Food as a Gateway to Culture and ULAM: Main Dish

When we were still living in the Philippines, everytime we went to a new town, the first thing my husband Jojo Lucila would visit was the food market. He claims that you learn a lot about the people’s lifestyle based on the kinds of food sold in the market. 

Now there is more to discover, as we live in a society that prides itself of embracing and celebrating cultural diversity. There are festivals, events and community activities that allow us to engage in different cultures without having to travel to another country. There are many other ways to immerse in a culture - learning the language, folk dances, songs, literature. But the easiest to enjoy and digest (so to speak) is food. 

Food brings people together. Shows like Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown”, Eddie Huang’s “Huang’s World” and David Chang’s “Ugly Delicious” have focused on showcasing cultures through food. When one partakes of a dish, one learns about the topography of the region by the ingredients and its spices. The way it is prepared, presented and eaten speaks volumes about the traditions. Our food has sentimental value, usually passed down through generations, and connected to life moments, i.e. celebrations, or as comfort food to cheer us up.

In the documentary ULAM: Main Dish, Filipino-American director Alexandra Cuerdo focuses on the ascent of Filipino cuisine in American tables by following the journey of award-winning chefs. These chefs and restaurateurs share their stories of breaking prejudices, being authentic, using food as a vehicle to communicate and present ourselves, and validating our culture. They come from different walks of life, i.e. from Michelin-starred line cooks to high school dropouts, successful restaurateurs to first time shop owners - but all highly acclaimed by critics. They share their histories, their sacrifices and what it takes to run a successful restaurant in two of the most competitive markets in the world: New York and Los Angeles. The film also talks about the experiences of first and second-generation Filipino Americans, and the struggle to have Filipino food and identity be recognized in the larger American society and even their own Filipino community. There are also philosophical conversations on the Filipinos’ history, crab mentality, the effects of colonialism, and the need for support from the Filipino community.

The narrative for our food is a narrative of our history. In the words of the film’s creators, “It's like saying, this is me on a plate. We can say, we both enjoy this, this is some version of what we both grew up with, it's some version of ourselves — even more so when we're connecting with a non-Filipino. I can say: This is a version of me, this is a version of my history, what I grew up with, and you should try it. If you don't like it, that's OK. I have twenty other dishes for you to try…  Filipino food and its ability to succeed is also a window into our future — and we must discuss what divides us, to find what unites us. If we are to celebrate Filipino food, and be respected as a people, we must dig deep into what makes us, and examine the future we want to create.”

These are timely messages for us. There is a global surge on advancing the Filipino and the culture. For Filipino Albertans and Canadians, it is a crucial next step soon after the provincial and federal proclamations of Philippine Heritage Month. It is a call for unity, of collaboration and bayanihan spirit, and of collective, not just individual, pride.

As part of the Philippine Heritage Month celebrations, the Philippine Arts Council is presenting the screening of the much acclaimed documentary ULAM: Main Dish on June 19, 2019, 7 pm at the Myer Horowitz Theatre. A panel discussion will follow the screening. Tickets are $15 + s/c through Ticketfly, or at selected Filipino businesses. For more information, go to philippineartscouncil.com. 

This is a not-to-be missed opportunity in showcasing the Filipino culture and at the same time reflecting on who we are. The film has been featured in the international film festival circuits since its premiere and has even screened in the same theatre as the Oscar winning film “Roma”. It is the film that propelled the late Jonathan Gold, food and music critic, to convince the LA Times to book the whole LA Grand Central Market to do Filipino food pop-ups, for the LA Times Food Bowl. Jonathan Gold was a strong and early supporter of the film ULAM: Main Dish.

To quote a review on ULAM: Main Dish in the Vancouver Asian Film Festival 2018, “In the end, Ulam is a noteworthy film, mainly for shining a spotlight on a community and food that for so long has flown under the radar. According to an interview with the director, Cuerdo has been getting inquiries from teachers wanting to use the film to teach since there has been so little representation of Filipino-Americans in the media.[1] This film will certainly provide a crash course on Filipino food for the uninitiated, fill the Filipino-Canadian community with a sense of pride at what their fellow Filipinos have accomplished and hopefully encourage more visits to local Filipino restaurants.”


