Category: Philippines

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60 Days to Christmas! Pasko and Bibingka time!

It’s late October and many of my friends are buying their fake blood and zombie costumes and pulling out their Michael Jackson’s Thriller long-format tracks. Oh, and of course, getting ready for the World Series. (sigh.)

But here in the Philippines, we’re already looking forward to Christmas. Soon as one of the so-called -BER months (SeptemBER, OctoBER…) takes a turn on the calendar, Filipinos dust off their parol, traditional star-shaped Christmas lanterns made of bamboo and colorful paper or capiz shell. A cartoon Pasko countdown finishes the tv evening news broadcast – seventy days na lang!  In the malls, the soundtracks change from pop hits like Gangam Style to classic carols like Baby, It’s Cold Outside. Ironic, of course, because it doesn’t get colder than the high 70s in Manila.  Continue reading “60 Days to Christmas! Pasko and Bibingka time!”

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Giada De Laurentiis’s Filipino Chicken Adobo, Cultural Appropriation and the White Savior

“Turn on the Food Network right now,” Jenny texted me, “Giada’s making chicken adobo.”

“FILIPINO chicken adobo?”

Continue reading “Giada De Laurentiis’s Filipino Chicken Adobo, Cultural Appropriation and the White Savior”

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Cook This: Filipino Chicken Adobo

Tonight, I’m cooking the quintessential Filipino Dish: Chicken Adobo.

Our family is from the northern part of the Philippine islands. For every Filipino cook, there’s a different adobo. For example, my cousin adds Sprite/7Up instead of water and a hot chili pepper. This is my interpretation of my mom’s recipe. I like to douse my rice in adobo sauce so I make a lot of it.  Continue reading “Cook This: Filipino Chicken Adobo”