I was very little. I first lived in Southern New Jersey, and then moved to Philadelphia after high school.
Where do you work and what do you do?
Trish: I work for Salon Marc Harris as a hairdresser / colorist, and as a Network Educator for Bumble and bumble.
What inspired you to become a stylist?
Trish: I became a stylist because I like creating every day and working with people. I went to school for design, and would even do haircuts in my dorm room. Before all of that, I remember helping my Lola (grandmother) do her hair. I used to put these pink rollers in her hair at night, and when she took them out in the morning she brushed her hair into this pretty little hairdo. I decided to make styling into a career once I moved to Boston.
Picture of & provided by Trish Mullen
On Boston...
How long have you been in Boston?
Trish: I have been here since January 1, 2007.
What are your favorite Boston spots?
Trish: I got married in the Kelleher Rose Garden. In between client appointments during the week, I like hanging out in the Boston Public Library or having lunch outside in the Boston Common. I also browse around at the Brattle Book Shop or pick up film from Bromfield Camera. On the weekends I am usually at the movies. My husband and I go to Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline and love Otto Pizza and J.P. Licks.
Picture provided by Trish Mullen / One of her clients
On Filipino Food...
What's your all-time favorite Filipino dish?
Trish: I love Salmon Sinigang on a cold day.
What's your favorite Filipino recipe / dish to make?
Trish: Pancit or Tofu Adobo. I don’t eat pork or beef anymore, so I have created a lot of plant-based versions of my favorite Filipino recipes.
Picture provided by Trish Mullen / One of her clients
On Staying in Touch…
Do you have any upcoming events / programs that you want to highlight?
Trish: The holidays are an event for all hairdressers. If you would like to be a new client, I would love to have you in my chair. To book an appt with me call Salon Marc Harris Avery Street at 617-375-8510 and I will throw in a 20% discount if they mention BOSFilipinos.
Anything I missed that you’d like to talk about?
Trish: I told my mother that I found a Filipino community up here, and told her I was doing an interview with you. She insisted I mention that I am the great granddaughter of Filipino scholar Epifanio de los Santos.
How can people stay in touch?
Trish: hairwithtrish617@gmail.com or @hair.data
We’re always looking for BOSFilipinos blog writers / subjects! If you’d like to contribute or have any suggestions, feel free to send us a note: info@bosfilipinos.com.
New Sights, New Bites: A Filipino Food Documentary Project
By Trish Fontanilla
I recently had a chance to chat with the crew behind New Sights, New Bites, a documentary series focusing on Filipino food and identity. They recently launched a Kickstarter to fund their project, and so of course I wanted to highlight them on the blog!
To learn more about what they’re working on and how you can support them, check out the interview below!
Where did the idea for New Sights, New Bites come from?
The idea for New Sights, New Bites came from a culmination of director Bianca Nicdao’s experience coming from a high school in Carson, CA where the majority of students were of a multicultural background, to a larger institution like Emerson College where the majority was the opposite. Bianca found herself missing a huge part of her identity. Once she found her little community of fellow Filipinos at Emerson, she connected with them through shared experiences and organized “Filipino nights” in the dorm rooms where they would cook sinigang, adobo, corned beef, and bistek. Seeing how much food connects us all and how food can act as a storyteller, Bianca knew she needed to tell the story of Filipino cuisine before she graduated.
Why do you think it’s important to tell this story?
As a team, we didn’t grow up with a lot of Filipino faces in media to look up to. Even now there are not many pieces of media that represent our culture and showcase Filipino stories to an audience. As Filipino and Filipino-American filmmakers we want to change that narrative and use this documentary as a medium that can reach a large audience to spread our beautiful culture with the world.
What are you hoping people will walk away with after watching your documentary?
We hope that people walk away with a better understanding and appreciation of the Filipino culture. Additionally, we want audiences to be intrigued enough about the country to want to travel to it and participate in it more.
For Filipino audiences, we want to strengthen their sense of pride in their heritage. Our goal is that both Filipino and Filipino-Americans, Filipino-Australians, Filipino-Canadians, etc., leave the film and face the real world with a greater sense of where they come from and having pride in their home country.
Can you tell us a little more about using the hashtag #ProudToBe?
#ProudToBe came from a conversation we had about our team’s experience attending a predominantly white college. We wanted to make New Sights, New Bites more than just a film, and so we created a hashtag that would best represent why we’re creating this documentary.
