Yes! Ube Flan!
Chef William Pilz of the Hapa SF truck tweeted last Friday that his pastry chef would be unleashing her “Coconut Ube Flan” at the food cart and truck event in San Francisco called “Off The Grid.”
And so I came to try this new concoction, and then I came. It was exactly as I had imagined it: purple with a nice thin layer of caramel brown on top. It was flanny without the leche, and had a nice hint of ube flavor.
In a perfect world, it would have been a deeper purple with a more powerful ube punch, but we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world deprived of Ube Flan, and thanks to this new concoction, we are that much closer to a better world.
Unless of course Ube Flan has always existed, in which case, nevermind.
Last weekend was my first Filipino parade and I wish I had attended at least one of these sooner. Seeing all the different contingents from all walks of life come together to share Filipino culture on the streets of San Francisco was a moving experience. (All puns are intended).
The Pistahan Parade and Festival has been around for more than a decade, but compared to the Chinese New Year parade, Carnival parade, and other San Francisco parades, it is actually a small one, drawing in about 600 participants.
I used to think Filipinos in America, both immigrant and American-born, lacked the desire to participate in cultural or community events like this. That the reason why the Chinese New Year parade is bigger is because they have thousands of years of culture before Filipinos.
I used to think that the “regionalism” of Filipinos was an obstacle against a sense of true unity for Filipinos in America. That the geographical division you see on the Philippine map is a visual representation of the community division I thought I saw of the Filipino community here in San Francisco and in America in general.
But this parade showed me that there are people out there, outside my own little, narrow-minded world. People who are Filipino-born and American-born, people of Filipino ethnicity and non-Filipino ethnicity, who are participating actively in and for the Filipino community.
It showed me the colorful, cultural, past of the Philippines that goes beyond the thousands of years I have yet to discover and it got me excited about the ever-changing and evolving culture of not only Filipinos, but of people from other countries. Most importantly, on that morning, I witnessed the unification of Filipinos. Not because of a dictator and not because of a boxer. (I still love you Pacquiao!)
In demonstrating this, the Pistahan Parade, to me, was the biggest parade in the world.
To sum it all up, I over heard someone complain to the parade director at one point, where the director responded:
“Parades are all about moving forward. If we think backward, well, that would be one screwed up parade!”
It turns out some guy named Jay-Ar Isagani Pugao has been mastering the art of taking Filipino dishes and making vegetarian renditions of them here in the Bay Area. I was able to try his kare-kare, chicken afritada, mungo, and his bistek.
All of these dishes were great, but it was his chicken afritada (and I use the word “chicken” loosely here) and bistek (Filipino-ized word for “beef steak”) that stuck out to me the most, mainly because of his ability to turn soy-protein into something beautiful.
Before I bit into the strips of soy in his bistek, I assumed they would be “tofu-ey” and nothing like beef. However the flavors were deeply infused into the soy meat, and somehow Jay-Ar harnessed a certain texture to it so that it competed very well with the traditional beef strips found in this Filipino dish.
His chicken afritada had these white “meat” pieces in it that looked liked chicken, but were much softer. Plus, chicken afritada I usually get in restaurants and in birthday parties is usually wet/soupy, full of tomato skins, and/or the chicken meat is too dry. Jay-Ar’s however was well-balanced and despite the lack of “real” chicken, it was the best chicken afritada I ever had.
“Filipino vegetarian food” isn’t new. Despite the influence of meats from both Philippine marine life and colonial influence, many renditions of non-meat dishes can be found up and down the islands. Being a meat-eater myself, i’ve only had the priviledge of sampling one or two dishes like fried ampalaya (without eggs), kang kong (adobo or crispy), mungo, and sinigang stews.
But in the meantime, while Stateside, i’ll be looking out for Jay-Ar’s new concoctions when he opens his restaurant this year. So if you’re in the area and need some interesting and innovative dishes for your party, hit up Jay-Ar.
Filipino food trucks in California so far (might be more!):
- Hapa SF (Bay Area, CA)
- Manila Machine (Los Angeles, CA)
- *Senor Sisig (Bay Area, CA)
- White Rabbit (Los Angeles, CA)
Filipino food carts in the Bay Area so far (might be more here too!):
Filipino food trucks and carts, are an affordable and mobile way to get food to people stuck in cubicles all day and drinking their cares away at night. Not only that, I think the entrepreneurs behind them are the “new driving force” of Filipino cuisine to the “American masa” or people.
In the Philippines, food carts line the streets feeding the masa: students, workers, and tourists alike. And although Filipino food doesn’t line American streets in the same way, the appearance of Filipino trucks and carts during the past year or so is definitely a move in the right direction.
*I keep mis-spelling it “senior” sisig. No offense to the elderly!
“Zaito, mo matay ka na, piste ka. Para ka si Busta Rhymes, basta nag rhyme, puede na.”
-Loonie, from Cebu City. Now in Pasig City, Philippines.
