The 2021 Christmas Edition

INSIDE: MALIGAYANG PASKO!

N°.71 | VOLUME 13 CHRISTMAS EDITION 2021 WINTER QUARTERLY ISSUE ON THE COVER

Celebrating a Filipino Christmas — wherever you are

THE ASIAN JOURNAL’S QUARTERLY BRIEFING ON THE GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND PROGRESSION OF THE PHILIPPINES.

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There’s no place like home for the holidays.

Home has taken on a new meaning in the past two years. Working from home, quarantining and staying inside has become the new norm. For many, returning home to the Philippines has not been possible due to Coronavirus.

2021 has thrown countless challenges our way including the pandemic, economic hardships, and natural disasters, including Super Typhoon Odette. However, these difficulties have also highlighted the strength of the global Filipino community. The sense of pride we feel as Filipinos transcends borders, is felt acrosss the world and grows stronger during the holiday season.

Through traditions such as Noche Buena and Simbang Gabi, we are able to find our way back home — wherever we are.

As we come to the end of another year, we reflect on the past 12 months and look toward the hope that a new year can bring. We hope you enjoy this special winter edition containing stories highlighting our favorite Filipino Christmas traditions and ways to keep you and your family happy, healthy and safe this holiday season. May we also take this time to thank our Filipino first responders, caretakers and health care workers that have worked tirelessly to keep us safe all year long.

Maligayang Pasko!

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Dissecting The Classic Noche Buena Spread

BY RITCHEL MENDIOLA If the long list of Christmas trends and traditions was any indication, Filipinos love celebrating the yuletide season.

Be it decorating the house with lanterns and ornaments as early as the Ber months begin, going Christmas caroling, or completing Simbang Gabi, Filipinos are known to never run out of ways to signify the festivities. However, nothing marks the season more than preparing the Noche Buena spread.

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Noche Buena, which is Spaish for “night of goodness,” is an important Filipino custom that brings together two of Filipinos’ most beloved things: food and family.

After attending the last Mass of Simbang Gabi on Christmas Eve, Filipinos go back home to a large feast adorning the dining table.

The spread of various dishes is then shared with their extend-

ed families and invited friends as they welcome Christmas Day. And while every Noche Buena spread is different, there are still a couple of staple dishes that you’re likely to find in every Filipino household.

Here are some of them: * Christmas ham or hamon – this mainstay dish is not only found on dinner tables, but in

Christmas care packages gifted to friends and/or employees, as well. The hamon is usually marinated in pineapple juice, sugar, salt and spices, for that sweet and savory flavor all Filipinos crave.

Filipino lechons are also popular for their perfectly crispy skin, and flavorful tender meat. * Kakanin – sweet, sticky, and rice-based cakes like bibingka and puto bumbong are the crowd favorites especially after attending Simbang Gabi, but * Keso de bola – this ball of these also never leave the dinEdam cheese, which usually ing table during Noche Buena. has a red paraffin wax covering, is the perfect companion for * Lumpiang shanghai – this the beloved hamon. finger food is the Filipino version of spring rolls. Deep-fried * Lechon – no Filipino festiv- and stuffed with ground pork, ity is ever complete without green onions, carrots, and walechong baboy (roasted pig). ter chestnuts, this crunchy This popular delicacy is usually bite-sized dish is everyone’s stuffed with spices such as lem- favorite appetizer to eat before ongrass, garlic, onions, laurel, the main dish. ground black peppercorn, and salt, and then roasted on a large * Fruit salad – this one is the bamboo spit over an open fire. Filipinos’ choice dessert for

the holiday season. It’s very easy to make: just mix a drained canned fruit cocktail with cream and sweetened condensed milk in a large container, refrigerate it for a few hours, and you’re good to go.

The Noche Buena is the most-anticipated dinner gathering of the year, and with all these dishes served on the table, it’s easy to see why.

But more than that, the highlight of Noche Buena is being able to share the feast with your family, bonding over good food, stories, and love.

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Simbang Gabi: A Revered Filipino Christmas Tradition

BY MANNY ILAGAN

SIMBANG GABI, which literally means “evening or night Mass,” is a Filipino Christmas tradition. As a devotional practice in the tradition of the novena, it is a series of nine evening Masses usually celebrated during Advents from December 16-24, in preparation for Christmas Day. Simbang Gabi originatBalikbayan Magazine | Page 9

ed from the Missa Aurea (golden Mass or Angel’s Mass) practiced by the Roman Catholic Church.

The tradition was introduced by the Spanish friars at the start of the Catholic evangelization of the Philippines, specifically to allow farmers to hear mass before going to the fields in the morning.

