Its been almost a week since I returned from the Philippines and my mind is still full of the flavours experienced there: ripe mangoes, tender buko (young coconut), crispy pork. Geneva used to have a Filipino restaurant back in the day, but it no longer exists. I always thought opening a new one could work here given that Genevans love to travel and try new things and would certainly give it a shot. But since my project is not to open something here but there, I thought a Filipino pop-up restaurant would be fun. 

People often ask what Filipino food is like and it's difficult to answer because it doesn't really resemble any other cuisine that I know. Granted, it has similar ingredients to some of its neighbours, like soy, tamarind, vinegar, garlic. It also has the influence of Spain, with the seafood rices, roasted porks, leche flans. In any case, yesterday I decided to make a Filipino lunch for my daughter and my boyfriend's nephew and made barbecued pork sticks, which has a very distinctive flavour and is ubiquitous no matter where you go, and adobong kangkong, which is an aquatic green that I love, stewed in the classic adobo marinade of soy, vinegar and garlic. All the flavours are very punchy and in your face, which is nice in this dreary month of February where everything is just grey and frozen and dying to come to life (no pun intended). 

The pork sticks didn't quite have the same flavour as they did back home, but we all wolfed them down. I'll have to test a couple more recipes. The kangkong greens, on the other hand, tasted of home. I am thinking of including them in my Filipino pop-up menu….

My second month-long trip to Philippines in the past four months is coming to an end. As our last destination we decided to check out Puerto Galera, where I would often come as a college kid to enjoy the beach for the week end ; it was one of the few destinations which was relatively affordable (ie. no air travel required) and had a nice beach with clear, blue water. Given the horrendous changes I witnessed elsewhere in the country, I was expecting something similar in Puerto, but lo and behold, the beach is still lovely, in spite of some empty bottles left in the sand, remains of a night of drinking by the water. True, the accomodation and dining options have increased, but are not yet encroaching on the beach as they do in El Nido, which once one of my favorite destinations in the world. The most pleasant surprise, however, was the water, teeming with fish and coral. I have no recollection of such lush marine life; either I was too broke to buy/rent a snorkel and tube back then, or I suffer of some college collateral amnesia. Either way, the view under the sea was as charming as above. Bravo Puerto Galera !

After one week in the moutain region north of manila for some R&R, we reached Dumaguete which is a medium sized town of approximately 120,000 inhabitants in the central part of the Philippines called the Visayas. It has direct flights from Manila daily and at the same time has some good spots for diving and snorkelling nearby. It is also known for its delicious sans rival and silvanas which are meringue wafers filled with butter cream, as pictured below.

The town boasts a pretty seaside boardwalk lined with century old acacias trees, perfect for a stroll away from the din and dust of the town center. Unfortunately the rest of the town (with the exception of the private residences) is a mishmash of dust, traffic (tricycle), and rambling construction. Somehow I am beginning to come to terms with the fact that most anywhere in the Philippines, you have the choice between living in a bubble-like private area with 24h security guards or the rest of the country where you are subject to the pollution-laden reality mentioned above. This is of course a gross generalisation, and I had set out to prove to myself that it was possible to enjoy a pleasant existence in a non-exclusive, non-secluded manner. But the pace of growth and haphazard development far exceeds that of urban planning, environmental sustainability and education.

Fortunately while in Sagada up North, I was able to visit Gaia, a restaurant a few minutes walk from the town, perched on side of the cliff view a stunning view on the rice terraces. The menu is strictly vegetarian and the entire establishment is waste-free, meaning they recycle and compost everything. Gaia was a sign of hope in an otherwise downward spiral of unchecked development, and the type of place I would like to open.

So much to consider in contemplating returning to the Philippines from Switzerland !