Loonie FTW!! Slowly learning Tagalog more and more dahil sa iyo pare!
After a few weeks of looking for a new jacket to survive Daly City weather, it appears that jacket found me this morning!
I had the opportunity to meet Zar, founder of Pnoy Apparel, at a Filipino festival this morning in San Jose, CA. I had no idea they would be vending at the event, so finding them in the midst of looking for a new jacket was almost like divine intervention.
Zar gave me some eduction through their new cut-and-sew release called the “Veterano”, made in honor of the World War 2 Filipino vets who fought along side American GI’s but did not get their benefits for their sacrifice. Until President Obama signed the stimulus bill which had “tucked inside it” $195 million dollars for the 15,000 Filipino veterans who were still alive.
Zar noted that despite this, the red tape involved delays the repayments, so a percentage of proceeds from Pnoy Apparel’s Veterano jacket will be donated to a fund set aside for the Filipino veterans.
I don’t know if it was the camera or our darkness but somewhere in that photo is Zar and myself (sporting the new “Veterano” jacket. Online release soon!).
My first purchase from Pnoy Apparel was in 2006 with the “Keepin’ It Rizal” tee. Since then i’ve been checking out their site for the latest and greatest in meaningful, well-designed, and highly-detailed Philippine-themed streetwear.
Finally meeting the minds behind the store was not only refreshing, but it was inspirational. Zar turned out to be a humble and passionate entrepreneur, whose attention to detail and meaning was a lifestyle, and not just a means to make money. And when he told me it was getting better and better, year after year, I couldn’t help but imagine what he and Pnoy Apparel had in store. Thanks Zar, you guys are hella astig.
Visit them at Pnoyapparel.com!
Pa, ug wa ka na gawas wa ko kaibaw ug lisud ahong kalibutan ug di, basta… na gawas ka. Unya naay daghang tao gusto mo gawas pero di puede sila mo larga kai lisud kaayo.
Swerte jud ko, kay na gawas ka kay hantud karon, naay daghang tao gusto mo gawas padong sa United States, Europe, ug sa Middle East. Karon, kai naa ko dinhi, di jud ko mo estanby-estanby diri. Mo trabajo jud ko para sa imong sacraficio naho. Di jud ko mo kalimot sa imong hatag naho… your American dream.
Sincerely yours…
Albert Balbutin Jr.
This is what I look like when im NOT drunk. One can only imagine how the world would be like when I am. It isn’t pretty.
“Ayaw pag hubog ha” was something my mom always used to yell at me before I went out with friends. It means “don’t get drunk!”
She conditioned me real well and thanks to her (and several hangovers) i’ve decided to go on a temporary drought, even when im going out with friends who drink. Clubs however are a bit more difficult, especially when you’re supposed to be out having fun getting wasted. Luckily, I figured out a few ways to stay away from alcohol when I wanted to, which saved me money at the club and water at the toilet bowl.
1) Enjoy cheap, virgin drinks. Shirley Temples are a biggie (7-Up + Grenadine) and they look like vodka crans so at least you look like you’re drinking. Plus they go no more than $4 in some bars and clubs where they charge $10 per shot!
2) Smile and talk. A lot! Its kinda tough for me to get a “natural high” sometimes, but if im out with close friends it isn’t so hard. Especially when you’re smiling ear-to-ear and talking about random things to drunk people. Its a blast!
3) Complement people. Telling a friend that they look freaking gorgeous transmits more of that “natural high” to others and yourself. Do it to strangers too, its the perfect ice breaker. There’s nothing like giving good vibes to other folks and then getting it back.
Those are the top 3 that work for me every time. Just stay happy and give “happy” for that natural high and you’ll be good to go the next morning, hangover excluded. If a friend keeps pushing you to drink, tell them to buy. Hey, its free and they usually don’t buy you another lol.
Thanks mom! Di na ko mo hubog =)
I found this interesting post about Juan Luna’s painting above here.
When I look at paintings, sometimes its easy to tell what the painter is trying to convey, especially when that painter is alive to explain it to you =P. Joey Velasco’s works are great examples.
But what about dead painters? That’s where all the facts end and the imagination and painting-whispering-deciphering begins.
Juan Luna’s “Parisian Life” is exactly that to me. A mystery whose answer, like beauty, may be in the eye of the beholder, different for each person looking at it.
Maybe I can buy the painting and do some uv scans or whatever. I hope they have an installment plan for the under-a-million price tag that’s on it though.
In other news, June 12th is Philippine Independence Day. Which is actually quite fitting knowing Juan Luna was an active participant in the revolution, let alone Jose Rizal’s BFF. I mean sheesh, Rizal is in this very painting.
I’ll be in San Francisco’s Union Square sporting my barong.
- Hop on.
- Pay by passing 8 or 10 pesos to the driver, say “bayad po” (my payment sir/ma’am).
- Hop off.
Simple as that! And stop staring at that girl from Ateneo. She doesn’t like you! Or me! Oh wait they don’t ride jeepneys.
