Buy Filipino

Every time I visit the Inquirer or Abs-cbn news, "Poverty" is always in the headline. There would always be an article or two about who to blame for our poverty. I think it is obvious by now that we are poor, we don't need to read about that everyday. It doesn't help to get reminded of that fact everyday. It just depresses the people more. What we need now are clear solutions. No, I don't mean another revolution. We should have realized by now that it doesn't really matter who is in power. We should all have realized by now that all of us are to blame for our misery.

No, not because of who we elect or that we allow our politicians to be corrupt. That is an old line with no effect either.

What I want to point out is that we are poor because we don't buy Filipino. Yes! Drinking coffee at Starbuck's, eating at McDonald's, buying Chinese smuggled goods make another Filipino poorer every day. No, it is not because the coffee at Starbuck's costs 150 pesos, it is because each time we buy imported coffee, a Filipino coffee farmer loses a sale, and each time we buy smuggled Chinese sandals, a Filipino in Marikina loses his job.

I know it's hard to chose when you are in front of two sandals, one will cost you 10 pesos and the other 100 pesos, the choice should be easy and clear. You would normally think, I am poor so I will buy the cheaper one. BUT, what we all have to realize is that we have to buy locally produced goods so that it will be our own people who will be employed to produce them. If 80 million Filipinos will only buy Marikina-made shoes then our shoe industry will thrive and thousands of people will be employed.

My mom and I used to sell Marikina shoes in our hometown. We would go to Marikina every weekend. They really had nice stuff until around 5-6 years ago when Chinese smuggled goods started pouring in. Now, most of the shoemakers lost their jobs because they cannot compete. It's sad really.

If 80 million Filipinos will buy only locally made clothes, shoes, bags, and produce then we will all have jobs. If we buy imported goods all the time, then we are giving our jobs to the Chinese or Koreans. Imported goods are killing our industries. If we don't have industries, we won't have jobs. It's very simple actually, like 1 plus 1. Even if we elect superman or batman as president, our lives won't change until we change our mentality about buying imported goods.

Everytime you buy a smuggled item, a child goes hungry. Put that in your conscience.

We should all make a conscious decision to buy Filipino every time we go shopping.

Think about it.

Chicharon nga!

"Wow! Ang galing-galing!" I exclaimed while jumping up and down. My husband was looking on in amazement wondering probably if I had discovered the cure for cancer in my kitchen. "I made chicharon!" I shouted as the pork skin started to expand and pop in my frying pan.


I think I have reached a peak in my quest for Filipino cuisine culinary expertise. Not even in my wildest dreams have I thought I could make chicharon.

Shallow? There is a reason why chicharon is found in every street corner in the Philippines. Filipinos love chicharon. Some dishes are not complete if not laced with these cholesterol-filled wonder. La paz batchoy without chicharon? Incomplete. Palabok without chicharon? Definitely incomplete. Me eating chicharon? Happiness.

Please visit my food blog "Bubut's House" for the recipe and complete story.

chicharon chicharon+recipe how+to+make+chicharon Filipino+food Filipino+recipe

DAMPA of my dreams

Ooooooooooh! Today at work, I was dreaming about Dampa. I first heard about this place 2 years ago before coming home to the Philippines for my annual vacation. I tried to look for it then but was not successful. Last April though, I was very successful. We tried 2 of the 3 Dampas in Manila. It was sooooo much better than what I imagined.

So what is Dampa? Dampa is a Filipino term for market. Basically, you would buy fresh fish in the market then have it cooked in a nearby restaurant (called paluto restaurant, direct translation is "cook it for me" restaurant). Just describe to the cook how you want your fish or shellfish or even meat cooked then you will be charged a cooking fee per kilo (about 150 pesos or 3 chf or 3 USD). The result is excellent, fresh and cheap food! Oooooh... it was delicious!
Because Switzerland is a landlocked country, seafood is very expensive. I usually can afford only the small shrimps. At Dampa, I drowned myself in kilos of prawns, lapu-lapu and mussels. I love garlic prawns, sweet and sour lapu-lapu and baked mussels with cheese and garlic. To be honest with you, I am really tempted to fly to the Philippines for the weekend just to eat again at Dampa.
My favorite Dampa would be the one behind HK Sun Plaza near Mall of Asia because there are more paluto restaurants to choose from. I also have a feeling that it is cleaner. You will find paluto restaurants specializing in grills, Tsinoy (Filipino-Chinese) and Filipino cuisines. We just went in the restaurant nearest to where we were parked. I have not been disappointed so far.
This weekend, maybe I will go crazy and just spontaneously fly home. =) Just kidding (maybe ;) or maybe not)...

