PH cuisine gets the spotlight at the Philippines Fair 2022 in Tokyo
Philippine Ambassador Jose C. Laurel V led the opening ceremony of the Philippines Fair 2022 at the Parkside Diner of The Imperial Hotel with Yukio Kanao, the hotel’s general manager, and Filipina chef Mareve Inomata.
Ambassador Laurel was joined by officials from the Philippine Embassy, including deputy chief of mission Robespierre Bolivar, minister Leah Victoria Rodriguez, tourism attaché, Niel Ballesteros, and agriculture attaché, Jose Laquian.
The Imperial Hotel is holding the Philippines Fair 2022 for the whole month of April to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan. The fair aims to offer modern and authentic Philippine cuisine in Japan prepared under the guidance of the embassy’s recommended Filipina chef Mareve Inomata. Prior to this fair, the chef has been assisting the Philippine Department of Tourism Office in Tokyo with its various online promotional campaigns.
In his remarks, Ambassador Laurel mentioned that this event also coincided with the celebration of the Filipino Food Month in the Philippines. Filipino dishes such as the ukoy, adobo, Vigan longganisa, and turon are featured in the menu at Parkside Diner. The meal is completed with a calamansi juice-based drink called “Water Lily,” created with the help of Inomata.
Philippine culture meets tourism and agriculture as all sectors are promoted in this fair. In addition to the food, diners can learn more about the popular tourist destinations in the Philippines and the various products of the country used in making the dishes as the information is made available at the Parkside Diner’s electronic screen display.
The Ambassador closed his message saying, “From Luzon, Visayas, to Mindanao, food has always been part of the warm welcome and great hospitality that Filipinos are known for around the world. So, I hope that you will all get to have more of these food experiences in the Philippines in the future...Please enjoy the food. Let’s eat! Kain tayo! Or as they say in the Japanese language, Tabemashou!”
The Philippines Fair 2022 featuring the four Philippine dishes and the drink are available every day until April 30 at the Parkside Diner starting at 11:00 a.m. The diner is located at the lobby of main building of The Imperial Hotel at Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
www.tokyo.philembassy.net.