AVANT GARDENER A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to eat what I harvested. While this is nothing new, what made the experience different was it was served in one of the iconic restaurants of the city I grew up in. I have never known San Juan without Cafe Ysabel. To me, it is synonymous with...
As a horror writer, the question I get asked most is how I came to embrace the genre. I always have the same answer: I didn’t choose horror; horror chose me. I’ve always been interested in the supernatural. Even though I grew up in Manila, I was raised in a way that I now realize may have...
When we think of food and Malabon City, one of the first things we think of is its iconic Pancit Malabon, characterized by thick, chewy rice noodles; orange sauce flavored with shrimp, fish sauce, and crab roe paste; topped with a heavy sprinkling of egg and seafood—an ode to the abundance of...
AVANT GARDENER A considerable challenge in getting agricultural products to its intended end users has to do with logistics. Many agricultural practitioners are of the belief that the Philippines actually grows enough food to feed itself, but the lack of accessibility between farms and markets,...
Dubbed the “Queen of Philippine Horror Stories,” Palanca award-winning writer Yvette Tan once again invites readers into her chilling world, seamlessly blending modern-day settings with the eerie mysteries of Filipino folklore in her latest book, “Insect Hag and Other Stories.” This...
Cycling is one of the most sustainable forms of transportation. It takes up minimal space on the road, requires no fossil fuels, and can be a good way to keep healthy. For husband and wife Tony and Inday Dans, both doctors and retired professors from the UP College of Medicine, cycling is also an...
To the uninitiated, a Taoist temple can seem intimidating. But the San Fernando Four Kings Mansion aims to welcome everyone. The temple is located inside the South San Nicolas Volunteer Fire Brigade at the intersection of Dasmarinas and Juan Luna Streets in Binondo, at the foot of the San Fernando...
AVANT GARDENER A year ago, around this time, I had the opportunity to visit vegetable farmers in Benguet courtesy of WOFEX. One of the farmers I talked to was Mena Sukil-ap from Atok, Benguet. Turning 56 next week, Sukil-ap inherited her terraced farm, about 500 sqm of which is productive, from...
AVANT GARDENER A few columns ago, I wrote about Anitu Forest Food Processing, a small batch chocolatier from Bukidnon and Anitu Food Forest, the syntropic farm that supplies the cacao for the artisanal chocolates. Fourth-generation farmer Marvi Montecillo recounted his journey to syntropic...
AVANT GARDENER I began suffering what I now realize were stress headaches in grade one. Not wanting me to rely too much on paracetamol, my mother, a migraine sufferer, introduced me to the wonderful world of salves and liniments, and I’ve been quite exacting about it ever since. The point...
AVANT GARDENER Last week, I wrote about Raffy Tesoro of Bio-Genetics Agriventures, Inc. and Jason Drilon’s popup at James & Daughters in Pasig which featured traditional Tagalog food that Tesoro grew up with, most, if not all of it sourced locally. The popup was a hit, with both days...
AVANT GARDENER What does a traditional Tagalog dinner taste like? I don’t mean the lutong bahay of today; I mean what did it taste like decades before? Raffy Tesoro, a partner at Bio-Genetics Agriventures, Inc. and guest cook at James & Daughters, together with guest chef Jason Drilon,...