* This article was published in the May 2019 issue of the Alberta Filipino Journal.

The Fiesta in Philippine Culture

Edmonton Filipino Fiesta

Fiesta is a Spanish and Latin word for a festive celebration of a religious holiday. In modern times, it connotes a feast, a holiday or a carnival. The Philippine culture is marked with various fiestas, both pagan and Christian in origin. These fiestas may commemorate a moment in history, the feast of a patron saint, or celebrate a bountiful harvest. The fiestas are so spread out in time and geography that it is virtually impossible to participate or witness them all. In fact, the Manila Broadcasting Company has organized the Aliwan Fiesta, an annual event that gathers the different cultural festivals, as a one-stop showcase not only to the people in Metro Manila, but as an attraction to those abroad.

Before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, the Filipinos were already engaged in mystical beliefs, worshipping and appeasing gods believed to control their family, livelihood, prosperity, health and their safety.

Fiesta in Toronto

The Spanish colonizers, especially the friars, used the fiesta in converting the pagan Filipinos into Christianity. The processions, festivities, music and pomp, would lure the “natives” from the remote fields, into the “plaza” or centre of the town. Instead of outlawing the pagan celebrations, the dances and rituals were altered as offerings to the saints.

In these modern times, the fiestas may be used to promote economic, political or tourism objectives. But with every Filipino, it is a social time, a time for fellowship, and a holiday. Although most fiestas originated as religious events, it has become secondary to the general spirit of celebration.

Fiesta in Sacramento

Components of Filipino fiestas are banderitas (small flags), endless or continuous eating, processions, parades, dances, entertainment programs, religious or cultural rituals, trade fairs, pageants, games and contests and holy mass. Filipinos are known for their hospitality and there is no better avenue to showcase this than during a fiesta. One can be in a fiesta and partake in meals in several houses in one street!

Much like the fiestas organized by the early Spanish missionaries who were homesick, and flavored the festivities with practices back home, anywhere in the globe where there is a strong Filipino community, some form of fiesta has been celebrated. Go through any social media newsfeed and you will find Filipino fiestas held in North America, United Arab Emirates, Australia, and Europe. In Edmonton alone, there have been several events on patron saint’s feast days and regional festivals. Because as diverse as the Filipinos are in geography and ethnolinguistics, it is the fiesta that unifies us all. With its atmosphere of revelry and pageantry, the fiesta embodies what we crave for and aim to sustain - the invitation to connect, celebrate, and affirm the Filipino life and culture.

Fiesta in Honolulu

To quote Florentino H. Hornedo in his book Culture and Community in the Philippine Fiesta and Other Celebrations, the fiesta is rooted in the communitarian and expressive instincts of human nature, is a durable venue for Filipino culture and expressions, and is a symbol of Filipino sense of community as they struggle against modernization, involving individuals in their community. It serves as a cultural anchor, whereby the fiesta recreates for the Filipino a sense of being home, renewing his identity, and sense of belonging to a home and familial village.

Fiesta in Australia

History has shown how the fiestas serve as a tool for varying purposes. The Filipino fiesta in today’s context, especially abroad, is whatever we, as a Filipino, make of it. We shape it based on how we view our Filipino-ness and how we want it to be perceived and celebrated in the society or community we live in. It is a reflection of who we are in that point of time and location. It an event by the Filipino community, for the Filipino community and secondary to the other people in whatever foreign place the Filipino may be.

Edmonton will be having its own Edmonton Filipino Fiesta on June 9-11, 2017 at the Sir Winston Churchill Square. For more information, go to edmontonfilipinofiesta.com or philippineartscouncil.com/edmfilfiesta.


This article was published in the May 2017 issue of the Alberta Filipino Journal.

