Current location:	KNL Computer Shop
Current mood:	awake
Current music:	Tatsulok - Bamboo
Entry tags:	food, hrim

Reflecting. Haha.
There is much potential in the Filipino cuisine to become one of the most coveted in the gastronomy market. Alongside what other cuisines, like Chinese and Italian, have to offer. It felt great to find out that our very own cooking is beginning to delight the foreign palates.

I have been told a thousand times that Filipino cuisine would never shake the international market, simply because our food would either be too less or too much for the outsiders – that the smell of our food is uninviting, our flavors are too extreme, and our food presentation is less than mediocre. But I learned from Ms. Amy Besa herself that there are, in fact, many ways to overcome these obstructions; Ms. Amy and her husband were able to revolutionize our cuisine to cater to the wants of the outsiders but still retain its being distinctly Filipino. This exemplifies the reality that we must not be afraid to innovate; we must not be afraid to risk. Risking does not only unlock a door to a certain level of greatness, it also opens other windows of opportunities that tell us the world offers a vast amount of chances to attain our dreams.

Filipinos are capable. We are capable of doing almost anything when we set our minds to it. We know how to dream and how to dream big. This must have been the result of all the adversities our people have been experiencing. We have the bests, from the singers with the most enchanting voices to the fiercest boxers, but we remain a small economy of little aptitude relative to our neighboring countries. The individual success of Filipinos is independent of its government, but if you look at it at another angle, every Filipino mirrors our country, whatever we do reflects our society and culture. And the government being the biggest and most influential entity must do its part. For our cuisine to become a true international market player, the government must show its support. Organized studies and trade assistance must be given to the food service industry.

Our community is one of the most diverse in the world for we have been subject to all sorts of occupation. This diversity is often looked at as a hindrance to development because cultures would clash and result to all kinds of conflict. But diversity can also be a tool of development. The Filipino cuisine is a very diverse cuisine as Ms. Amy mentioned. Our cuisine exudes all the richness of flavor, which can cater to a diverse set of palates.

Ms. Amy and her husband are only two of the millions of Filipinos that have left the Philippines. There are various reasons why Filipinos leave the country. Who knows, I might leave the country in the future as well. But another thing that has been restated to me during the lecture was the importance of looking back at our country and our people, and appreciating our diversity. That is probably the most important thing that has been imparted by Ms. Amy. True, there are greener pastures beyond the cluster of islands collectively called the Philippines; I could be more successful if I leave but even if I do seek for achievement in a foreign land – I would always think of coming back, I would always come back. Because the Philippines is where I belong, Filipinos are whom I could identify myself with. And my people are the people whom I would certainly like to share my accomplishments with. This is, after all, home sweet home.

Ms. Amy Besa was the most recent speaker of the College of Home Economics' Learning from the Masters lecture series and the owner of Cendrillon. Cendrillon is a high-end, pan-Asian restaurant located in New York City. (Kudos to Ms. Besa and her husband, Chef Romy!)

I wanna visit New York! xD