Northern Living: 2018 January-February

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January-February 2018 Volume 12 | Issue 05

NEW MANILA

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CONT ENTS 16 COVER STORY Carlos Celdran is the driving force behind the first Manila Biennale

12 SPACE Areté, Philippine Contemporary art’s newest playing field

Cover photo by Joseph Pascual

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018 04 FIXTURE

Art as a stimulus in community building

26 RECIPE Meat-free skewers for your outdoor barbecue

06 HEALTH

28 THE GET

A mother dissects the effects of digital media on parenthood

22 EATS A Vietnamese resto in Maginhawa is the owner’s love letter to Saigon

Walk like a Greek god in these sandals

EDITOR’S NOTE Rediscovery

In this issue, we feature Arete, the new art hub in Ateneo: “The two contrasting buildings of Arete...[are] a purposeful structural comparison to the two sides of the brain: one sequenced, rational and linear, and the other imaginative, and unconventional.” The same metaphor applies to Manila. While the city remains nonlinear and absurdly gridlocked, new business centers are attempting to map out a new mode of infrastructure. But that is the charm (and bane) of this place we call home. As we seek to impose

order, we find instead the city seeking ways to flourish despite the idiosyncrasies it’s steeped in. Carlos Celdran, who is mounting the first Manila Biennale, represents a different kind of new. In our profile on Celdran, the distinction between the Biennale and the various art fairs is drawn: “The city itself would be the show, and the art presented within its walls is meant to act as a catalyst in rediscovering what has been lost over the decades to the culture of commerce.”

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Northern Living is published by Hinge Inquirer Publications. 4F Media Resource Plaza, Mola corner Pasong Tirad Streets, Barangay La Paz, Makati City. Visit www.facebook.com/ nolisoli.ph now. Follow us on Instagram at @nolisoli.ph and Twitter at @nolisoliph. We’d love to hear from you. Email us at nolisoli@hinge.ph. For advertising, email sales@hinge.ph. This magazine was printed responsibly using recycled papers with biodegradable inks.

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CREATIVE INTENT Amid conflict and chaos, art lights a path toward peace and hope TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA ILLUSTRATION MARK MAGNAYE

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“Art has a unique way of inspiring people and giving them life, not just through how they look at and appreciate it, but also by their involvement in the process of creation,” says mural artist and environmental and peace advocate AG Saño. Back in 2013, Saño and a group of volunteers spent hours up on ladders painting dolphins, sea turtles, and other forms of marine life on the walls of the Aurora Boulevard tunnel. While the mural evoked optimism, in truth, it was a cry for help to stop dolphin killings. It all started with the heartbreaking documentary The Cove, which affected Saño so much he took it upon himself to raise awareness on marine life conservation through art. His initiative started with just him and a few other experienced artists drawing outlines on public walls. Then in a matter of days, more and more volunteers filled in the huge murals with colors. Prior to this, Saño had also been conducting workshops in conflict areas in Southern Philippines since 2010, when he was invited by Conservation International to take part in a series of environmental education activities. It was on the remote Turtle Island Group of Tawi-Tawi where he gave his very first basic art workshop to the locals, who in turn participated in painting a mural on the walls of a local elementary school. During the activity, one image remained in Saño’s mind and heart: “Kids in hijab were painting side by side with Christian soldiers who were there to defend and serve them.” Down there in the south, where conflict is already thought of as a permanent state, that magical moment made the artist realize the probability of peace. School buildings riddled with bullet and RPG holes and children continuously striving hard to maintain a semblance of normalcy in their daily lives were what greeted Saño on another one of his art missions, this time in Patikul, Sulu. One