Originally, Simbang Gabi masses were held in the early hours of the morning — around 4 a.m. or 5 a.m.

— when roosters crowed to announce the dawning of the new day, thus the name Misa de Gallo.

Today, it is still celebrated the same way in most places in the Philippines as the Roman Catholic churches across the nation

open their doors shortly before the break of dawn and church bells would ring to summon welcome the faithful to the Simbang Gabi mass.

In celebration of Simbang Gabi — which is a preparation for Christmas — most churches are decorated with colorful lights and beautiful parol lanterns to welcome the churchgoers. In addition, a Nativity Scene is displayed in preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. Shortly after the mass, traditional delicacies await the churchgoers, there are food stalls right outside the church, popular favorites are bibingka, puto (rice cakes), puto bumbong, suman sa pasko, suman sa ibos, and usually served with tea or coffee.

Hot pandesal (breakfast rolls) are also very popular.

Today, even in this digital age, the tradition of Simbang Gabi continues not only in the Philippines but also observed in many Filipino communities overseas.

and charity. Finally, for Filipinos living overseas — especially in the United States — observing Simbang Gabi helps maintain a connection with their roots in the Philippines.

Simbang Gabi is not just a tradition that is celebrated because we need to do so.

It is a way for us to worship and praise God. It is the spiritual preparation for Christmas, in commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Over the years, Filipino communities in the United States have made changes in the way that Simbang Gabi is celebrated with some parishes observing the tradition around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m instead of during the early morning in order to accommodate the needs of the members of the community.

For many, observing Simbang Gabi is a way of offering sacrifice and requesting blessings from the Lord, as they believe that if one completes nine dawn masses, their wishes will be granted.

But no matter the language, the place or the time this revered Filipino tradition is observed and celebrated, when you pray and attend the Simbang Gabi, you realize how truly universal, sigFurthermore, this reli- nificant and important the gious tradition encourages Christmas spirit is for every community development Christian. Simbang Gabi in and camaraderie among its very essence provides a parishioners through a very strong indication of the common effort of prayer, depth of faith among the Filcelebration, fellowship ipino people.

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Staying Safe For The Holidays: California’s Top Health Officer On Celebrating The Holidays Responsibly Amid COVID Surge

BY KLARIZE MEDENILLA It’s no doubt that the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebration is the most highly anticipated holiday season in recent history.

The coronavirus pandemic upended the last holiday season, which largely consisted of Zoom parties, limited in-person gatherings, and generally truncated celebrations governed by the safety protocols at the time. But amid the beginnings of a winter spike, Balikbayan Magazine | Page 13

those same individuals and families find themselves in similar positions.

COVID-19 cases are up globally and the delta and omicron variants continue to increase worry over the festive season.

The U.S. is experiencing a nationwide increase in cases, and states like California are acting quickly to avoid a replay of the last winter surge.

As the Asian Journal previ-

ously reported, California once again issued a travel advisory and a mask mandate to help mitigate the spread as families and friends flock to one another for holiday gatherings.

But Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services agency, stressed the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as well as a booster shot, which has proven to stifle the

severe effects of the virus.

“Getting a vaccine that’s safe and effective and free is pretty simple in the relative scheme of things to avoid the potential of getting significantly sick and potentially losing your livelihood: the livelihood that your family depends on,” Ghaly told ethnic media reporters on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

As of this week, 61 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered and 85% of Californians are fully vaccinated. Additionally, the state has administered 6 million booster shots, which translates to a little under a quarter of those who are fully vaccinated (26.3 million Californians, as of Friday, Dec. 17).

gret not being vaccinated in a timely way, but I have yet to meet anyone who regrets getting vaccinated. The sense of safety and security is real.”

Ghaly noted that the state is currently ramping up efforts to close the equity gap in vaccinations, placing more focus on encouraging communities of color and communities with limited English proficiency to get vaccinated and/ or get their boosters.

He said, “COVID has always been a global challenge. Getting more citizens around the world vaccinated is going to help us reduce the likelihood of a variant popping up again in the future.”

Individuals who are unvaccinated are 12 times more like“[Booster shots] boost up your ly to be hospitalized and 13 immunity,” Ghaly explained. times more likely to die from “The first two doses give quite Covid, Ghaly said, noting a bit protection, but then that that getting vaccinated is “an third dose is like a super dose. enormous insurance policy as It really jumpers up your level we move around our commuof immunity so when you get nities and with our families exposed to delta or omicron, during the holidays.” that booster will protect a little bit more around that vari- Ghaly also weighed in on the ant.” recently reissued mask mandate, which will largely affect Vaccine hesitancy continues counties that didn’t already to be a hindrance for Califor- have a mask requirement for nians, and Ghaly recognizes indoor public places. But it that. But he said that those will also help further protect who are slow to act may see those in counties like Los Anthe pitfalls of those decisions, geles, which reported 27 new saying, “I will tell you that deaths, 772 total hospitalizaI’ve met many people who re- tions, and 3,360 overall new

coronavirus cases (including 8 omicron cases) on Friday.

