I am Filipino. I am a foodie.
I grew up with a very strong food culture, given that my parents are from two foodie regions in the Philippines. On my mom’s side is Pampanga, considered to be the culinary capital of the Philippines. Pampanga is known for dishes like sisig, pancit luglug (aka pancit palabok).
On my dad’s side is Samar, not as famous maybe as Pampanga, but is heavily influenced by Hiligaynon (aka Ilonggo) culture and cuisine. Hiligaynon is mostly known for its red adobo (yes, not as well known as the Filipino adobo that seems to be the craze right now among food hosts, writers and bloggers in the US) and batchoy, something akin to a ramen.
I am also an immigrant.
My family and I emigrated to the US in the mid 1980s when I was a young lad of 17. I have lived in the US ever since, here in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. From San Francisco to Santa Cruz, I’ve spent some time living in this wonderful melting pot of cultures – including the food of all sorts of immigrants here in the SF Bay Area. It was here where I learned that Chinese cuisine is more than the Cantonese or Hokkienese food that I grew up with in the Philippines. I got exposed to other Chinese regional food like Hunan or Sichuan. It was here where I got exposed to Vietnames, Korean, Mexican, Ethiopian, etc. If the world is your oyster, then the San Francisco Bay Area is it’s pearl. You can practically experience almost every cuisine out here.
I am a geek.
I am an engineer by schooling and training. As such, I love to continuously learn, experiment, take notes, and riff on things, like any engineer. And I use an engineering approach whenever I cook. I write things down, with details to the smallest gram. With recipes as the starting point, I measure and learn and adapt to iterate better versions of what I’ve cooked. I’ve learned to create and recreate dishes – including a few of the long-lost dishes of my youth which I was able to recreate after a number of trials and errors.
I am a travel addict.
I love exploring the world, meeting new people, tasting new food, and learning all about them. I have set foot in all seven continents (unfortunately no restaurants in Antartica, but lots of good ones in South America before you get there). I go to all sorts of places and do a lot of research about where to go, what to eat, and even check out classes so I can bring home what I’ve learned.
I am The Immigrant Cook
I love to cook – and bake – at home. I love watching cooking shows on YouTube or Netflix like The Great British Baking Show. I have subscriptions to magazines like Cooks Illustrated, 177 Milkstreet, Bon Appetit, etc. I have cookbooks galore, from all sorts of cuisines, by famous as well as not so famous chef-authors.
All of these experiences make me who I am today – as a person, as a foodie, as a cook. I don’t dare say chef – since I am not properly schooled in the culinary arts, and I reserved that term out of respect for all the people who put in their blood and sweat in elevating the food that binds us all together as a culture, as a people.
Why am I doing this? Obviously to share a bit of myself, what I learned. But this is more than just me.
It’s about honoring my culture, the cultures that I learned from and incorporated to create who I am today.
It’s about honoring the immigrants who went before me, paving the way so that I can live in a new land and thrive in a new culture.
It’s about all the friends who I have made along the way, who shared a part of themselves with me, to share a bit of how they grew up, making us realize that we are different yet the same in so many ways.
It’s about all the people I met traveling, giving me a new perspective about the world, and why people may act in a certain way – and it’s all okay.
It’s about all the generations that come after us immigrants, who yearn to know a little bit more about their identity, what made them who they are, and why they are unique, even though they are native born in this land. This blog is for my niece and nephew, most specially.
It’s also about you – the curious you, who wants to know a little bit or two about yourself maybe through my writings, who wants to learn a thing or two maybe that you didn’t know or realize, and who wants grow a bit or so maybe in this world full of wonderful people, culture, and food.