Technorati tags:Dampa paluto Filipino+food Filipino+restaurant Manila+restaurant Philippines

Embrace your Filipino-ness

Yesterday, we went to a restaurant here in Zürich whose chef is Filipino. He comes to our table to chat every once in a while throughout the meal. I remarked that I miss lechon and kare-kare and so I asked him why he doesn't prepare Filipino dishes since it is totally unknown in Switzerland (and the world actually). Since he is starting to get known here in Zürich it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce Switzerland to adobo (also a little originality won't hurt). He replied "You're in Switzerland now tita! You have to embrace European food!" It was like he was reprimanding me for still having Filipino tastes. I got a bit irritated. Throughout the meal I was thinking that this is the reason why I don't have Filipino friends here in Zürich. I am irritated with a lot of Filipinos because of their very strong colonial mentality.

The fact is, I have embraced European culture without losing and being ashamed of my own . I am able to appreciate cheese, foie gras and wine without losing the taste for bagoong and daing. I learned in the 5 years that I had been away from the Philippines that our culture is as good as any other and sometimes even better. Actually, after appreciating the simplicity and elegance of Scandinavian design I grew to appreciate the simplicity and elegance of Filipino design. After lavishing in the richness of French cuisine, I discovered that Filipino cuisine is definitely as rich, if not even richer. We don't have to damn our own culture to be considered "cultured". I don't think we become more class if we look down on our own culture. By belittling our Filipino-ness we only betray our ignorance.

I feel that a lot of Filipinos abroad are so biased about everything that is Filipino that it irritates me. I hate to hear "We don't have this in the Philippines...", "In the Philippines this doesn't taste as sweet...", "In the Philippines this is less good...". It is so pathetic really.

Why do we always need to throw away who we are? In the Philippines, we exchange our typical Filipino architecture to build houses looking like Swiss chalets. As a result we have towns with mongrel architecture. We exchange our native furniture for Ikea and other Ikea-like laminated wood furniture that gets broken even before we use it. We need Brad Pitt to purchase our rattan furniture for us to reconsider that our native furniture is of good taste. Why can't we see that we can be proud of who we are and what we have?

I will always be proud of being Filipino and I will always promote the Philippines and our culture. I hope that someday more Filipinos will do the same.

Under Repair

I was playing with my HTML code today when I accidentally deleted some codes which messed up my blog really badly. Since I have no idea what I deleted, I have to download a new template. In short because I have an excessive compulsive personality--I can't stand that my blog's sidebars are not of equal width and the body is not in the middle--I have to redo my blog.

I hope to get it back in good form again in a few days.

Please bear with me....because "Ooops! I destroyed my blog"!!!!. hayyyy!!!! Now, I understand why blogger reminded me to save my template before editing!!! I lost a lot of code! =( Also my blog roll! Well, that's life! Now, at least, the body of my blog is in the middle....

Run for your life!!!!!!

Run for your life! Or walk, that's okay too. What matters is that you move your body and increase your heart rate for about 30 minutes per day.

This post was prompted by several tragic incidents:
1. The death of a former colleage. She died in her sleep.
2. The death of another acquaintance. He died in his sleep.
3. Stroke and diabetes of my cousin's husband. He is also suffering from high blood pressure. He is only 35 years old.
4. Hospitalization of my aunt for high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

Because of these incidents, for the past several weeks, I had been lecturing all my friends and family in the Philippines about how to be more healthy. No one seems to be listening to my nagging. Now, I am so frustrated that I will extend this nagging to all of you who read my blog (so few you are but maybe one of you will be awakened and decide to reform).

When I came home to the Philippines for a vacation, I can't help but notice that majority of the people are on the overweight side of the force. I never noticed this when I was living there but coming from Switzerland it is so obvious. The reason for this I think is the Filipino's aversion to walking and a diet full of delicious pork.

It is sad that 35 year old Filipinos have to suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes, disease of the ones who eat badly and don't move, when it is so easy to be healthy. My neighbor here in Zurich is 85 years old and still manages to play tennis everyday. Another neighbor is 75 and is strong enough to swim and jog everyday.

I have read that people who increase their heart rate 15-30 minutes per day by exercising have 16 more years of life before disability sets in compared to those who don't exercise. This is really easy to do. My sister always tells me that she doesn't have time and that she is too busy to exercise. But the thing is, one doesn't need to go to the gym or to take an afternoon off. You can start by incorporating exercise into your everyday life:

1. Walk instead of taking the pedicab.
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or the escalator.
3. Walk to work.
4. Walk going home from work

Then when you are ready, you can jog or brisk walk for 45 minutes 3 times a week.

It is also imporant to eat properly. So make sure you include the following in your diet:

1. Avocado - this fruit is full of good cholesterol that reduces blood cholesterol. Since avocadoes are very fat, this also helps in reducing your hunger until lunch.
2. Whole grain bread - Carbohydrates and fiber for breakfast.
3. Tuna - Full of omega 3, this will also keep your heart healthy. Eat for dinner with salad. For dinner you don't need so much carbohydrates, what you need is protein.
4. Stay away from fastfood!
5. Eats lots of fruit and vegetables.
6. Drink lots of water.

I lost 5 kilos recently just by walking to work (30 minutes), eating properly (kinda, at least during weekdays, weekends are harder but it worked) and jogging 45 minutes 3 times a week. I have never felt healthier and I am sure with my lifestyle that at 90 I will still be dancing!