“We know that there’s going to be a lot of resistance and even some non-compliance with masking requirements and other guidelines, and I understand that people are tired and fed up and feel like it’s a personal choice,” Ghaly said.

He added, “But I will tell you that this is not just about one individual. This is about communities. This is about preserving the capacity of hospitals to support people. We know this is not going to be perfect, but we encourage those who heed the messages to pay attention to what we’re saying, and what we’re saying is this is a critical time.”

The state advises travelers to follow federal travel guidelines laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People who test positive or develop symptoms associated with the coronavirus are advised to isolate and practice the safety protocols: stay home except when receiving medical care, wear a mask at all times, and wash hands often.

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Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

‘It Is OK To Ask For Help. It Is Not A Weakness’: Addressing The Holiday Blues And Persevering The Second Christmas In The Age Of COVID

BY KLARIZE MEDENILLA LAST year, Charlene Fernandez had a Christmas she would rather just forget.

A fourth-year animal science student at Cal Poly Pomona, Fernandez, 23, spent Christmas Day alone in her dimly-lit studio apartment sat in front of her computer.

Zoom was open on the screen which featured a couple dozen family members on it. She was one of the only guests on the Zoom who lived alone; almost every other square on the screen had multiple people, individual families who had the fortune of living together during the pandemic.

“When you’re Filipino, Christmas is a big deal, and the bigger your family, the bigger the celebration,” Fernandez told the Asian Journal.

“Zoom parties can be a good alternative to meeting in person, but for me, it sucked, to put it bluntly.”

Aside from the obvious threat of the usual cold season ailments — and, of course, the onset of a new Covid variant — seasonal affective disorder and other types of depression is the top issue facing families and individuals this holiday season.

“Without support, mental health problems can quickly snowball and have a deep impact on our lives,”

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a press conference hosted by Ethnic Media Services on Monday, Nov. 22.

“But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Our county is committed to providing residents with the tools to get well and thrive,” she said.

Depression, anxiety, and mental health disorders exacerbate when social inequalities and isolation exist, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated all manner of stress on millions of families.

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of the hardest things to overcome.

“I never felt depression before the pandemic, but it hit me so hard, being so far away from my family,” said Fernandez, who added that her family lives in the Bay Area and that she had moved to LA County to attend school in 2018.

The big Zoom hangout with her family last year was bittersweet, she said: seeing her family made her smile, but the bounds and limitations of virtual “For one, there was a lot of crosstalk so it was hard to get a word in. Secondly, a lot of families that were together and sharing a Zoom square seemed to be enjoying their individual parties. They all made all this amazing food and I felt so sad I was just eating really lame leftovers,” she added, laughing.

But she didn’t realize until weeks later how hard the 2020 holiday season affected her.

“I started just feeling so down out of nowhere. I think I was just so burnt out from the monotony of life at that point that it was hard to concentrate,” she said. “I didn’t know how to define it because I just never thought I could really have depression, like real, crippling depression.”

And Fernandez isn’t alone in thinking that. In many communities, especially immigrant communities, depression and all manners of mental health are still stigmatized to the point where it’s just safer to not talk about it.

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of Mental Health, said during the press conference.

“We learn that what makes us strong is to be silent. We need to teach our children that the opposite is true, to stay connected and share,” he added.

Del Toro added that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for people who have lost loved ones to “grieve properly.”

“The ritual of being able to let go and say goodbye is interrupted and because we’re afraid of being so open and honest, there’s a tendency to hold onto this prolonged grief,” he said, adding that this accelerates self-destructive behaviors like selfharm, addiction, suicide attempts, violence, and other indirect ways of expressing “unresolved grief.”

Noting the economic downturn, job losses, and general financial frustrations that the pandemic brought on, Barger noted that these stresses and mental health issues, which can feel so individual, are wildly common.

But communities, like the Asian American community, may feel less inclined to merely recognize when any kind of psychiatric intervention is needed.

The American Psychological Association found that while 18% of the general American population has sought mental health services and help, only about 8.6% of Asian Americans have ever done so. As previously written about in the Asian Journal, reasons such as familial shame, lack of education in mental health, and practical barriers like linguistic inaccessibility often stop Asians from seeking psychiatric help.