#ProudToBe was our marketing director’s idea. He best described our experience as one that moves from being shy of being Filipino, and then coming to terms with it by finding pride out of that shame. We’re #ProudToBe Filipino and we won’t let the fact that we are just a very small minority in our community shy us away from that. We want others to use the hashtag to explain why they are #ProudToBe latinx, black, LGBTQ+, an amine fan, etc.
What’s up next after your trip to the Philippines?
After our trip to the Philippines, we don’t want to stop there with our film. We have planned screenings with USC’s Troy Philippines and CAMS Pinoy Club, and are in discussion with a potential screening at Troy High School in Fullerton, CA to continue our goal to showcase Filipino culture to others and to encourage others to tell their own stories! Additionally, we plan to have screenings at Emerson and wish to invite the BOSFilipino community to attend. We aim to land more opportunities to show the film to other schools and organizations, so during the post production stage, our producers plan to focus on outreach.
How can the community support your work through Kickstarter and beyond?
The community can support us financially through our Kickstarter by clicking here. We also would love any follows on Instagram or Facebook, and shares of our socials to help us get more eyes on our work. We’re a team of collaborators, so if there are other organizations, restaurants, media makers, artists, etc who would like to help us get our mission out there we’d love to work with you!
We’re always looking for BOSFilipinos blog writers / subjects! If you’d like to contribute or have any suggestions, feel free to send us a note: info@bosfilipinos.com.
Filipinos in Boston Interview with Community Impact Manager Nick Pelonia
By Trish Fontanilla
One of my favorite things to do every month is the interview for Filipinos in Boston. I love highlighting different people and voices around the city, and it’s honestly such an honor that I get to bug these amazing people for weeks or months to learn more about what they do and what drives them.
Meet Nick Pelonia. Nick is one of our Twitter followers that I learned more about while down a total rabbit hole learning more about our astounding community. I hope you’re motivated by this interview as much as I am, and thanks again to Nick for opening up and being so candid with his story.
Taken in Antipolo, Philippines / Provided by Nick Pelonia
Where are you from?
Nick: I was born in Olongapo City, Philippines and immigrated to California with my family shortly after being born. My mom’s side of the family is from Candelaria in Zambales and my dad’s side is from Camarines Sur in Bicol. We lived in Alameda, California for a bit and then spent a solid 20+ years growing up in Southeast San Diego in a neighborhood called Paradise Hills. My family still lives in San Diego, and for the past decade I’ve been living and working in a number of places: San Francisco, Hong Kong, Japan, Vermont, and now Boston! Just last December 2017 I actually went back to the Philippines for the first time since 1989, visiting my mom’s hometown and the place I was born and grew up. There I further learned my connection to the Philippines is because of U.S. Imperialism, straight up.
Brotherhood of Strength members (as part of The Center for Hope and Healing) to support #BelieveSurvivors campaign / Provided by Nick Pelonia
Where do you work and what do you do?
Nick: I work at The Center for Hope and Healing, Inc. (CHH), the rape crisis center in Lowell, MA serving the Greater Lowell area. We are an anti-oppression, social justice, and multicultural agency with a vision of a world free of sexual violence. Along with intervention services for survivors of sexual assault at CHH, we also design and provide social justice-based sexual violence prevention programs that focus on Engaging Men & Boys as allies against sexual violence, LGBQ/T communities, and Youth, which I currently oversee as the Community Impact Manager.
Nick with his brother and mom taken at SIT Graduate Institute graduating with my MA in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management / Provided by Nick Pelonia
With a Master of Arts in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management (BTW - what a cool degree), what led you to The Center for Hope & Healing?
Nick: Pretty cool degree with a long name indeed! It has definitely been a journey. Much of it revolves around where I started and where I came from. As an immigrant and Filipino man in the United States that grew up in Southeast San Diego, a community that was often known as “crime-ridden and impoverished,” I went most of my life not being aware of the injustice and oppression that was in the community. Much of this I feel ties to the Filipinx American identity of following the “U.S. American dream.” After immigrating to the U.S., I feel my family was following exactly that and I’ve realized the dream wasn’t meant for us and many other marginalized people.
My mom was working multiple jobs and late shifts when we first immigrated, yet we still filed for bankruptcy (twice) while my siblings and I were just going “through the motions” of school, social life, etc. I’m also a first-generation college student, meaning I’m the first in my family to fully navigate through higher education and obtain my degree. Given this, I felt “on-track” in following that “dream,” yet so lost at the same time. It took me seven years to get my BA let alone know what the hell I was doing with my life. It wasn’t until I actually got outside of the U.S., where I taught in Hong Kong and rural Japan. That opened up my eyes more to social justice and intercultural competency, both in direct experience with people from other countries and in reflection of my upbringing in Southeast San Diego, a community with predominantly Black, Filipinx, and Mexican people.