elder even mentioned that the last time anybody had taught art in the community was after World War II, back in the ’40s. Art is known to have recreational benefits, but Saño also uses it to heal communities. “As far as mural art is concerned, the participants become part of the message that is conveyed on the wall art, making them part of the advocacy itself.” While arts and culture remain low priorities in national development, he says that Filipinos are generally open to different art forms. Many of those he has taught hadn’t held a brush before but were very much open to give it a try. As the French artist Henri Lamy, cofounder of the art center Taverne Gutenberg in Lyon, France, said, “You don’t have to be an artist to become creative.” In Poblacion, there is a studio that is home to five international artists yet is also open to the public. The Ruins, the current headquarters of the first residency program organized by Taverne Gutenberg, is a stone’s throw away from popular food places Bucky’s and Alamat, and colorful murals and canvases cover its walls. While resident artists experiment and churn out art every day, everyone is welcome to observe and even collaborate. The goal is for different people to connect within one space; even the floor of the studio wasn’t spared. To date, it has already been painted on by 30 kids who have dropped by. Apart from the studio’s international residency program, its artists are dedicated to opening its doors to anyone willing to give art a chance; they even hold art workshops for kids in Tondo, Manila. “You just understand that they need it more than anyone else,” Lamy says. “Throughout history, art has been proven to be a great force for changing society,” notes Saño. Art brings about something that reason and logic alone cannot reach: a sense of positivity and unity that gets strengthened with each brush stroke.

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MILLENNIAL MOTHERHOOD

Internet moms have made raising children in the digital era a trickier terrain TEXT SAMANTHA RAMOS-ZARRAGOZA ILLUSTRATION JOHN CHESLEIGH NOFIEL

technology has proven to be a tool that is also advantageous. In the realm of motherhood, however, the lines are not so clear. With the influx of information available at my fingertips, even my most obscure questions have answers online. Yet with this accessibility comes the pressure to do more and be more. Three years ago, after learning of my pregnancy, the joy I initially shared with my husband turned to worry. I have anxiety disorder and it fueled my need to prepare for my then impending motherhood. I scoured the web for foolproof solutions and conclusions from various sources. Vaccines, free play, baby-wearing,

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It’s human nature to complain, no matter one’s circumstances. I often catch myself mid-whine, but for the sake of my inner peace, I try as much as possible to bite my tongue first before I get started on my complaints. After all, as a 31-yearold woman living quite comfortably in a culturally advanced albeit still progressing city, I am part of the generation enjoying the benefits of what the women who came before me have fought hard for. Thanks to technology, issues that used to take years, if not decades, to be brought to light can now be exposed and discussed almost overnight. It’s an era I can say I am blessed to be part of. Despite its downsides,

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breastfeeding, co-sleeping, gadgets screen thinking that we’ve done something right time, healthy diets, tantrums, discipline, that must be shared to those who now fear gender fluidity—these were the keywords the same things we used to. that filled my Google searches. With every But often, whatever motherhood theory search that led me to medical literature and we hold true is backed by clinical research. social media posts, there was this underlying The different paths every mother takes are feeling that I was incapable of doing what simply variations headed to a common I was supposed to properly, and that what goal. That’s a pill we can have a hard time other people had posted online were the swallowing due to our psychological wiring. hard truths. Yet with every click of the The internet compels us to create various mouse, I’d find yet another set of studies personas: We’re able to show our best selves and opinions, and something that I had felt despite the problems we face, yet we are so strongly about just minutes before would also capable of spewing hate through our suddenly sound irrational. comments, completely forgetting the effects Worse, with the influx of opinions, it felt our words and actions have on others. We as if mothers were being demanded to take now have opinions on virtually everything— sides. Are you breast- or and working for a social bottle-feeding? Are you media organization has wearing your baby, or exposed me to the craziest are you reliant on your ones, even those including stroller and mechanical death threats—because I’ve since come soothing devices? Do technology has made to understand that you practice “no tears,” information we think to or are you for the Ferber be true more accessible. complexity is the very method? And the list We value the facts that nature of motherhood. goes on. Positive reviews support our core beliefs— on a particular practice then use them to step are matched with equally on others’. We may feel vehement backlash, with we’ve become smarter, the judgment meted out but especially with the behind the protection of anonymity. cloak of online anonymity, we’ve also lost I’ve since come to understand that our empathy. complexity is the very nature of motherhood. Motherhood isn’t immune to this, and it’s It’s such a completely new experience to something every mother has to remember. first-time mothers that we can’t live through As the worries of parenthood drive us to it by following to the letter other mothers’ learn more, we must choose our sources tips or published guides. Add to that the wisely, work what we’ve learned into our responsibility of raising a human being— own lifestyle, and see if the result answers not a robot that comes with a manual, not our children’s needs. As with everything, something we can just mold according to it helps to take things with a grain of salt, our liking. a generous serving of empathy, and the It’s that fear that drives us to learn more, acceptance that misinformation can happen and once our actions are validated by a even to the best of us. It’s the only way to healthy and happy baby, we are lulled into stay a sane parent in the digital age.