“Mental health stress doesn’t dis-

criminate. Please know that you are not alone. The holiday blues can impact anyone of any age and background,” she said. “It is OK to ask for help. It is not a weakness, it is a sign of strength that you are putting your health first to be able to be there for your family.”

Two things really helped Fernandez better manage her depression: getting the courage to talk to her younger brother about how she’s feeling and meditation.

“My brother and I have a relationship where we don’t really talk about serious stuff, but I just called him and asked, ‘Hey, are you also kind of feeling not so good?’ And to my surprise, he said he was and we just started talking about how life just generally sucks and how we’re feeling about being so far from each other,” Fernandez said.

“We started talking on the phone more and sharing what we’re doing to feel better on the day-to-day and he shared with me that he tried meditation, so I decided to give it a go and it’s really helped me out,” she said, noting that she uses the Headspace application, which actually has collaborated with LA County to cater to residents of the vast and diverse county.

For those seeking mental health resources, LA County has an around-the-clock hotline, (800) 854-7771 that can help residents connect with mental health professionals.

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Pairing Filipino Dishes With Wine, According To Jhonel Faelnar, Award-Winning Sommelier

BY MOMAR G. VISAYA

Kinilaw with Chenin Blanc, Sparkling Wine with Sisig, Syrah with Lechon

For someone who had almost zero knowledge about wine almost a decade ago, Jhonel Faelnar has gone a long way. Today, he is the award-winning wine director at Atomix, a Korean tasting menu restaurant in New York City with two Michelin stars.

His impressive work at Atomix has earned him recognition as one of Wine Enthusiast’s “40 Under 40 Tastemakers” in 2020 and one of Wine & Spirits’ “Best New Sommeliers” in 2018. He was one of the youngest sommeliers named by Wine & Spirits as the Best New Sommelier of New York.

Atomix and Atoboy are from the husband and wife team of Chef Junghyun Park and Ellia Park.

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It was always their dream to kickstart a life and restaurants here in New York City.

Atoboy is more of a casual fine dining scene where the food was originally a take on the Korean banchan culture (small plates which are meant to be shared) but has now morphed into a mini tasting menu.

Atomix on the other hand has become a fine dining destination, an experience waiting to happen.

Currently, their tasting menu inspired by Korean traditions and technique offers nine courses plus two snacks. Reservations are definitely a must, that is if you can get them.

Last month, it became one of three New York City restaurants on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards for 2021, joining Cosme and Le Bernardin. There are only six restaurants in the United States which made it to this year’s list.

“So when you come here it’s really an experience from the space, the food, you know, there’s no choice when it comes to the food and so beverage comes into play quite a bit because that’s how your experience can differ from one dish to the next or from one table to the next depending on what you’re having for the night, whether it’s your beer, tea, cocktails or of course, the wine pairing of the wines that we have,” Faelnar shared.

“approachable as it is, hopefully, complex and something that can kind of attack the different points of interest for different groups” that are visiting Atoboy and Atomix.

“You have to want to do it,” he replied when asked what it took for him to be a sommelier.

For him, being a sommelier means not just being a hospitality professional but having to dive deep into the world of wine, in general.

“If you’re the kind of person who wants to learn more, who wants to put themselves in sometimes uncomfortable situations or you don’t know how to pronounce something, you don’t know how to describe something but you want to learn about it, you want to taste this ingrediHe acts as both sommelier and wine director, ent or taste a different dish, then this is for you,” curating the wine programs at both locations. he added.

His goal is to be able to offer a program that’s

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FILIPINO FOOD + WINE

There’s a misconception that Filipino dishes are not wine pairable, something that as a wine professional, Faelnar disagrees with. And to convince the naysayers, he says the easiest way probably to do it is to have that wine when eating a Filipino meal.

“It would be great if we’re having this discussion over Filipino food, because then you can just put a glass or something in front of them and be like, ‘Yeah, taste this,’ he said. “But it’s all trial and error, I think we just haven’t tried enough, and I think maybe we haven’t purposefully tried to pair both food with wine, in general. I mean, a lot of people are doing it I’m sure and a lot of them are successful, they’re just not necessarily maybe sharing it online or whatnot.”

“I think it’s all about experimenting and having fun. And if something doesn’t taste good. Just don’t drink it. You know, that’s the worst that could happen. But the best thing that could happen is you could discover something that’s like, amazing with the food that we have,” he explained.

Based on his experience matching Korean flavor profiles with wine, he was met early on with doubt and questions about whether Korean food pairs well with wine.

