Gourmet-ing up Pinoy Food
9.28.2004
Sassy points to the problems of Pinoy cuisine in this post. True, our dish hasn't much caught on compared to other Asian cuisines....and I agree it is because of a failure of imagination - and the lack of adventurism in cooking shows on TV. Them shows seem to promulgate inferiority complexes, and cultural mentality... that of course, couple with an audience so easily swayed by commercialism and media will make for a bad recipe.
I'm not much of a chef at all, but here's a list of what I'd like to see of Pinoy Food. This list will be mostly fusion, and yes --- imagination!
1. Chicken Adobo foie gras, (Yes the French needed to be spelled in smaller letters to highlight that it is more a Filipino food than it should be French) If you are to use any wines for the flambe --- I suppose Lambanog should be used??? I don't know if it will taste any different or taste real bad!!! I leave that to the experts!
2. Pasta a la sisig, I don't think this is difficult to do, or imagine... That's Pinoy - Italian for you!
3. Ubod ng Niyog + Labong+ 3 native mushrooms in peanut sauce, For the vegetarians out there... here's some exotic thing for you! Coconut shoots, and bamboo shoots for you! Perhaps it should be cooked in the manner of Lumpiang Ubod, but presented as bite size pasta... shoots cut ala fetuccine or lasagna??? Something chewable...I dunno -- is it possible or impossible???
4. Salawahan (as I want to call it, or threesome if you may...) Ginisang Puso ng Saging with 2 other hearts for the meat: chicken and pork Hearts for the kick - mix in the usual sotanghon for the bondage in it...Hehehe, Kinky!!!
5. And my version of a Foursome, 3 girls and a guy: Talaba, Tulya at Tahong at kuhol for the lonesome guy who happens to be uncircumsised, too bad! Crazy!
Hahaha
I guess Filipino food should be celebrated in its diversity - in this case, it’s hard to identify a unique character. Perhaps the character in the food need not be in taste alone, but in the whole experience of it… perhaps it needs to be playful, daring, exotic and weird… let’s capitalize on the fact that they can’t understand why Dinuguan is a good meal… perhaps there should be a selection of dishes that are so exquisite no one can compare to it --- say the one day old chick? Put that next to balut, and set them up in the same dish - as the duck matures… u got a dish there that’s hard enough to eat and prepare but is an experience in itself! Where else can anyone eat and remember how each bite differs from the other???
Let's call that Dumadalagang Itik ? It's just imagination is it? Binagoongang baboy is quite common but use that with rice, tomatoes, paho, and all for rice toppings and that Thai baggong rice is nothing! Want to use beef? Grill the beefs eyes and serve that along side balut and there you go cholesterol!!! But I don't think it's not delicious, is it?
Perhaps a selction of purely exotic FIlipino cuisine should be in the menu - that may attract other people into trying our cuisine - put Dinuguan in the menu, as Ginataang Bayawak is, as Adobong Sawa is? Ginataang Neywan ? that thing with real wild honeybees in it? Eat it with the stingers and all them little creatures --- I don't know if there's still anyone who can cook that! Restaurants could just be about packaging the food as a set experience.. why can't we celebrate in that diversity and exotica?
It's not impossible...
posted by Jdavies @ 9/28/2004,
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The Author
J.Davies
Jdavies lives in Quezon City, Philippines and has been blogging since 2002. A brand manager in a leading technology company and a freelance new media/web strategy consultant, he has refocused his blogging from personal, political & sociological observations, to marketing-related efforts and Internet trends that are relevant to his career and branding advocacies.
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This blog is a depot of thoughts and observations on marketing trends which remain personally relevant to the Author as far as his marketing career is concerned. Having evolved from the personal blog of Jdavies, much of the earlier work contained herein are laced with personal speculation, political views, and similar advocacies. These posts are being kept for posterity's sake and for no other reason. No effort is being made to claim that the author will not contradict himself from his previous positions or that such advocacies are absolute.
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