Nakakaon ka na ba? Kumain na kayo? Nangan kan? Did you eat yet?
Ah yes…the question your parents/grandparents/family members ask you as you walk in the door. Among Filipinos, it’s a more common way to say hello.
Food is perhaps the most innate thing that makes us human. It keeps us alive. It comforts us. It identifies us. It connects us. And at times, it can even divide us. Food is a window to our historical and contemporary lives like no other.
Filipino food is no exception. A large part of the Filipino American experience is the food we cook, serve, and eat. Filipino food like kinilaw, chicken afritada, and Jollibee’s peach mango pie can tell us about our history – colonial or otherwise. Our food also conveys the community’s struggles with health, cultural invisibility, and even mainstream desirability.
In this TFAL episode, we talk to Sarahlynn Pablo of Filipino Kitchen, a media based company which aims to support and promote the awareness of Filipino food here in the United States and throughout the diaspora. We discuss a myriad of food-related topics: which Filipino dishes comfort us, which dishes we learned later in life, how Filipinos connect with their food heritage, what politics arise when advocates try to mainstream Filipino cuisine, and much more.
Although we barely scratch the surface of Filipino food in this episode, we hope you enjoy this scrumptious discussion. Make sure to eat while listening or plan to eat afterwards because this episode will make you hungry! Where’s my fork and spoon? Fuck it…I’ll just use my hands!
Listen through the embedded player below, download directly HERE, or subscribe to us on iTunes here!
Finally, check out our friends’ websites here:
Filipino Kitchen – http://filipino.kitchen/
Sarahlynn Pablo’s WordPress – https://sarahlynnpablo.wordpress.com/
And check out this YouTube web series, Market to Master, to get a glimpse of different kinds of foods from all over the Philippines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDisdSjO_Ro
Another great episode from one of my favorite podcasts. I loved how in depth you guys went your experience with Filipino foods growing up, as well as how the food plays a role in the community. It was an engaging discussion – one that, unsurprisingly, made me hungry just listening to the descriptions of the food. As a mixed race Filipino American, I didn’t become exposed to Filipino food until I was a teenager. Now, it’s an ongoing education that I’m really enjoying.
By the way, since you brought up this particular dish during the episode, I wanted to ask: Do any of you happen to have a good recipe for champorado? I want to try and make it taste the same (if not similar) way to how my dad had it, whenever he visited his favorite tita in the Philippines.
I love papaitan! I blame it on my paternal Lolo’s Ilocano-ness. I feel you, Joe!
– Chiara