His success at Atoboy and Atomix speaks volumes and it has silenced critics so far.

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“That all came from, honestly, drinking wine at Atoboy, and knowing that it does work really well or drinking wine in K-Town with Korean BBQ. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be the most mind-blowing pairing,” he shared. “When you’re putting an ingredient on your palate with a piece of food, it’s going to change. And so what that brings about is just your neurons are firing, you’re tasting different things.”

On his own and in the company of friends while eating Filipino food, Faelnar has made mental notes about the combinations that worked for him.

“More acid-driven food like our version of crudo or kinilaw, that could be something that you can pair with a leaner wine like Chenin Blanc from Loire Valley; sparkling wine and or champagne with sisig, and I think that’s such an easy thing, a light red maybe even an earthy burgundy, maybe even a fancy burgundy, to go along with adobo, you know, those things are almost so easy that you almost don’t even have to think about it,” he said.

“Syrah with a bit of lechon, it’s almost like cracking a little bit of black pepper over your lechon. So that’s something that can be amazing, especially with laing as well, a little bit of white burgundy, a little bit of Chardonnay, something lean and crisp and has a lot of texture. I think it works well with the flavors of coconut and the taro leaf. It’s one of my favorite dishes, especially with a bit of spice I think that works so well,” Faelnar added.

SOMMELIER JOURNEY

A Management Engineering graduate, Faelnar moved to Japan for a year and a half and felt he wasn’t quite ready to return home to Manila. After less than a week in the homeland, he flew to New York.

Faelnar’s sommelier story began when he moved to the Big Apple in 2013. Back then, he was shifting careers and just wanted to explore what was out here in New York in terms of the food and wine scene.

At this point, he didn’t know anything about wine yet and that somehow excited him. Everywhere he looked in the city, whether he was just walking on the street or meeting people in restaurants, he felt the city’s wine culture. He immediately felt the challenge because there was so much to learn about it, everything from verbiage to the language to the different wine regions.

“It was almost an impossible task to learn all about them. So that was something that really piqued my interest,” he reminisced. “About a few months after I moved to New York, I started pursuing wine in earnest, and then fast forward, years of working as a sommelier, with my first job back in 2014.”

He enrolled in the International Culinary Center’s intensive sommelier program and after graduation in 2014, One Five Hospitality hired him to be a sommelier at The Fourth American Brasserie and Botequim in Union Square. Then he became a somm at The NoMad, which boasted one of the best beverage programs in the city.

It was around this time when he met Ellia Park a couple of years before she and her husband opened up Atoboy. He joined the team in 2018 to help open up Atomix.

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WINE PAIRING As wine director, Faelnar creates and designs wine Faelnar describes the Atomix wine list as “a nice pairings for chef Junghyun “JP” Park’s award-win- mix of classic and also some eclectic selections, ning tasting menu. an amalgamation of the different experiences” he encountered over the eight years he has spent in “I always look towards the food first, I feel like New York City so far. that’s our job as sommeliers is to make sure that we highlight the flavors of the food regardless of Since the food is seafood and vegetable-drivwhat cuisine, it is or what cuisine it is based out en, the wine list focuses on white wines, not just of, whether it’s French, Korean, Filipino,” Faelnar from big countries like France or Germany but said. “Wines are so fun to play around with, and a small selection of the wines from everywhere also to drink, obviously, especially when you’re and a strong selection of sparkling wines as well, with a group of people that you want to be with. because why not, as the somm says, “Everybody loves a good bubbly.”

For him, it’s all about creativity, listening to the food and the flavors, and listening to the chef. And every now and then they’ll source some rare What is the most important part of this dish that wines out there, ones with a bit of age that he the chef wants to highlight, and what can he do thinks carry well especially with fermented flavors with the beverage side of things to help achieve that they have in-house. that, whether it’s wine, beer, tea, or traditional Korean beverages sort of like soju.

The challenge now comes within, as in how do they keep their wine program dynamic and evFaelnar believes that the pairings give another di- er-evolving and not just resting on the laurels of mension to the experience of the diners. their success over the past few years.

“The dishes are amazing in and of themselves but I treat the beverage almost like as another ingredient, which can be very scary, because you know if the ingredient is wrong, then you can ruin a perfectly delicious course with the wrong wine. So that’s a very important thing for me to make sure that it adds to the experience rather than takes away,” he added.

“How do we incorporate new things into the menu that we haven’t had before beverage-wise, how do we push the cocktail program forward, how do we add more beers to the selections that we have? It’s not just about adding or subtracting but you know it has to be a purposeful thing that we introduce,” he said.

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