Fast forward to working as an educator and international youth worker for a few years, I thought: “what’s next?” and according to the “U.S. American dream” I thought of graduate school, which led me to the SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont. Given my international work, I initially wanted to work in International Education with the hopes of supporting people like me with the opportunity to go abroad as well. However, my time at the SIT Graduate Institute was in community with some amazing activists and educators that relentlessly examined social injustice, which inspired me to shift my MA to Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management, with a focus on training and social justice education.
Since then for the past three years I’ve been doing diversity, equity, and inclusion work as a trainer, educator, and organizer in the non-profit sector working with youth, adults, and international students primarily on anti-racism work. With social justice work focusing on identities, privilege, power, and oppression, a year ago I wanted to focus on my own non-target identities: as a cis-, abled, and educated man. And as a man, I know men play an invaluable role to upholding patriarchy and sexism. I believe we can be part of the solution to undoing that, which led me to The Center for Hope and Healing! At CHH we are ultimately building upon and strengthening Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement so that survivors can be thrivers, with safety, healing, accountability, closure, and empowerment. On top of my identities as an immigrant, Filipino, and as a man, I can truthfully say sexual assault and rape culture has been in my life and continues to exist continuously - and men need to do better.
Taken at the Boston Women's March / Provided by Nick Pelonia
On Boston...
How long have you been in Boston?
Nick: 3 years.
What are your favorite Boston spots (could be restaurants / parks / anything!):
Nick: Since I’ve been working in Lowell most of my time here (and Lowell is amazing BTW) there’s a few places in Boston I frequent:
I enjoy going to the Middlesex Fells Reservation with my partner to walk and hike with our dog, Kanji.
The King & I restaurant on Charles St. hands down has the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had. They also have a photo of Usher at the restaurant so you know it’s legit.
J.P. Licks’ Brownie Brownie Batter ice cream with marshmallow sauce is perfect to have any time of the year.
Flour, Myers + Chang, and Boston Barber Exchange are also probably the only other places I go to when I am in the city, supporting my good family friends’ the Lujares and they constantly provide top notch quality services!
And as someone that grew up in San Diego, I’m constantly on the lookout for solid Mexican restaurants so I’m always open to recommendations in the Boston area!
Nick’s dog, Kanji / Provided by Nick Pelonia
What's your community superpower?
Nick: It’s my dog Kanji - she stops everyone in Boston whenever we’re out for a walk, not even kidding. She is a community hero! She has her own Instagram: @KanjiTheBearDog14
Taken in Candelaria, Zambales, Filipino breakfast / Provided by Nick Pelonia
On Filipino Food...
What's your all-time favorite Filipino dish?
Nick: Filipino breakfast! Pan de sal, SPAM, longanisa, eggs, corned beef, vienna sausage, pretty much any of the Silogs with some Ovaltine or Milo - all about that life!
What's your favorite Filipino recipe / dish to make?
Nick: Whenever I miss the taste of home I make Chicken or Pork Adobo and Sinigang in the cold months. I plan on trying to make Arroz Caldo for the first time this year, too.
On Staying in Touch…
Do you have any upcoming events / programs / fundraisers / initiatives that you want to highlight?
Nick: For sure, The Center for Hope and Healing is a non-profit agency and we also provide all our services FREE to survivors. One way that would be a huge help to continuing free services and our mission to ending sexual violence is TO DONATE.
I just recently found out about an organization, Boston Pilipino Education, Advocacy, & Resources (PEAR), I want to especially highlight and support. They’re an organization in the Boston area that aims to promote Filipino culture and history, advocate for the rights of Filipinos in the U.S. and in the Philippines, and provide resources for community empowerment:
Also supporting Ellie and her crew’s Tanam, very much looking forward to opening cause I know it’s gonna be amazing!
My Ate has her own baking business back home making Crinkle Cookies, one of the flavors being Ube! They’re bomb and she ships nationwide! Please support her as she supports two little boys.
Want to highlight #MagandangMorenx as well, Asia Jackson’s campaign that ultimately helps pushes against the anti-Blackness in the Filipinx community.
And last but certainly not least:
#BelieveSurvivors
Trans & Non-binary folx #WontBeErased
#BlackLivesMatter
How can people stay in touch? (website / social / email if you want!)
Nick: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and email nfpelonia@gmail.com
We’re always looking for BOSFilipinos blog writers / subjects! If you’d like to contribute or have any suggestions, feel free to send us a note: info@bosfilipinos.com.
