By now, most of you must have read or heard about the blog post that irritated, angered, and piqued the curiosity of many Filipinos. The title itself, ‘I Would Rather Go Hungry than Eat Filipino Street Food Again,’ is somewhat abrasive. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as harsh if the blogger said ‘Filipino (Street) Food is Not for Me.’
The blog that sparked a thousand comments
One thing I can say about many Filipinos is that they often take things personally and they sometimes overreact. Take for example what happened to Claire Danes, the actress who played Juliet along with Leonardo diCaprio’s Romeo. She visited Manila back in 1999 and said the city “smelled of cockroaches,” the people have no arms, no legs, no eyes, no teeth, and that the city was “ghastly and weird.” As a result, her movies were banned in the Philippines and she could never visit the country again. Personally, I think that was too much of a punishment and that would make us appear to be too sensitive.
Out of curiosity, I visited the blog that attracted a lot of hate comments and other types of feedback. After reading the post, here’s what I have to say:
Eating camaron rebosado, buttered shrimp, and other seafood at the dampa (small wet market).
1. The blogger made no effort to befriend or even consult a local. She kept on insisting that eating on the streets or in the food stalls is the best way to “experience local cuisine.” That is a general statement that can be true in some cases but then again when you travel and experience different cultures, you’ll learn that people can have a different way of doing things.
As most commenters on the blog quickly pointed out, many Filipinos avoid eating in food stalls and would rather eat at home. This is because Filipinos love to eat with their family members and with people dear to them.
Our dear friends excited about trying lechon.
2. Not enough research was done to provide a more balanced post. You would think that any competent travel blogger would have networked with other bloggers and locals to at least get an idea of where they should go and what food they should try. So many Filipinos will confidently say that you can eat healthy and delicious food in the Philippines for less than $25 a day, which is their guiding principle for every trip.
You can get these for cheap in Palawan
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw a picture of the blogger holding a hotdog sandwich from 7-11. She complained that she was given an American style hotdog sandwich when she asked for longganisa. First of all, nobody in his right mind would look for authentic cuisine at 7-11. In her defence, she did say that she asked someone and that person pointed to 7-11. I am a Filipino and if you looked for longganisa and you’re in Ilocos, no one would point you to 7-11, unless you said sausage. With a few clicks, they could have learned that there are only two seasons in the Philippines and that not all fruits are available or aplenty all year round.
3. Something in her tone and the way she wrote the post tells me she’s trying to antagonize Filipinos and perhaps improve her blog traffic. I couldn’t agree more with Nathan Allen, the blogger that has captured the hearts of Filipinos. Thank you, Nathan, for sharing your two cents. You can read his post here.
This is a bilao (platter) with grilled milkfish (bangus), pork, shrimp, fish fillet, fresh lettuce, sliced tomatoes and green mangoes, and fermented rice.
Oh, and by the way, Agness, antagonizing Filipino readers to improve blog traffic is just not worth it. Filipinos are avid supporters of celebrities and people they like. This is why our past representatives to the Ms. Universe pageant won the Miss Photogenic award even if they weren’t even included in the finalists. So many Filipinos were willing to take the time to vote for them. You’ll have a lot more going for you if you have us as fans or friends.
4. If you want to earn a living by blogging or attracting an audience to your online site, it’s your responsibility to strive for fairness and balance. The blogger repeatedly said that it’s her personal opinion and that she’s entitled to her opinion. That’s true but not in all cases. I remember what we have discussed on our Ethics class at the College of Mass Communication (University of the Philippines). If you are a public figure or if you earn a living because of being one, you are accountable to your audience/readers because without them, you won’t survive.
At first I couldn’t understand why our professors made such a big deal out of getting all sides of the story or doing extensive research. But I guess this particular blog post helped me understand why. When you publish stories or pictures for the world to see, there’s a good chance that many people would believe what you say or take your word for it. The poor vendors she wrote about might not even know about it, and they won’t even have a chance to defend themselves, esp. since not all of them serve unhealthy or oily dishes.
We often talk about our right to freedom of expression but we forget that with that right comes the responsibility to be careful about what we say and to be fair to others.
The vendors that this blogger wrote about, the Filipinos working in the food(tourism) industry, and the Filipinos who stand to benefit from tourism and the positive image of the food industry in the country stand to lose if this blogger and other travel bloggers/authorities are not careful about how they present things.
Gigantic tuna being sold in a Palawan wet market.
In the spirit of fairness, I think that there are several lessons we Filipinos can take away from this:
1. If we want to be taken seriously by food tourists, we need to impose a stricter standard for food vendors on the streets. I’m sure many Filipinos would agree that we avoid eating in food stalls because we think that they’re dirty and the food they serve are sometimes unhealthy and not prepared well. The Department of Tourism or even the local government unit can issue a certificate proving that a food stall has been inspected and has passed the standards they’ve set. This way, more Filipinos and tourists will be encouraged to eat on the streets without fear of contracting hepatitis or some other diseases.
2. The media should feature food carts or food vendors that have unique offerings. The Department of Tourism can also hold a contest for the best street food vendor and reward the finalists accordingly. This way, we can encourage them to use their creativity and develop their skills further.
A type of seaweed that’s really popular in Palawan
When I went to Thailand, I was amazed at the variety of street food there. I could hardly believe that the hawkers there can cook elaborate noodle and rice dishes on the streets. I even saw a food card with fresh sushi rolls! I was happy just seeing the different colors, texture, and shapes of their offerings.
3. We can also have cooking shows/contests specializing in Filipino food. If Cristeta Pasia-Comerford, the first Asian Executive Chef of the White House and a Filipino is good enough for the President of the US, won’t she be good enough for the rest of us?
I know you also have a lot of great ideas and I would love to hear from you.
The Adventures of Sarah Sensei 