There’s one fact I won’t be questioning in this article, and it is that I am proud to be Filipino-American. I had grown up a bit shy about announcing my heritage to my peers, especially when one classmate asked me, obnoxiously, “Where even is the Philippines?” Because back then, the cluster of a thousand islands was just a blip in elementary school education.
Today, given that the Filipino state of affairs is on par, if not worse, than the United States’s, the Philippines has now entered into the radar of most people. But those negatives aside, Filipino immigration to the United States is on the rise – in 2016, almost 2 million people immigrated. The cities with the largest communities of Filipinos are Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. NYC’s own Little Manila has a home in Woodside, Queens.
After spewing these facts, this is what it boils down to – a sudden American interest in Filipino cuisine. This interest was much more than the lumpia my friends devoured on the spot every time I held a birthday party.
In fact, it was a whole wave of Filipino restaurant openings throughout NYC. Initially, I was purely delighted; I had only ever eaten my mother country’s food at home, or at Renee’s Kitchenette, buried deep in the heart of Woodside. Now there were more options. In the last few years, I’ve seen the rise of several familiar Filipino fast food chains – Max’s in Jersey City, Red Ribbon and Jollibee in Woodside, and some new faces that set the stage for Filipino-American fusion – Maharlika, Jeepney, Ugly Kitchen, and Pig and Khao in Lower East Side.
As a Filipina who tries to embody ‘Pinoy Pride’ I knew I had to try out these restaurants, and support my fellow Filipinos. And I did, by ordering a combination of traditional and fusion dishes with my family and friends. I found myself savoring every bite of the fusion dishes – Maharlika’s ube waffles with chicken definitely took some pointers from Southern cuisine, and Jeepney’s chori burger continues the trend of making everything (and I mean everything) into a burger. Masarap!
But when it came to the traditional dishes – the sinigang, the sisig, and even the lumpia, I felt that they fell flat. What happened to the oiliness, the grittiness, the unrefined cuisine that I had been raised on? It had been cleaned up and polished for a more Western palate, with a price in the double digits to match. Now the ornamental edible flowers that lined the corners of my plate and the hipster mason jars that were used to serve mango juice were just mocking me. Could I even call this true Filipino food?
But that’s pretentious of me; how would I know what true Filipino food is, having only been to the Philippines once every three or so years? NYC is inherently a melting pot and naturally, its food will reflect that. Filipino food is just breaking the surface of this pot, struggling to find its niche in order to appeal to both its country people and its newcomers. But I want newcomers to fully appreciate our food, with all its faults and imperfections. Homestyle Filipino cooking should be appreciated just as much as Filipino-fusion restaurants are. So if you want a slice of the Philippines without suffering through a plane ride from LGA, just visit your nearest turo-turo!
Filipino Restaurant suggestions
Renee’s Kitchenette – Woodside, Queens
Phil-Am Kusina – Rosebank, Staten Island
The Junction Journal 