By Arpee Lazaro

Did you know that Singapore ranks 10 in the list of countries with the most number of Filipinos? The US tops the list with close to one million Filipinos, including those who have been naturalized and those who were born there. Overseas Filipino workers contribute a substantial chunk to the country’s revenues and it is because of our reliance on their remittances that our economy has stayed afloat despite the trying times.  With about 160,000 Filipinos working  in Singapore to send money to their families, they need someone who will look after them and have their interests above all else. This is the mission of Philippine ambassador to Singapore Minda Cruz.

Cruz has been Singapore’s guardian angel for Filipino workers and tourists since 2008. In 2009, I was invited to participate in the Singapore Food Festival and on my third day, I got the opportunity to meet the good ambassador. I was a guest at the ambassador’s official residence at the very posh Holland Village area.
The home itself is laden with history as the Philippine government owns some of the most coveted real estate properties in the area.  The Philippine ambassador’s residence sits on 2,700 square meters of prime real estate in the middle of Holland Village, also known as District 10. The area is very popular with expatriates who live in Singapore because of three reasons: First, it has always been the place for expatriates as it was named after famous resident and architect Hugh Holland. Second, the area is known for its upscale shopping and restaurants. Thirdly, the entire district is one of the greenest places in Singapore. For an urban jungle, Singapore’s pollution standards index is below 50, meaning that the air is relatively clean.

Ambassador Minda Cruz has done a fine job in maintaining the residence for the past two years. When she took over, the residence became a beautiful showcase of how successful most Filipino workers have become in Singapore. My Singaporean guide told me that the general sentiment among them is that they rely heavily on Filipino workers. He admitted that Filipino workers helped significantly in building the Singaporean economy. This is why Ambassador Minda Cruz has spared nothing in making sure the Filipino workers are protected and well-informed of their rights as well as their obligations to the Singapore government.

Her credentials include a master’s degree in government and politics from the City of London Polytechnic. Mindy, as her friends call her, is never idle and always searching for innovative ways to improve operations at the Philippine Embassy. Because of her academic background, her pursuit of excellence never stops with one or two commendations or awards. She has taken it upon herself to ensure that her constituents are well taken care of and  given the proper assistance  in times of need.

Arpee Lazaro is a writer by profession and a foodie by heart. He blogs about his gastronomic hunts at the award-winning blog Pinoy Life at Large.
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by Myrel Joeanne C. Agarano

Food could be a way of making sense of the world. If you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were.

- Ruth Reichl

On my first weekend in Seoul I made a show of cooking noodles. To my mind, it was a chance to cook the talk. In our small circle of Seoul-based engineers, someone I used to work with blabbed about my cooking and raised the expectations and so X, a colleague and friend requested one thing: pasta with white sauce, akin to the one he ate and loved in a California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) branch in Seoul. I said, okay. I’ll give you my version of White Pasta. Something cheap, easy on the pocket and very reproducible. In my head, I was telling him, I’ll kill off your doubts. Because, truly, above a pursuit for beauty or love or money, Cooking is my single most compelling vanity. It is the one thing, along with writing, that helps me make sense of the world and get out and be one with the people in this planet. While I agree with Ruth Reich’s line above, in my food-obsessed world, what holds true all the more is this:

If you watched people as they cook, you could find out who they were in their most private and contemplative states. How they combine the profiles of bitterness and sugar, salt and tartness into undertones and lingering flavors. How their hands move as they look within their own experience of past meals, or attempt to capture an idea, a dish, or create new flavor profile, balancing what they want with what they think they are capable of making.

It is in cooking that I find a perfect balance of creativity and skills, going through both mental and physical tasks, laboring over something in order to satisfy my or someone else’s hunger. I’ve used cooking to gain friends and respect, to make a business, to tell people I loved them, to calm my nerves, and to get past stressful events. Yesterday, I cooked to celebrate my return to Seoul, to please myself and give a friend a taste of my passion in food. And unexpectedly, as I did not know it then while I was cooking, to remind another friend who got a beating that day that hey, pasta and salad and a cold drink may not save the world or lessen your work stess, but it could perhaps take you into that place where a smile, a satiated appetite, and honest conversations are possible. And the reminder, that enabling thought that someone cares enough to cook for him.

