The heartiest of appetites are brought on by rainy days - that’s what I notice. Almost anything tastes good. Freshly steamed rice with tuyo (dried salted fish, usually sardines) dipped in very spicy vinegar, bibingka, fish escabeche - all these and a lot more are perfect when the skies are pouring. At home, all sorts of soups make their appearance.

One of the most favoured is a soup made from tinapa (smoked fish) in a tomato base. Originally, it is called sabo tinapa-culut apalya but since I couldn’t find culut (culatding in Tagalog - thanks Maricel!) - the tendrils and very small leaves occuring in clumps and only emerge after harvesting the bitter gourd (ampalaya in Tagalog - Momordica charantia) - I had to settle for the regular bulung which means dahon in Tagalog and leaves in English.

If culut is used, the leaves are placed into the soup upon serving it on the table, just before eating. If regular leaves are used however, these are dropped into the pot to cook slightly. Since the leaves are still somewhat fresh when eaten, there is no bitter taste. However, if they are left to steep in the soup for a long time, the bitter taste then comes out. For many Kapampangans however, it is this taste which is sought after. We love spicy, sweet, sour and bitter in our food. And apalya is not worthy of its name if it is not bitter. In our family, much as we love this soup freshly cooked, we also like it the day after, when the taste of the leaves have flavoured the broth. Re-heated once or twice, it is a balm to the body and soul, especially on a rainy day.
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Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are hardly a new phenomenon. Historical documents note that in 1600 Filipinos arrived in California, way before it was part of the United States. They were among the first agricultural workers or field hands in the mission areas. Today, like their contemporaries of centuries ago, most OFWs - whether manual labourers or salaried professionals - are well-liked by their employers because they are conscientious workers who will try to learn new skills to cope or just to be better at their jobs.

This versatility is also found in adapting to different tastes in food. Although there is a propensity for sweet-salty-sour dishes and to always look for rice, the Filipino palate can adapt well to any prevailing culinary conditions be it sushi, hamburgers, shawarma, sauerkraut or whatever is available. With stable work difficult to come by in the Philippines, it is also not rare to find many Filipinos of different vocations to transform into cooks in many ships and restaurants abroad, most especially in the Middle East. The father of a close friend was originally a skilled carpenter/house painter in the Philippines but became head cook in one of the Emirates in the 1980s. I have also heard of similar situations before. It is perhaps only now that the situation has changed since the food industry has become more specialised with culinary schools being established in most major cities worldwide.
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Oh the merry month of May! It seems to be a succession of parties, both in real life and online. Just at the heels of the last Is My Blog Burning? is a potluck party! I only found out a few days ago that Stel has opened Baby Rambutan house for a Blogging Girls’ Night Out as inspired by her mom’s “hen parties” and in the spirit of IMBB.

Although the event is open to all able and willing ladies (updated to include “people who like girls or wanna be girls or girls-at-heart”, in the words of our host), it looks like a Filipina food bloggers and friends mafia. For such notorious foodies (in situ or in diaspora), who greet visitors with “Have you eaten?” instead of “How do you do?” and whose snacks can be considered as meals, it’s about time! The Italians have gone local almost a year ago and the Francophones, of course, even have a dedicated website, Blog Appétit for their cook-offs. But no, this one’s not nationality or linguistically-based. Perhaps it’s similar to the End of Month Egg on Toast Extravaganza (EoMEoTE) “non-event event” dreamt up by Jeanne at Cook Sister! and Anthony at Spiceblog last year. It seems like Alberto’s a very young grandfather, with his brainchild having so many children in just a year’s time (sorry, just indulge my corny joke).
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