An Interview with Philjay S. Solar
By Leila Amerling
Philjay may not be running for mayor...yet, but it sure seems like he’s gearing up for it someday. If you’re not yet familiar with this charismatic guy, you will soon. I’m not really sure if this guy ever sleeps and I’m pretty sure he’s discovered a way to clone himself to be in more than one place at once. Not only is he a Juris Doctor Candidate at the New England Law School (geared to graduate next summer), but he’s also the Treasurer of the Student Bar Association, the President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, and the Campus Outreach Co-Chair of the Boston Bar Association. And that’s just his professional life. There’s his social life too. This super charismatic and social guy will have you wanting to attend every event and participate in every cause that he’s a part of. Want to know what else Philjay is up to?
Check these out!
BOSFilipinos - Philjay has been a superstar member of BF since the we started hosting meetups. How can we forget the awesome BOSFilipinos EATup he helped us host last July in partnership with the Double Chin in Chinatown?
KIDS Philippines Gala - Philjay will be attending the Second Annual KIDS Philippines 2nd Year Anniversary Gala & Founders Day this Saturday, November 17th, in Connecticut, with special guest Claro Cristobal Philippine Consul General in New York. KIDS Philippines Inc.’s mission is to increase access to education, healthcare, and other critical resources to children that live in and around the town of Tubod in the Province of Lanao del Norte on the Island of Mindanao and throughout the Philippines.
For more info, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1644531548964908
Kumu PH - “Kumu is the next big thing coming out of the Philippines with over 100,000 downloads, and it’s currently the #1 trending app in the Philippines (outranking Facebook!). It is a new live streaming app by Filipinos, for Filipinos across the globe. You can find out what Filipinos are doing in in every time zone, and there also live streaming games where people can earn Philippine Pesos (PHP) including prizes up to 100,000PHP per game (perfect way to save up or send to family back home!). I am part of the supervising team which monitors all its users to make sure they are abiding by the rules!” Download it now at: https://www.kumu.ph/
And you can also check them out on:
Fil-Lennials of New England - “[This organization] is currently looking for young Fil-Ams to interview and feature ages 20-40. Whatever your profession is, no matter how much Filipino blood you have in you, we would love to feature you! Also, be on the lookout for a Spring Leadership Conference for Fil-Am Professionals.”
Contact Philjay if interested in planning via Facebook Messenger!
Like Philjay, you can be a BOSFilipino too! Just give us a holler and let us know how you want to contribute. BOSFilipinos is for YOU!
The Countdown Begins!
By Leila Amerling
By the time you read this we will be about 47 days and 6 hours until Christmas! Even less in the Philippines. This means you have about 17 days to shop and ship your gifts to your loved ones back home Philippines!
To help you cut the time, I've constructed a list of vendors to help you get your presents home in time, hopefully, as well as Pinoy handicraft vendors for yourself, to get you in the spirit of Christmas!
Balikbayan boxes buy and ship (from Boston and New England):
J-Mart Asian Food Store
Pinoy Republic Worcester
Surepinoy Oriental Food Mart
New England Express Cargo Forwarder, LLC aka NEEX Cargo
(here are drop-off locations for boxes in and around your area)
Box Express International Courier
A2 Global Shipping
Nile Cargo Carrier
Fun fact! The word ‘balikbayan’ and ‘balikbayan box’ was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2015.
Filipino food stores:
J-Mart Asian Food Store
Pinoy Republic Worcester
Surepinoy Food Mart
Order Online! - Tagalog Lang Store
Order Online! - Filstop
Order Online! - Filipino Grocery Store
Online Filipino handicraft and other filipino items vendors:
Pineapple Ind. (Barongs)
Kubo Modern Living
Kabayan Central Filipino Store
Amazon
Tagalog Lang
Etsy - Filipino Jewelry
Etsy - Filipino decor
Don’t forget to purchase your Christmas PAROL!
Tagalog Lang
Etsy shop - AnelAsCreations
Etsy shop - ParolsAmerica
Ebay
Amazon shop - Gift Ko
HAPPY SHOPPING!
If you read this post or any of our blog posts then you're halfway to being an honorary BOSFilipinos member! Come and join in on the fun by contributing to the group. Whether it's to write a blog post, attend and participate in an event, or even host an event. Let us know!
Filipinos in Boston: An Interview with Tech Program Manager Patty de Castro
By Trish Fontanilla
Ever since I started telling people about BOSFilipinos, everyone has been introducing me to their Filipino friends. And by everyone I mean BF even comes up in business meetings! Earlier this year I was having a coffee chat with Alo Mukerji, COO of coUrbanize, and she said I just had to meet her former colleague Patty de Castro. Patty and I went out for coffee, and next thing you know we’re bonding over our Filipino families and planning out a food excursion.