Quick Pasta with White Sauce a la Joeanne

250 g of spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions.
100 g (about ½ of a small container) Cream Cheese
½ stick butter (get the best butter within your budget. In Seoul, I use either Lurpak or President)
1 pack ( 125 g) of good bacon ( You can add as much bacon as you want !)
1 small carton of fresh milk, about 350 ml
1 Spanish onion, chopped
1 green and 1 red bell pepper, chopped
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Ground nutmeg
Ground black pepper
Fresh parsley
Parmesan Cheese

Optional ingredients:
White wine
Sliced mushrooms
Frozen peas

To make the sauce, fry up the bacon in its own fat in medium heat until brown. I usually do two batches of bacon frying. The first one, I fry only until the fat is rendered out. I want this batch to be a bit chewy. I chop or tear this in pretty larger pieces. This I will add to the alfredo sauce. The second batch of bacon, I fry to a crisp. This will be used as toppings.

Set aside the cooked bacon. In same pan, saute the chopped onions in bacon fat until translucent. Add the butter and sauté the bell peppers, until the peppers are soft, only about a minute or two. If you want some mushrooms in the sauce, now is the time to add them. By this time, your kitchen should smell so deliciously fragrant.

Turn the heat to low. Add the milk to the pan and mix. Add the cream cheese and mix to dissolve the cream cheese. I use a wire whisk to dissolve the cream cheese fast into the sauce. Add the onion and garlic powder, I add usually about a teaspoon each of the onion powder and the garlic powder because I love the zing they add to the sauce but for others, I advice you start with ¼ tsp each of the powders and adjust according to your taste. Add about a dash up to ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Nutmeg adds a complex undertone of flavors to white sauces You can add a dash of nutmeg to hollandaise sauce, béchamel sauce or even cream soups. At this point, you can add about half a glass of white wine. It adds a fuller flavor to the sauce. And don’t worry the alcohol from the wine will evaporate due to the cooking heat.

Cook the sauce for about five to eight minutes. Add ground pepper according to taste. If the sauce is underseasoned, add salt to taste. Put in your bacon, green peas if you want peas in your sauce and the chopped parsley. I love parsley on anything so I am very liberal with it, adding about a fifth of a cup to the sauce.

Take off from heat, mix with the cooked spaghetti noodles. Topped with more crumbled bacon and chopped parsley and serve! Oh, though to be honest, I don’t think it needs anymore flavor, you can of course sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese to your plate before digging in.

Cooking time for the sauce is 30 minutes tops. You can boil the noodles while cooking the sauce. What I like about this recipe is that it is essentially a one pan meal, okay, two –one pan for boiling of the noodles, another for the sauce. So aside from it being easy to cook, it means easier clean-up. But maybe it’s because, of all kitchen tasks, washing the dishes is the one thing I always try to sneak out off. (My line: I cook, you wash. Agree?)

Quick Crab Salad

I made a quick Crab Salad to go with the pasta: Roughly chopping crabsticks, celery sticks, apples, and fish cakes (or tuna flakes, if you prefer). You can also add chopped almonds, seedless grapes or lettuce if you want. For the dressing I mixed about a few tablespoons of light mayonnaise, a teaspoon or two of cream cheese, a bit of milk, a teaspoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of relish. I mixed the dressing into the salad. Stuck it into the refrigerator until it was time to eat and topped it with a few sprig of parsley (you can add nuts too) before serving.

Chocolate Drink from Davao Tableas

For our drink, I boiled a roll of the Davao Tableas I brought from home. These tableas are our pride and joy, made from the Cacao beans from my parent’s small cacao farm in Davao. I cooked it the traditional way using a heavy bottomed pan and a wire whisk instead of batirol. Added salt (I don’t know how exactly, but salt brings out amore intense flavor, it makes chocolate chocolatier), Muscovado sugar , some chili powder (like salt it is a flavor enhancer for chocolates), and a bit of cinnamon. I poured it in a pitcher and stuck in the refrigerator. Variations: One could also add a few drops of mint oil or citron oil into chocolate drink or even some Bailey’s or Kahlua for a twist in flavor.

These are not difficult dishes to make, in fact, they are pretty easy and fast. This is my kind of cooking, the kind that nourishes my soul and the friendships. Dishes that come through well enough to satisfy.No Tags

At some point in our lives, we all wanted to get tattooed, whether it was to proclaim our independence, profess eternal love, prove that one isn’t chicken, fit in, or just be different.

