LIST
OF ACTIVITIES, 2014
1. BINONDO PRE-CHINESE NEW YEAR WOK TOUR
(January 25, 2014)
Organized
by Pia Lim-Castillo with Old Manila Walks’ co-owner and CHOP member Ivan Man
Dy. The large group of 36 (18 of whom were CHOP members) nibbled its way
through Binondo, tasting dishes that have made their way to the Philippines
through the Chinese migrants (Tsinoys), and learned about the transformation
that these dishes have undergone through the years. Ivan, who tailored the tour
specifically to CHOP’s purposes, personally guided the group through several
food establishments where the group had a taste of the restaurants’
specialties. The tour was a resounding success; a good number of the non-CHOP
members who were in the tour subsequently joined CHOP.
2. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING (February 8,
2014)
CHOP
welcomed 23 new members, which brought the total membership number to 63. The
membership reaffirmed the two-year terms of office of the current Officers and
Board of Trustees, which will end on March 30, 2015. (The next Annual Membership
Meeting will be called before that date to elect the new set of Officers.) The
following administrative matters were presented to, and approved by, the
membership: (a) the President’s Report
and Treasurer’s Report covering the previous year; (b) the proposed amendments
to the By-Laws; (c) the appointment of Atty. Mendy Mendiola as Corporate
Secretary; and (d) the election as honorary members of Atty. Mendiola and Mr.
John Leyson (the graphics artist who designed the CHOP logo), in appreciation
of valuable free services rendered to CHOP. Vice-President Pia Lim-Castillo
presented a review of CHOP’s activities in 2013, and a proposed schedule of activities
for 2014. Several ideas for CHOP’s advocacy work were discussed – community
kitchens and helping promote Philippine artisanal product makers. We achieved
our SEC-certified non-profit status in January 2014.
3. CHOP TV INTERVIEW WITH LISA MACUJA
(February 10, 2014)
CHOP
was featured in one of the episodes of Lisa Macuja’s Art 2 Art Heritage Series, which was aired on both radio (DZRH/RHTV)
and cable TV. Lisa interviewed Regina Newport, Pia Lim-Castillo, and Alvin
Reyes-Lim, and her questions focused on CHOP’s objectives and activities in the
area of Philippine culinary heritage. The interview, which was taped on
February 10, was aired in March.
4. COASTAL CAVITE FOOD TRIP (March 1, 2014)
Organized
by CHOP Vice-President Pia Lim-Castillo with food writer and graphic artist Ige
Ramos (a CHOP member, and a true-blue Caviteño), with the generous cooperation
of the Cavite Tourism Office. Ige led the group on an exploration of the
gastronomic complexity of Cavite, which has become a popular culinary
destination. Members of the tour group not only tasted delicious morsels of
great coastal food and made several stops at the most popular and authentic
Caviteño restaurants and eating places—they also learned quite a bit about
Cavite’s history and the background of its cuisine. Another food tour to other
parts of Cavite is planned for 2015.
5. REUNION OF THE ORGANIZERS OF THE 2013
YOLANDA FUNDRAISER (April 3, 2014)
The
core organizers of the very successful November 20, 2013 Fundraising Dinner for
Yolanda victims, in which CHOP partnered with Amy Besa (of Ang Sariling Atin
Culinary Heritage Foundation) and several volunteer chefs, got together for a
mini-reunion dinner hosted by CHOP member Gracita Tolentino Sieber at the Swiss
Residence. The evening was filled with a joyful reminiscing of the big success
of the event, which raised raised P330,117 from 69 generous donors. All the
food, drinks, work and service for the fundraiser were donated, and every cent
raised went to the Yolanda relief efforts of Aid Line Philippine Swiss (ALPS),
which provides humanitarian assistance to Filipino communities in times of
crises. CHOP thanks Amy Besa for spearheading the series of “Tulong-Tulong” fundraising
dinners to benefit our Kababayans in the south, which gave CHOP the opportunity
to do its share.
6. BULACAN FOOD TRIP (April 9, 2014)
Organized
by CHOP President Regina Newport with native Bulakenya and CHOP member Rheeza
Hernandez, who made the arrangements with the Bulacan Tourism Office. The group
visited three ancestral homes in the towns of Bulacan and Malolos (the Enriquez
Ancestral House, the home of the late Food Historian Milagros Enriquez; the
Bautista Mansion, the home of Don Antonio Bautista; and the Alberta
Uitangcoy-Santos Ancestral House. The group learned about the historical
background of many native Bulacan dishes, watched cooking demonstrations, and
tasted many of these dishes, such as Hamon Bulakenya, Bowling Bread, Kalumata
Tea, Suwam na Mais, Kinilaw na Bangus at Kesong Puti, Brnghe, Lumpiang Kastila,
Pescado a la Reyna, Baboy na Luto sa Toyo, Leche Flan de Manga, Melon Tagalog,
Empanada de Kaliskis, Corbata or Biscocho de Sebo, Pinaso, and Gorgoria. There
was also a demonstration of the delicate art of making pastillas wrappers,
which is found only in Bulacan.
7. COCONUT
OIL LECTURE (August 16, 2014)
Spearheaded
by Pia Lim-Castillo, assisted by Regina Newport and Alvin Lim-Reyes, and with
the able and enthusiastic support from
several CHOP members. Our
two distinguished and renowned scientists/experts in their fields, Dr. Fabian
(Toby) M. Dayrit and Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell, took us on an enlightening
journey through the facts and falsehoods of fats in food and the scientific
validation of the health benefits of coconut oil and the coconut as a whole,
the perfect health nut. They effectively debunked the myth that the fats in
coconut are bad for your health; on the contrary, scientific studies have shown
that coconut oil is cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, and heart-healthy.
It was
unfortunate that we didn't have enough time for a much longer Q&A forum,
but perhaps we could do another seminar in the future. The talks were followed
by Pia's demonstration/short course on preparing and cooking three
coconut-based dishes, which everyone enjoyed tasting (many thanks to Gretchen
for helping in the demo). Thanks also to Serye Restaurant (c/o Alvin) for
pre-cooking the delicious dishes so we had enough servings for everyone. More
than 50 were in attendance, so all in all, it was a very successful and
enjoyable afternoon.
8. FILIPINO FOOD ANTHROPOLOGY LECTURE &
SUNSET DINNER (November 9, 2014)
Organized
by Pia Lim-Castillo in close collaboration with renowned Chef Jesse Sincioco, featured
a lecture on Filipino food anthropology by Dr. Fernando Zialcita, a doctor of
anthropology at the Ateneo de Manila University, with a focus on the
“invisibility” of our culinary heritage, even to us. The lecture was followed
by a plated Filipino dinner (a delicious degustation) accompanied by a commentary
by Chef Jessie, who is well known for her excellent food presentation. The
event was held at Chef Jessie’s 100 Revolving Restaurant at the MDC Building in
Eastwood City, which offers diners a rotating 360-degree view of Quezon City
and beyond from the building’s 33rd floor.
Regina Newport, December 2014
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