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BEAUT Y

oil rids your face of dirt, including stubborn waterproof makeup. You’ll also be saving yourself from using cotton pads because you can use your fingertips instead.

NAKED BEAUTY

The basics of committing to a zero-waste beauty routine TEXT BEA LLAGAS ILLUSTRATION GRACE DE LUNA

According to American Allure, women spend a whopping $300,000 on face products alone in their lifetime. That’s about P15 million— around the same cost as having your own house built inside an upscale village. Just think about that for a minute. I blame the beauty industry’s insidious methods of convincing consumers that we have all these skin problems we need to fix, and that one or two effective products are simply not enough. Luckily, we’re living in a time when people are inching their way towards a more sustainable lifestyle, their beauty and skincare routines included. The first step is always the hardest This is true especially if you’re fond of makeup and skincare products, but you can significantly simplify your vanity kit through the process of elimination. One of the first things you can ditch is makeup remover; use coconut oil instead. Aside from its moisturizing properties, coconut

Go au naturel As cliché as it sounds, going makeup-free is actually liberating. You’ll save time getting ready in the morning and you won’t have to worry about taking off your makeup at night because there’s nothing to remove. If giving up makeup sounds like torture, go the DIY route. Make your own bronzer using cocoa powder and your own eyeliner from kohl powder. YouTube has plenty of DIY tutorials to guide you. The rise of “naked” products Another huge aspect of zero-waste beauty is the packaging. According to The Guardian, “throwaway culture” has worsened the spread of packaging waste worldwide. And while much of it comes from food, the influx of household products and cosmetics that use plastic in their packaging also adds up. I first encountered these so-called “naked” products at Lush, a UK skincare brand that swears by their ethical buying policies. About 40 to 50 percent of the cost of a typical product goes to the packaging, but because their naked products are sold in the market packaging-free, more money is funneled into the use of quality ingredients. Going zero-waste could be the be-all and end-all of banishing plastic from our vanity, but truth be told, there are infinite ways to create a minimalist beauty routine (going cruelty-free is another option). We’re not telling you to turn your back on makeup, but the next time you go shopping, you might want to consider some of our pointers if you want to do better for the environment.

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SPACE

SLEEPING GIANT Ateneo’s Areté is a stronghold for the past, present, and future of modern and liberal arts TEXT BELLE O. MAPA PHOTOGRAPHY RG MEDESTOMAS

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A bizarre shape juts out of the Katipunan horizon: It’s a building called Areté, Ateneo de Manila University’s creative hub. Years ago, a massive eagle’s nest containing two eggs once sat in its place. It was a metaphorical outdoor installation meant to bless the grounds upon which a giant could step foot—an image of disciplines interweaving, much like branches to fill a home as well as ideas in incubation, ready to hatch into vibrancy. Today, a monolithic two-winged structure designed by architecture firm W.V. Coscolluela & Associates takes flight, safeguarding both the seeds of modern and contemporary art and future ideas. On one end is the Innovation Wing, straightedged and crowned in glass and concrete to let in natural light. Here is where creation happens, inside classrooms, studios, and “Sandboxes” or activity hubs for various disciplines of the arts. On the other is the Arts Wing, a metallic yet fluid construction—“curvilinear,” as put by Ateneo’s president Fr. Jett Villarin, S.J.—that will house the art museum. The two contrasting buildings of Areté are connected by a bridgeway, and it’s a purposeful structural comparison to the two sides of a brain: one sequenced, rational, and linear, and the other imaginative and unconventional. Both exist in balance, neither one functioning without the other. State of contemporary arts “There is great interest in the field of the humanities now, not only in the visual arts but also in other genres,” says Boots Herrera, director of the Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG), which is due to transition fully into the structure in May. “On the part of the Ateneo Art Gallery, our new home in Areté will allow

