How do you want your sampalok served? Sinigang is, without a doubt, the most popular soupy main dish in Filipino homes because of its versatility. It can be cooked with pork, beef, chicken, fish, or prawns, and incorporate many kinds of vegetables and root crops. Basically, it is a boiled stew...
On September 21, 1972, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. delivered a scathing privilege speech on the floor of the Senate warning the nation that President Ferdinand Marcos was on the verge of declaring martial law. It was to be his last speech at the Senate; he was arrested the next day. Unknown to all...
The underwater Eden that is the Verde Island Passage. Image by Marco Vincent Divers One of the most famous diving sites in the world is right here, close to Metro Manila. Yet very few Filipinos are aware of this major tourist attraction. Verde Island Passage, a 10-mile-wide strait that separates...
On facing mortality, on being haunted by the past, and friends who left without a goodbye I have not stepped out of my flat since the pandemic began in March, and I’m in no rush to once more explore the world outside my front door. Months under lockdown did not kill me, and boredom did not once...
Growing up with books that were never my own The Philippines was still recovering from the devastation of World War II when my aunts started to teach me how to read, using their handwritten English prayer booklets as books were not easy to come by. I was four years old, and the only other reading...
Rain or shine, it is always a good time to have a bowl of soup I am a soup person. Rain or shine, I love a bowl of soup with dinner. Sometimes, a bowl of thick soup is dinner. Like many people my age, I grew up knowing only one kind of sopas —a broth with elbow macaroni and some kind of meat:...
This time of pandemic, just like many Filipinos, writers are being creative in the kitchen When writer-publicist Marlon Aldenese found himself with a lot of time on his hands during the quarantine, he turned to his hobby of baking. Months later, his Little Kitchen 7 has grown into a full-blown...
Unearthing the friendship between Ninoy Aquino and Salvador Laurel. Photo from armm.gov.ph and salvadorlaurel.com The 1967 mid-term elections brought much-needed fresh blood, two bright young stars, to the Philippine Senate: Benigno S. Aquino Jr . (Ninoy) and Salvador H. Laurel (Doy). Both were...
Don’t mind its pungent smell, fermented food is the dish to eat these days. Atsarang papaya (photo by Obsidian Soul) Major media organizations around the world rely heavily on local sources and analysts when writing stories. In the Philippines, one of the most credible and sought-after political...
The legacy of The Oasis Paco Park Hotel and the treasures inside My Kitchen restaurant. The Oasis Paco Park Hotel (Image from TripAdvisor) The Oasis Paco Park Hotel, secretly loved and shared by business travelers, foreign correspondents, and retirees, is no more. Gone too are its major...
From sweet treats to savory dishes, there is more to discover from this humble fruit. Santol (Photo from Shutterstock) Many of the summer fruits of our childhood remain unknown to today’s young Filipinos who are familiar only with bananas, mango, avocado, and pineapple. Only a few recognize...
Diskarte is a Filipino word that does not quite translate accurately. It is what Filipinos resort to in times of crisis. The best way to explain what it means is by citing examples of how various kinds of diskarte have been used ingeniously to survive, or even flourish, in these difficult times....