Aliwan Fiesta: the Mother of all Fiestas

Philippine culture is rich in rituals and celebrations of all kinds. And with the varied cultural influences, we are rife with fiestas that are both of pagan and Christian origins, observed all throughout the year. Each fiesta distinct from others, i.e. the rhythm of the Ati-Atihan, the colours of the Panagbenga, the masks of the Moriones, the creativity of the Pahiyas, among others. They are diverse and so spread out in time and geography that it will take years to be able to witness a majority of them.

The Manila Broadcasting Company conceived of a brilliant idea of an annual event gathering the different cultural festivals in the Philippines at the Star Complex in Pasay City. This event is the Aliwan Fiesta, dubbed as the Mother of all Fiestas. Started in 2003, its objectives are two-pronged: to showcase the country’s cultural richness and diversity, and promoting economy and tourism for the respective regions. Initially held as a Christmas extravaganza, it has then evolved as a summer celebration, in the months of April or May.

The Aliwan Fiesta brings together about 5,000 dancers, musicians and artisans who compete for prizes totaling to 3 million pesos. The regional contingents perform in a 4 kilometer stretch along Roxas Boulevard, marked by street dancing and gigantic floats. The participating floats are required to utilize only local textiles, produce, and other products representative of their region. Thousands of people brave the heat and line up the streets to witness this 7 hour spectacle. Major categories for the event are: PasaKalye, the Inter School Dance Competition; Reyna ng Aliwan, the Beauty Pageant for Festival Queens; the Float competition and the Street dancing competition.

Scheduled in 2013 for April 11-13, the 19 featured contingents are: Ang Tipulo festival of
Antipolo; Pamulinawen festival of Laoag, Ilocos Norte; Panagbenga festival of Baguio; Bangus festival of Dagupan, Pangasinan; Mango festival of Zambales; Pandang Gitab festival of Oriental Mindoro; Mahaguyog festival for Batangas’ Ala-eh; Fiesta de Toros of Nasugbu; Unod festival of Castilla, Sorsogon; Lumad Basakanon for the Sinulog of Cebu; Tribu Panayanon for Iloilo Dinagyang; Salakayan of Miag-ao for Iloilo’s Kasadyaan; Kabankalan’s Sinulog for Negros Occidental; Pasaka festival of Tanauan, Leyte; Tuna festival of General Santos; Padang-Padang festival of Parang, Maguindanao; Sagayan festival of Buluan, Maguindanao; Zamboanga Hermosa festival; and Kalivungan festival of Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Previous years’ winners have been: the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City (also the first to be inducted into the Aliwan Hall of Fame); the Sinulog Festival of Cebu; the Sinulog sa Carmen, and Lumad Basakanon, also from Cebu; and Halad Festival of Midsayap, Cotabato.


Other activities, aside from the major categories for the competition, include design and photo exhibits, and a shopping bazaar. These are booths showcasing indigenous handicrafts, garments, jewelries, accessories, delicacies and agricultural products - giving the public a flavor of each participating region. In a single location, one can find: the dreamweavers’ creations from the T’nalak festival in Koronadal, South Cotabato; the Ilokano damili pottery; the Pampanga lanterns; and Marikina footwear, among others.

Few countries can boast of a culture as diverse and as numerous as the Philippines, reflected in the music, the movements, the rituals, the beliefs, and the industry. And the fiestas provide a creative and economic outlet for its peoples.


So if visiting or going back to the Philippines is in your near future bucket list, consider timing your visit around the dates of the Aliwan Fiesta. You not only are treated to a visual cultural spectacle, but you get to witness a gathering and celebration of what the 7,107 islands of the Philippines can offer.

* This article was written for and published in the April 2013 issue of the Pinoy Times.

Lifting the People’s Spirits through the Arts – Bacolod’s Masskara Festival

October marks the celebration of the Masskara Festival, which occurs from October 1-20 and celebrates Bacolod’s charter day anniversary, which is on October 19. The festival name is a morpheme of the word “mass” for crowd and the Spanish word “cara” for face. “Maskara” is also the Filipino word for masks, providing then the double meaning of “many faces” for the festival. This name was conceived by Ely Santiago – a painter, cartoonist, cultural artist and then President of the Arts Association of Bacolod.

