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The French word for a wise person is "sage", with its roots in the Latin "sapius" or "sapere , which means "to taste." In the French worldview, a wise man is one who is exposed to the flavours of the world, and has experienced various flavors and tastes. To eat is to learn about the world, and there is arguably no other culture that stands by this maxim more than the French. On this episode, Julien and Raizza of The Bow Tie Duck (bowtieduck.com) discuss the potential of Filipino produce and food, and how it could be harnessed to be at par with European specialty products. We learn about protected geographical indications (IGP) and appellation d'origine contrôlé (AOC) and its impacts on quality, authenticity, and sustainability. By learning from the French experience,  we explore the intersections of geography and flavour, and probe into how Filipino food can follow the footsteps of French cuisine and culinary culture. The formula is easy: time, effort, tradition, attention, and pride equals world-class quality. Food is art. Food is togetherness. Food is nature. Food is humanity.

Bourbon with the Old Boy

On this episode, Anton and I geek out on what makes perfect cookie flavours and how it takes a lot of deliberate thought to create something that seems effortless, it belies the amount of work that goes behind the iterative and creative process. The mastermind of Old Boy Bakery (order form at @bakedbytheoldboy on Facebook and Instagram; delivers to Metro Manila every Tuesdays) talks about his preppy style, Southern food, and the intersections of American soul food and Filipino cuisine. We talk about aspirational lifestyles, processing an implacable love for Americana, and the ups and downs of finding one’s niche by going back to what is truly personal, comforting, and reassuringly familiar.  Just a laidback Sunday evening, and he was chatting with me while knocking back some whiskey; at some point you can hear his rocks glass tinkling. Come for the relatable story of resilience, stay for mouthwatering cookie recipes!

Get some breaducation!

2020 was the year when people started REALLY getting into sourdough making, but here’s one fella who has been doing it way before homemade bread was cool. I talk to Paolo Vasquez, the guy responsible for my bi-monthly sourdough bread rations. We discuss the fundamentals of sourdough baking, and how best to enjoy and maximise a loaf if you happen to have one lying around. We talk about pandemic hobbies, discovering new restaurants, and that moment of panic that we often feel when being put on the spot on what to order. It’s an episode to celebrate a new friendship based mostly out of love for carbs, good conversation , and everything that goes with it. For your sourdough fix, follow Paolo on Instagram at @eugoogolizer (Metro Manila orders only). Cheers!

And now from the South side!

In this episode, we get to know more about Tausug cuisine through Nina, one of my closest grad school friends. Nina dishes out informative insights on the  dynamics of labelling and naming of food and cuisine, and how it is one way to achieve peace in the most literal sense. As a Tausug and an active NGO worker who works in youth and women's initiatives to advance the peace process, Nina is our resource in our quest to learn what represents the food of the People of the Current. A distinct, discrete and unique Tausug food identity is central to keeping the community strong despite having a large part of its population forming part of a diaspora due to ongoing conflicts in the Sulu archipelago. And expect a special guest appearance by Baby Samara, who interjects here and there to give us her piece on protecting food heritage for the future generations... or at least that's what I think she was saying.

Let’s hear it from the North!

On our journey to discover the food of the Philippines, there is no better place to start than the highlands of Ifugao, in the North of Luzon. In this episode, I invited my friend KC, a proud Igorot to talk about inlagim, the Ifugao version of pinikpikan. We talk about Igorot wedding festivities and how community and sharing is at the center of any large Igorot fiesta. We discuss how a single glass of strong bayah rice wine can knock one out cold, and the importance of farm to market roads in transporting produce from Ifugao and the rest of the Cordilleras to Metro Manila. If you are curious as to why Ifugao food is bland, or why Igorot farmers are being sent to Israel to study agriculture, go on this journey with us as we discover Ifugao: inviting, beguiling, fascinating!