Filipinos love to eat. A source of comfort, togetherness and pride, it is fair to say that food dominates our lives. Many a foreigner have remarked on our unique ability to be already planning for the next meal in between bites of the spread currently laid out in front of us. Eating is so constant in fact, that Filipinos frequently use “Kumain ka na?” (Have you eaten yet?) as a way of greeting one another. Food is not served in courses at the Filipino dining table. All dishes – meat, rice, vegetables and soup are artfully arranged on the table at the same time so that the diners can pick and eat from all dishes simultaneously.

Known for our hospitality and warmth, entertaining is a much-loved past time for Filipinos, with food at the center of all social activities. And we never run out of occasions to celebrate and showcase our wide variety of dishes. No doubt, we are proud of our cuisine and all its splendor. Nothing hits the spot quite like a plate of tapsilog (cured beef and fried egg) served with garlic rice and atchara (pickled papaya strips) in the morning, a steaming bowl of sinigang (sour tamarind soup) or dinuguan (a spicy stew made with pork blood) and pu-to (steamed rice flour cakes) on a rainy day, a helping of sizzling sisig (chopped pig’s face) while enjoying a cold beer, or a nice warm ensaymada (buttery sweet roll covered with cheese) just about anytime.

Why then, is Filipino food not popular outside the country? Even the restaurant mecca that is New York City, with its unlimited options for culinary adventures is home to a but a smattering of Filipino restaurants, despite having the fourth largest Filipino American population in a U.S. metropolitan region.

According to Bayan Café owner Carol Kohtiao, it is the aesthetic; simply the way the food looks that seems to turn off foreigners from eagerly diving into a bowl of pork adobo (stew). “Filipino food is very saucy and soupy. It doesn’t look particularly appetizing.” Bayan Café, a Midtown joint which serves up down-home Filipino food that is part turo-turo, is popular among the Filipino lunch crowd especially because of its proximity to the U.N. “There are over 700 Filipinos working the U.N., which is precisely why I decided to set up shop here. 90% of our customers are Filipino.”

It is a shame that our food is not as highly regarded in the United States as other Asian cuisines. There is a Vietnamese craze now sweeping the city of Manhattan, with Pho bars and Bahn Mi sandwich places cropping up in every neighborhood. Those who have sampled our fare will attest to the fact that in terms of taste, Filipino food is right up there with any popular Asian cuisine. There is so much variety and uniqueness of flavor that will delight any palate; it is just a matter of changing the public perception. Filipino chefs in New York have been trying to do just that. Chef Romy Dorotan, former owner of the beloved Filipino Soho spot Cendrillon has reincarnated it as Purple Yam in Brooklyn, featuring a rich selection of Filipino and pan-Asian bites. He was one of the first Filipino chefs in New York who succeeded in appealing to a wider set of diners by adding an elegantly modern twist to down home Filipino cooking. Another chef making waves in the Filipino culinary world is King Phojanakong, a half-Thai, half-Filipino chef who opened the funky Kuma Inn in the Lower East Side and Umi Nom in Brooklyn, serving up upscale Filipino tapas with a little Thai flair thrown in. It is this kind of revolutionizing that Filipino cuisine needs.

As Christmas looms closer, the merry festivities evoke memories of favorite dishes from home. What is the best way to get a taste of the Philippine cooking you know and love? Re-create your favorite dishes at home. Browse through recipes and cookbooks at FilipinoVillage.com and share the wonderful secrets of Filipino food with good friends.

For more information, visit FilipinoVillage.com. Source: http://www.filipinovillage.com/Press_Releases/FV-Eating Filipino.pdf