A smiling mask is the symbol of the fiesta to reflect the happy spirit despite difficult times, and the locals’ nature of being strong willed yet warm hearted. The city is also known as the City of Smiles, so it is just fitting to hold a festival of smiles. The Masskara Festival was envisioned in 1980 when the people were suffering from an economic downturn of the sugar industry, the city’s main revenue. They were also grieving for hundreds of relatives and friends who perished in 1979 when a ship sailing from Bacolod collided with a tanker. The city’s leaders thought that a festival was an optimal way of rallying the people and lifting them from dejection.

The festival since then has evolved into a 20-day celebration with food fairs, mask-making contests, brass band competitions, musical concerts, beauty and talent pageants, a windsurfing regatta, competitions (pig catching, pole climbing, drinking, eating), trade fairs and exhibits. The climax is a mardi gras parade where revelers don elaborate masks and costumes, and dance in the streets. Everyone in the community participates – the civic associations, businesses, schools and government organizations. It has become one of the popular attractions in Negros, drawing thousands of people within and outside the country.

The Masskara Festival has also been judged the most beautiful and colorful festival among various contingents from other countries - notably in the Chinggay Festival in Singapore in 1988, the Lunar Festival of Hong Kong in 2001, in the International Tourism Festival of Shanghai in 2004 and in the Midosuji Festival Parade of Osaka, Japan, emerging as champion in the foreign category and first runner up in the local category – the first award to be given to a foreign participant in the 10-year history of that Japanese festival.

What was borne from a difficult time has propelled into a force that brings the community together, draws people from within and outside of the country, turns the economy around as one of the tourist destinations, and lifts the spirits of the people. The Masskara Festival is not based on any historical, religious or cultural premise but is definitely a creative undertaking. It is a manifestation of the people’s sentiments, their ingenuity and passion. And most importantly, it is a shining example of how one instinctively turns to art for expression, for escape, for hope and for celebration.

* this article was written for the October maiden issue of Pinoy Living, published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Edmonton Heritage Festival 2011

Edmonton celebrated its 36th Heritage Festival from July 30-August 1 at the Hawrelak Park.  An annual showcase and celebration of Canada’s vibrant multicultural heritage, it boasted of 63 pavilions representing more than 75 cultures.  Inititated in 1974, then Minister of Culture Horst Schmidt declared the first Monday of August an annual holiday to recognise Alberta’s ethnic diversity.  A cultural feast for the senses, it showcased food, entertainment and arts and crafts displays.

Philippine Pavilion

Philippine arts and crafts on display, for sale

the Department of Tourism display with Phil. Pavilion Overall Chairman Wilf Ladores and choreographer/director Jojo Lucila

young boys performing the Maglalatik

dancers of the Karilagan Dance Society

The Heritage Days is one of my favorite festivals in the city.  As you go from one pavilion to another and watch the cultural presentations, you glean the commonalities countries have - traits shared either by geographic proximity or colonization.  It is heartwarming to see people dressed in their national attires, proud to show off their ancestry and earnest in sharing it with others.  And in the true spirit of intercultural collaboration, I saw the Pacific Island Dance Troupe, a Filipino group presenting Philippine folk dances and Hawaiian dances, performing at the Polynesian Pavilion.

The Philippine Pavilion on the otherhand, was overseen by the Council of Edmonton Filipino Associations (CEFA) with Wilf Ladores as Overall Chairman, Josie Pallard as Arts & Craft Chair, Elmina Cochingco as Entertainment Chair and Mandy Servito as Food Chair.  Also present was the Department of Tourism, San Francisco office.  I have observed that the Philippine cultural presentations were mostly done by the Karilagan Dance Society these past years.  They have successfully presented numbers that showed youthful enthusiasm and appeal.  One just only wishes that there were some presentations by other Filipino cultural organizations and performing groups  as well, for a more inclusive event and truly representative of the Edmonton Filipino community.  Kudos, however, to the organizers, participants and volunteers for all their dedication and hard work in the Heritage Festival every year. 

* this article was written for the Pinoy Times, published in the August 2011 issue