A celebration of local creativity, in the most palatable way
By James Hadal
Kicked off last June with an IG live performance by musician Ena Mori, FAKE Fair 2021 has so far been a blow-out of gastronomic proportions. Organized by FAKE zine, involved in this months-long affair are several Instagram-savvy merchants across the archipelago to celebrate local creativity—and in the most palatable way.
On offer at Pasbo is “Rosso & Gialla,” which reimagines the pepperoni pizza staple as pasta, with mozzarella and homemade tomato and bechamel sauce cascading down a stack of lasagna sheets. Brewed daily at Kalidad Coffee is the cascara-blended mocktail “FAKE Lemonade.”
Meanwhile, from their summer harvest, Haynayan Ketchups has added spicy strawberry, mango, and pineapple flavors to their vegan-friendly lineup. Likewise, Easy as Pie, Piece of Cake features Filipino vegetables for the toppings of their latest Detroit-style pizza, “Buhay Bukid.” The Thirsty Llama, Bacolod’s craft cocktail go-to, has concocted “Baby Spice” for its patrons, a peppercorn-infused spiced strawberry vodka drink. New at YO’s Homemade is the “Piña Print,” an adorable thumbprint cookie with pineapple and ground pistachio nuts flavored in.
Joining this smorgasbord are two further local twists: Booya Bagels’ “Sana Ol Bagel,” after the New-York-style Everything bagel, and Po’s “Adobol Bun,” the roasted pork bun now ever zingier through the adobo-flavored marinade. These two will be available by July 10, completing the event-exclusive menu, along with Wideye Coffee’s “FAKE x Cold Brew Concentrate,” of which the 1L bottle, designed by Manila architect and illustrator Alessa, is a rare collectible.
Alessa’s involvement had also extended to a release of new FAKE merch, which dropped last June: logo tees with a silkscreen design called “Bantay the Cerberus,” the artist’s ode to pre-pandemic Manila; and a poster zine entitled “Nilad,” where a gender-fluid queer styles the collection differently for each of the eight pages of the lookbook. Next up for the FAKE clothesline is a t-shirt collection made in collaboration with Bulacan-based streetwear brand, Thank You, set to drop on July 10, 2021.
The ongoing jubilee is in celebration of FAKE zine’s inaugural, “Issue 00: Gangs of Manila,” released last year. Covering several Manila-based artists—Basura Girls, Idioterne Inc., A-Team Femme, and Black Beach Boys—the 40-pager explored the metro’s diverse subcultures where they operated, forging the brand’s ambit to uplift local talent.
“It’s really about activating the local scene,” FAKE zine founder Celene Sakurako explains.
From July 17 to Aug. 17, 2021, together with mobile gallery Parcel Exhibitions and art platform Cartellino, that activation will be an art show fundraiser for Sulong!, an NGO that connects victim-survivors of sexual violence and harassment to free legal advice and psychological aid. Titled Kalón, the show will feature works by Sam Domingo, Denver Garza, FAKE zine, Jan Sunday, Maricar Tolentino, Bryan Pollero, Cru Camara, Regina Reyes, Martin Yambao, Bel Weber, and Alexandria Mesias, which reflect on the prompt, “reclaiming your own narrative.”
“Kalón” opens at 9 p.m., July 17, 2021 on FAKE zine’s IG with an IG live unboxing of the works. On Aug. 6, from 3 to 5 p.m., the show organizers will join Sulong! and its partner professionals for “Ask Sulong!” an online roundtable discussion on gender sensitivity. They are currently collecting anonymous questions to be brought up, which can be given here.
All dishes will be available for order from their merchants’ stores until August 15, the end date of FAKE fair. The complete catalog of dishes and merch is up for view at FAKE zine’s online store (@thefakezine.shop) on Instagram,