Thank you Patty for being our Filipino in Boston feature this month, and I hope you all enjoy learning more about Patty as much as I did!
Where are you and your family from?
Patty: I grew up in Quezon City but my parents are from the Visayas (Cebu and Negros Occidental), which means my Tagalog is pretty bad.
Where do you work and what do you do?
Patty: I work at Brightcove, an online video platform. I am a Senior Program Manager, which means I work with our Product and Engineering teams to build and launch our video products.
In your career you’ve bounced around from being a consultant, engineer, product manager, and program manager. What motivated you to get back into program management?
Patty: I really love being in tech, it’s been my whole career. Being a software engineer was pretty cool because I got to build parts of much larger systems. Being a product manager allowed me to create the vision and strategy for the product(s) I owned, but I really missed working across the entire org, from working with the execs all the way to individual developers and with every department in the company. As a program manager, I love working with Engineering, Operations, Product Management, Marketing, Sales, Legal, Customer Success, etc. and aligning everyone so our products exceed our customers’ expectations.
On Boston…
How long have you been in Boston?
Patty: 32 years (yikes ang tanda ko na!)
What are your favorite Boston spots:
Patty: The Greenway, the Harborwalk, or the Chestnut Hill Reservoir for walks. The MFA and Symphony Hall to get my mind away from all things digital, even for just a few hours.
Are there any Boston-based programs or companies in tech that you love?
Patty: We’re very lucky to be in Boston where there are so many programs available to pretty much everyone. I always check out BostInno and MassTLC to see what’s going on in Boston tech. One of the companies that really intrigues me is Hopper, which is headquartered in Cambridge. I have a deep interest in travel tech and Hopper has a very interesting story, as a company and in the work they are doing.
On Filipino food…
What's your all time favorite Filipino dish?
Patty: Wow, that’s like asking who your favorite child is! I mean, we’re talking FILIPINO FOOD - it’s all so good. I can’t pick just one, so I’ll do a favorite meal (rule-breaker!). I’d start with garlic mani (peanuts) and chicharron (fried pork belly / rinds) with vinegar. The mains would be callos (stew), lengua estofada (ox tongue stew), palabok (noodles), and someone else’s adobo (I do not make a good adobo). And lots of rice. Dessert would be mangoes from back home and brazo de mercedes (jelly roll dessert). Always shared with friends and family.
What's your favorite Filipino recipe / dish to make?
Patty: Sans rival (Filipino dessert cake). I find making the cashew meringue layers very therapeutic.
On staying touch…
Facebook or LinkedIn, but the best way is the old fashioned way - a friend of a friend. We’re Filipino, after all, so we’re only three degrees separated.
We’re always looking for BOSFilipinos blog writers / subjects! If you’d like to contribute or have any suggestions, feel free to send us a note: info@bosfilipinos.com.
Todos Los Santos in the Philippines
by Bianca Garcia
Do you celebrate All Saints’ Day? I do, and lately the movie Coco has been on my mind. I love how the movie showcased Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), when big throngs of family and friends congregate at the cemetery to commemorate their loved ones. The movie tugged at my heartstrings because it reminded me so much of how we celebrate Todos Los Santos (All Saints’ Day) in the Philippines.
Each year on November 1st, Filipinos swarm to the cemeteries to honor our beloved family and friends who have passed away. Some families would come the previous day, some would come the next day (on All Souls’ Day), and some would stay there for the three days. Some people camp out and spend the night, and the cemeteries are literally packed with people, food, light, flowers, candles, and music.
The energy during Todos Los Santos is anything but sad. The holiday has become a de facto family reunion, so there’s a jovial feeling in the air. Filipinos honor our loved ones who have passed by bringing their favorite foods, reminiscing about them, praying for them, and keeping our memories of them alive. There is something very uplifting about celebrating the lives of our dead, instead of mourning their deaths.
In my family, we go to two cemeteries - one for my mother’s side, and another for my father’s side. We bring food, we pray, we catch up with our relatives. The kids play, the adults talk, we all eat and enjoy our time together. I am sad that some of my family have passed too soon: Lolo Ising, Lolo Leno, Lola Nading,Tito Jun, Ate Isabel. But I am also happy that I still have them in my life - through my living relatives, and through Todos Los Santos.
*Quick Filipino vocab:
Lolo = grandfather
Lola = grandmother
Tito = uncle
Ate = older sister