We know you’ve always wanted to bare your tattoo, and we want to hear your story.

Share a good-resolution photo of your tattoo and tell us, in 150 words or less, the story behind the tat. The PinoyCentric team will pick the best three tattoo stories, and the winners will get a special edition Pinoycentric T-shirt. Contest ends April 17, 2010 (Philippine residents only). Now go and get that tattoo you’ve always wanted and tell us about it!

Image: Wanderlust by Leon B. Dista. © All rights reserved

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Pinoy chocolatier Raul Matias elevates Philippine flavors to world-class status with his unique creations, now proudly Manila-made.

He left for the States a physical therapist. Eighteen years later, Raul Matias came home a chocolatier, bringing with him a chocolate brand that was slowly making its name in New York’s elite circles.

He called his chocolates Machiavelli, after his favorite author, Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. Bold like Machiavelli, Raul’s sweet selections are a fusion of European and Asian flavors, the strong taste of chocolate tempered by subtle flavors such as purple yam [ube], guava, jackfruit, coconut, and green tea.

Raul’s foray into chocolate making was serendipitous. In search of business opportunities online, he read of a woman who sold personalized chocolate bars. “All she did was wrap the Hershey’s bars. It was tacky! I thought, I could do this. Why not make my own chocolate?”

Through the online Ecole Chocolat, Raul was able to study chocolatier courses in Vancouver and France. Later he took advanced classes with a Belgian teacher in Florida and interned with several chocolatier stores in Connecticut, New York, and Orlando.

Pinoy chocolatier in New York
Shifting into chocolate making, he moved to New York. There he made chocolates at a rented commercial kitchen. His Eurasian-flavored creations such as Mango Lait, Jasmine Blossom, Ivoire Jack, and Purple Yam Yum were sold in gourmet stores or through private orders.

He found fulfillment in chocolate making, never mind if it took him hours to make. “I didn’t feel drained at all. I had classmates in chocolate school who were psychiatrists and orthopedic physicians who left their professions, and later on I understood why. There’s something magical about chocolate. It makes you happy, maybe because of all the chemicals that it gives out.”

Machiavelli in Manila
In 2008, after weighing his options carefully, Raul packed up and decided to come home to the Philippines. Too bad for New Yorkers, but lucky for us Manilans, we now have access to a world-class chocolate brand that’s made by a Pinoy chocolatier.

Sold exclusively through Rustan’s, Machiavelli is fast becoming a hit among Manilans, who have warmed up to the Yema de Manila and the Guava Asia.

In this exclusive tete-a-tete with Raul back in July 2009, he talks about making it in New York, coming home, and his bigger (Machiavellian?) plans of conquering the world as the first Pinoy chocolatier.

Guava Asia

Pinoycentric: Why Machiavelli?
Raul Matias: I chose Machiavelli because it’s got substance and character, and the name is universal. It crosses boundaries. If I used my name and sold my chocolates abroad, people will say, “Who the hell [is this person]?”

As a Pinoy entrepreneur, it must have been difficult to penetrate New York.
It wasn’t easy. I came from Orlando and had just moved to New York, so my friend, a physician, drove me around Manhattan in his Mercedes-Benz to hand out samples to the gourmet stores. We were all dressed up because we didn’t want them to snub us.

How was the reception?
It was very good! A popular champagne brand hired me to make truffles for a wine-tasting event. I made some extra ube chocolate, which I let the owner taste. He liked it!

You already had your foot in the door. Why did you come back home?
I always knew I would come back. I loved the life here. Mas relaxed dito [It’s more laid-back here]. I don’t want to grow old in the US.

Also, I realized that while I could make money, I wouldn’t enjoy it kasi ako lahat [because I did everything]. I was making my chocolates in a commercial kitchen in Westchester County, with only an assistant. Thirteen hours, tuluy-tuloy, ang break ko, ihi lang [straight, with only a toilet break].

So what was the takeaway of the whole New York experience?
I enjoyed being independent and learning about the business culture, but I was never comfortable because a big part of me was Pinoy. I was never an American and didn’t feel like one. [In America], you have to be self-centered to survive, because ikaw lahat dun [you do everything there], to the point that you’ll forget yourself. You can’t help it. [It’s] that part I didn’t like.

