Andrei Iosivas, a Filipino-Romanian and wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL), is an avid food enthusiast with a deep passion exploring Filipino cuisine. In a TikTok video, he generously shares some of his favorite and delectable Pinoy dishes.
According to Andrei, his ultimate Filipino food favorite is sinigang. "My mom makes this great Sinigang. It’s like soup. You can put any type of meat in it, but it’s like this sour soup if you don’t know it," he expresses. "I can literally eat that every day of the week."
"When I’m sick, I need sinigang," Andrei reveals.
Beyond Filipino dishes, Andrei, born in Japan to a Filipino mother and a Romanian father but currently based in Honolulu, Hawaii, considers himself blessed to immerse himself in Filipino culture. "So much great food, so many great people, and I've just been blessed to be half Filipino and experience that culture," he adds.
Andrei also acknowledges that his Filipino heritage is more prominent in Hawaii than his Romanian side. "Very community based. Know what I mean? If you see someone Filipino or any Asian, for me Filipino, obviously they’re like, 'Oh, you’re Filipino,'" he says. "I can always kinda tell when somebody’s Filipino, and you can just connect with somebody just like that. So, it’s like a big old family."
In addition to sinigang, Andrei mentions other Filipino dishes such as Pork Adobo, Squid Adobo, and, last on his list, a good pancit topped with calamansi.