Christmas Memories

What does noche buena mean to you? An essay by the late cultural and culinary historian Doreen G. Fernandez from her classic book, Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture defines this very cherished Filipino Christmas tradition from the memories of various people from different provinces. 

A young FilAm writer Leah K. Sikat reflects on making suman, her California-based family's Christmas ritual, and how the stories of home that accompany the making of this kakanin shape her own memories of the holiday season. ("Banana Leaves, Rice and Coconut")

And if you haven't planned out your Christmas meal yet, Read Again the suggestions and recipes of Chef Rolando Laudico, Elizabeth Ann Quirino and Goldilocks Bakeshop.

Here are the In The Know links this week:

Massacre or fight for freedom? Putting the Balangiga bells in context
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/317599/massacre-or-fight-for-freedom-putting-the-balangiga-bells-in-context/?fbclid=IwAR1JnVSGmuj0P9TQt43KE_fmKoeMngYr9BHXyZd-KWw0tEtD5h97ZBSR1YA

Filipino teachers popular among Chinese English learners
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d334d7a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html?fbclid=IwAR39KN63W44UvLmbz2EcWQBMSKbSKTUhYGc9lrFEsaZyLFzuXYCOiXEgXRs

Under a code name, George H.W. Bush sponsored Filipino child through Colorado Springs-based nonprofit
https://gazette.com/news/under-a-code-name-george-h-w-bush-sponsored-filipino/article_834568aa-f8e6-11e8-a94f-bbf2c209978c.html?fbclid=IwAR3GR5AkKU6B7FeqlkOpYlYbnWvsy2CDpMU5d-xyj0J4zQu9-YOGZnUYY2c

Cecile Licad in a daster: the pianist on smoking at 11, the Marcoses, and the love of her life
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/music/12/15/18/cecile-licad-in-a-daster-a-concerto-in-three-acts?fbclid=IwAR0qVxehJZ_6WyDQUAbCpyQW-0PABgAe_cgsPuW29_jcSO9sSwYyKr-_Apw

For Video of the Week, we feature newly-crowned Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray in a music video for Young Focus Philippines.

Three Women

Three women, three very different lives. 

Manila-based contributor Rochit I. Tañedo draws on her valuable experience in community organizing to give us a glimpse of the challenging life of T'boli women of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

Food expert and PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino focuses on Liza Agbanlog, a Vancouver-based food blogger turned cookbook author who shares with us her own recipe for Sinigang na Isda sa Miso, our Happy Home Cook feature of the week. 

From New York, PF Correspondent Serina Aidasani profiles visual artist and poet Monica Ong, who explores her Chinese, Filipino and American lineage through her art and poetry.

Our In The Know links this week:

Can Imelda Erase History Again?
https://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/can-imelda-marcos-erase-history-again/?fbclid=IwAR1LSMkmDFqDN-1iMlmI_5VJp8MPMzSVfvKMIpcATOdyNeosu25VGu4vhTY

Rewriting history in the Philippines and the fight for the truth
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-46185620/rewriting-history-in-the-philippines-and-the-fight-for-the-truth?fbclid=IwAR3R5cG-ITv9luNzJKz9UWOHh6b2JZCxngH2WQs3gOD7Blf_odu8hw4ZKKM

Bells of Balangiga: Why they matter
https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/11/13/18/bells-of-balangiga-why-they-matter?fbclid=IwAR3E-6_JIU6h4ErWwS6TDSV00rv9jaLlthIyr64kycGwqEeu5CWC_LR9pwA

Painting to Live: The Remarkable Story of 90-Year-Old Filipina Artist Araceli Dans
https://lifestyleasia.onemega.com/painting-to-live-the-remarkable-story-of-90-year-old-filipina-artist-araceli-dans/?fbclid=IwAR1dbatsmXtZbVd5TRtC58JqfNGaBINuDaE3SLjjFcpCvdnhNsE9-yJHfHA

For video of the week, Youtube comedian Jeppy Paraiso shares the Thanksgiving cheer.

Looking Back

We visit several periods in Philippine history with our stories this week:

First, a little known side of Jose Rizal, this time as an oracle. Our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco, unearths a rare book called Haec Est Sibylla Cumana or A Book of Oracles, which is essentially a fortunetelling parlor game handwritten and drawn by our national hero while he was in exile in Dapitan between 1892-1896. In "Jose Rizal, The Oracle," we are once again awed by this multifaceted genius whose talents seem endless. 

A few years after Rizal was executed, the Philippine-American War broke out and one of the celebrated booties for the victor America were the bells of Balangiga, Samar. Prominently displayed in a military base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the bells have been the object of several unsuccessful campaigns for their return to Samar. This time, some Hollywood celebrities headed by actor/private investigator Logan Clarke have banded together with some prominent Filipino Americans to establish the Committee for the Return of the Bells. Carlos Zialcita, one of the board members, writes about the launching of the campaign, which promises to harness public support so that the bells can be returned to Balangiga. Read "The Bells of Balangiga Make It to Hollywood" and its sidebar, "Logan Clarke, Retriever."

To commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Fall of Bataan, we encourage you to read again two of our stories on World War II: "Remember Bataan" by Cecilia I. Gaerlan and "The Spies Who Came In From the Sea" by Virgil N. De la Victoria.

Moving on to the present, we take pride in featuring a Filipino American artist whose medium goes beyond painting. Maria Apelo Cruz Jonavonic also sculpts, restores, designs, cooks and runs a high-profile business, among other talents that Rey E. de la Cruz tells us about in "Art is Life, Life Art."

And speaking of cooking, we have two recipes of bistek for you this week -- the regular Bistek Tagalog and its vegan equivalent. 

Our Video of the Week features Lea Salonga showing high school kids what good singing is all about.