Chocolate with guava and jackfruit . . . When do all these ideas come to you?
When I’m sleeping, because that’s when I’m relaxed, or when I’m in the car, driving. Even Martha Stewart said, “I think when I sleep.” It’s not when you want them; it’s when you’re relaxed [that the ideas come].

How do you keep your selections exciting?
I don’t want to be boring! I want to always reinvent my products because you have to keep up with other brands.

Also, part of me is Filipino, so I really infuse it in my creations. When people taste my chocolate, I want them to relate to me.

What’s the most challenging part about chocolate making?
I visualize it before I even make it. The hard part is living in a tropical country. I had to adjust some of my recipes because of the humidity. I’m glad I have a background in medicine. It comes in handy.

After New York and Manila, what’s next?
I want to bring Machiavelli to Asia–first to Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. I want to show the world that Asians aren’t second-rate, that we can be as good and as intelligent as the rest. We can do it. This is our time.

Purchase Machiavelli chocolates at Rustan’s Makati and Edsa Shangri-La.
Phone: (632) 489-7408
E-mail: contact@mach-chocolatier.comNo Tags

Canvas, a nonprofit organization that promotes Filipino arts and culture, is calling out for entries to the Romeo Forbes Children’s Storywriting Competition.

Entries may be in English or Filipino, not more than 1,600 words, and should not have been previously published. The theme of the stories should center on an untitled piece painted by CCP Thirteen Artists awardee Don Salubayba (see photo above). The winning entry will receive a P35,000 cash prize and will be published as a full-color book by Canvas.

Last year’s winner of the Romeo Forbes story-writing was Fernando Gonzalez, whose story “Mga Huni sa Loob ng Kawayan” was based on an oil painting by Juanito Torres.

Previous winners include Palanca awardee Becky Bravo, whose story “The Rocking Horse” was inspired by Elmer Borlongan’s painting; Rowald Almazar, whose entry “Si Lupito at ang Baryo Sirkero,” was based on a work by Jose Santos III;  fiction writer Fernando Rosal Gonzalez, who wrote “Ang Batang Maraming Bawal” from a painting by Rodel Tapaya; and Eline Santos, whose “Doll Eyes” was inspired by Joy Mallari’s painting.

Now on its sixth year, the storywriting competition was named after award-winning artist Romeo Forbes, who succumbed to cancer in 2006. Forbes had a prolific career as an artist, winning the 2000 Asia-Europe Young Artists Competition, the 1998 Instituto Cervantes art competition, as well as other contests by Petron, Shell, and the Asian Development Bank. Along with some artists, he pioneered the Malate-based visual-literary group Artery.

For contest rules and details, read the Canvas blog.No Tags

To the lovers and the hopeful, here’s balladeer Richard Poon’s version of the classic Rey Valera song, “Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko.”

And to you all, for loving us and wanting us back–happy Valentine’s Day!

Kung tayo ay matanda na
Sana’y di tayo magbago
Kailan man, nasaan ma’y
Ito ang pangarap ko . . .

Makuha mo pa kayang
Ako’y hagkan at yakapin, hmm
Hanggang pagtanda natin
Nagtatanong lang sa ‘yo
Ako pa kaya’y ibigin mo
Kung maputi na ang buhok ko . . .

Pagdating ng araw
Ang ‘yong buhok ay puputi na rin
Sabay tayong mangangarap
Nang nakaraan sa ‘tin . . .

Ang nakalipas ay ibabalik natin, hmm
Ipapaalala ko sa ‘yo ang aking pangako
Na ang pag-ibig ko’y laging sa ‘yo
Kahit maputi na ang buhok ko . . .No Tags

No one could have said it better than the late senator and national hero Benigno Aquino Jr., who, in a 1975 letter from prison, told his son Noynoy, “There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland. No greater people than our own. Serve them with all your heart.”

Today, Ninoy Aquino Day, remember Ninoy and Cory’s love for the Filipino by wearing something yellow or lighting a yellow candle. Or if you happen to be on the road between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., switch on your hazard lights to symbolize the yellow spark.

To read Ninoy’s three-page letter to Noynoy, click here.

Image: “Rest in Peace, President Aquino” by OebandaNo Tags

NEW YORK – Imelda, a bio-musical about the rise and fall of former first lady Imelda Marcos debuting on September 22, stars an all-Pinoy cast and is the first Filipino-themed production to be run off Broadway.

