What is Filipino food really? This was a question posed by a Filipino-American who grew up in New York as he traveled to his native Philippines with the late Anthony Bourdain in the latter's food and travel show No Reservations. Growing up in America, this guy knew for sure what Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Korean cuisine is. But Filipino?
In fall, 2019, I set out for the West Village in a monsoon. It was the last night of a small, culturally significant exhibit that I wanted to catch. At the designated address, I walked into a darkened courtyard, seemingly the patio of a shuttered restaurant on the far side of the enclosure, certainly not a gallery.
I think I would be remiss if I did not tell our readers about an Italian restaurant my bride Elaine and I visited when we were in Cape Town, South Africa. The name of the restaurant is The Cousins Trattoria and it was actually started by three cousins – Luca, Simone and Andrea Biondi – who came from Italy and somehow ended up in Cape Town.
Ever since a month-long stint in the United Arab Emirates more than 20 years ago we’ve become enthusiastic devotees of Middle Eastern food. Several subsequent visits further reinforced that trend but we later realized we need not travel that far to enjoy falafels, kebabs and pita bread.
As we dream of carefree, alluring days on the ocean’s shore, my thoughts turned to fun things to nibble while on the beach’s sand. I thought it would be fun to see what our T-Boy writers and readers’ selections might be from their ancestral homes for the perfect and most traditional things to eat on the beach.
Often on a group press trip, civilians will address our team with, What is your favorite place to travel? It is a question that I would ask. Many fellow journalists would enthusiastically reply, New Zealand!
Travel writer William Least Heat-Moon in his stunning 1982 memoir, Blue Highways: A Journey into America, said you could once tell what side of the Mississippi River you were on by how the catfish was prepared. Some cities and regions have cuisines so distinctive that when blindfolded you can actually tell exactly where you are in the world.
Until recently Britain was portrayed as a culinary wasteland, home to overcooked, boring food and an abundance of uninspired bland chefs. There were only a few tasty exceptions to their miserable repertoire — namely, fish 'n' chips, tea, beer and dessert.
It is said that about half the Norwegians who immigrated to America came in order to escape the hated lutefisk, and the other half came to spread the gospel of lutefisk's wonderfulness.
Here’s a great piece about iconic food items in each of our fifty states by David Rosengarten, a two-time James Beard-winning food journalist and the writers of Flavored Nation. Not sure if I can endorse all of them, but it’s always good to expand your horizons when it comes to unique recipes – which hopefully does not expand your waistline as well.