Playing the first lady notorious for having more than 3,000 pairs of shoes is Jaygee Macapugay, whose theater credits include Miss Saigon (Kim) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary). Other members in  the cast are Mel Sagrado Maghuyop as Ferdinand Marcos, Liz Casasola as Corazon Aquino, Brian Jose as Benigno Aquino, Jr., Alan Ariano, Angelica-Lee Aspiras, Billy Bustamante, Leanne Cabrera, Loresa Lanceta, Jonelle Margallo, and Romney Piamonte.

The musical is told in 30 fast-moving scenes and 17 songs, juxtaposing recent Filipino history with the life story of the former first lady, along with a parallel narrative on former senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. and Corazon Aquino,who became president through the 1986 People Power Revolution that toppled the 20-year Marcos dictatorship.

Directed by Tim Dang, Imelda is a collaboration between Pan Asian Repertory Theater in New York and LA’s East West Players. The production team includes composer Nathan Wang, playwright Sachi Oyama, lyricist Aaron Coleman, choreographer Reggie Lee, scenic designer Koari Akazawa, lighting designer Victor En Yu Tan, costume designer Ivy Chou, and hair and makeup artist Leslie Espinosa.

The limited-engagement production runs from September 22 to October 18, Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinee at 3 p.m., at the Julia Miles Theater on 44 W 55th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. Regular ticket prices are $55, with senior and student tickets at $35 and $20. Buy tickets at Ticketcharge (212) 239 6200 or visit the Pan Asian website.

Through Oliver Oliveros
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Bring your kids to Museo Pambata on Thursday, August 20, Ninoy Aquino Day. The museum has lined up a show-and-tell activity and film showing to educate kids on the life of this national hero who served his country well. Children will also learn to make Ninoy’s famous glasses in an arts-and-craft session. Activity starts at 10 a.m.

Other activities this month at Museo Pambata include the following:

• Book on the Spot features Apolakus (August 22, 10 a.m.). Interact with Alice Mallari, author of the children’s book Apolakus, which tells about a boy who loves to perform magic tricks. Enjoy a day of storytelling and arts and crafts and see original illustrations from the book done by Leo Agtuca.
• The Dentist Is In (August 28, 10 a.m.). Dr. Celian  Teng demonstrates how to keep teeth healthy and strong.
• Linggo ng Wika sa Museo Pambata (August 29, 2 p.m.). Celebrate the glory of the Philippine language with a balagtasan and sabayang-bigkas presentation by the Museo Pambata Child Advocates.
• Haraya Storytelling Hour (Saturdays, 10 a.m.). Volunteer storytellers from the Aliptaptap Storytellers Philippines share exciting stories from your favorite Filipino children’s books.

Museo Pambata is located at Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive, Manila. Museum hours are Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission fee is P100 for children and adults. Discounted rates apply for group tours. Free entrance on Tuesdays for Manila residents with valid IDs and 50% on regular days. Call (+632) 523 1797 and 98 and (+632) 536 0595 for inquiries.

Image: Diamonds in the Soles of Her ShoesNo Tags

The Chabet Archive, a landmark research that compiled and digitized thousands of works and materials by Roberto Chabet, the country’s foremost conceptual artists and prime mover in Philippine contemporary art, is now open to the public.

Gathered by Ringo Bonoan, the Philippine researcher for Hong Kong’s Asia Art Archive, the collection is composed of a biography, profiles and interviews of him, letters, exhibition notes, sketches, press releases he had written, photographs of him and his exhibitions, information on the shows he curated, his works in private and public collections, press clippings, videos, posters, and invites.

The collection is an unprecedented account of the 73-year-old Chabet’s artistic process and the vision he espoused, which is now continued by many contemporary artists whom he mentored as professor at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts.  Materials were donated by Chabet himself, various institutions, galleries, collectors, and friends of the artist.

The digital files will be part of AAA’s Special Collection in Hong Kong and will also be available to local researchers in the Philippines for consultation through the Lopez Memorial Museum.

Located at the ground floor of the Benpres Building on Exchange Road corner Meralco Ave, Ortigas Center, the Lopez Memorial Museum is open from Mondays to Saturdays, 8am to 5pm, except holidays.

In Hongkong, the Asia Art Archive is open from Mondays to Saturdays, 10am to 6pm, except holidays and is located at the 11F Hollywood Center, 233 Hollywood Road.No Tags