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us more flexibility to expand our programs to include a wider community of artists.” Containing over a thousand art pieces, the AAG has more than enough material to circulate throughout the year for visitors to see. At the ground floor of its new space, three galleries will host both permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. The third floor galleries will explore thematic and more historical exhibitions, aside from housing programs to further discourse on contemporary art. At his bequest, national historian Ambeth Ocampo has donated select 19th century to early 20th century artworks from his personal collection as a means to contextualize the history of Philippine modern art. While already a museum in essence, AAG elects to retain its name and brand. “Our name perhaps reflects its history, as the AAG was [initially] housed in relatively small spaces and its founders did not anticipate it growing to what it is today,” Herrera explains. “Also, the use of the term ‘gallery’ follows the original concept of galleria, which refers to a fine art collection, as opposed to a gabinetti, which is a collection of curiosities.” The other side of the coin Finally, we are given a tour of the nearfinished Innovation Wing. Upon the main stairwell, verbs guide each footfall, with words on plaques drilled into each step. Quite playfully, the word “start” is embedded into the first stair. We follow the remaining words up until the last level, but the final plate is still to be placed. In a common area furnished with painted chairs and upcycled tables by Resurrection Furniture, another metaphor for cerebral hemispheres surfaces. Two semi-circle communal tables sit on either side, one colorful and the other near-bare. Here is where students may lounge between classes or brainstorm on new artistic pursuits.

The ark-like architecture of Areté was conceptualized by WV Coscolluela & Associates.

An empty and undivided third floor is set to be the hyped Sandbox, what could be Areté’s iconic feature that would set it apart from other creative hubs in the country. It is pegged to house the latest tech and equipment for various facets of art, from 3D printer laboratories to experimental classrooms, whatever they may be. We catch a glimpse of the classrooms. In one hallway, parallel to each other are a music room with a view of the Marikina valley, and a dance studio with wooden floors. Trapezoidal common tables are pushed against the wall in another room, but in full function, they may be connected to each other in whatever geometrical shape students and teachers see fit for their lessons. Downstairs, at the Le Cordon Bleu Institute, sleek kitchen fixtures and massive ovens await students of restaurant entrepreneurship. It’s an exciting time to be an undergraduate up on the hill, and for those already out of school, it’s not a bad time to come back—at least to enjoy the art.

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Areté houses venues for all forms of creativity. There’s the Ateneo Art Gallery (top), a fully-furnished kitchen that will house Le Cordon Bleu classes (middle-right), and student lounge and painting rooms on the upper floors.

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COV ER STORY

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MAN OF THE MURAL For Carlos Celdran, founder of Manila Biennale, the walled city of Intramuros is both his muse and medium TEXT AUDREY CARPIO PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH PASCUAL

Carlos Celdran would get three types of reactions whenever he’d make a pitch for the first ever Manila Biennale: anxiety (“What are you getting yourself into?”), skepticism (“You’ll never be able to pull it off”), and cluelessness (“Uh, what’s a biennale?”). But fortunately for him, the most important group of people he had to convince, the Intramuros Administration, was very open to the idea, as it was imperative that the Biennale be held at Intramuros. “A biennale is when a city invites the world to come and experience art on its own terms—not to buy, not to wander, but really see how the city interacts with the art that we create,” Celdran explains. “There’s a difference in seeing a painting in a white box and seeing a painting next to the Manila Cathedral.” The not-for-profit Biennale is meant to complement, and not compete, with the numerous art fairs and festivals taking place in the first few months of 2018. The crucial difference with the Biennale is that the city itself would be the show, and the art presented within its walls is meant to act as a catalyst in rediscovering what has been lost over the decades to the culture of commerce.

If you’re familiar with Celdran’s work, whether in the form of his walking tour, his one-man play, the Manila Transitio, or Damaso, you’ll notice that the city has always played a central part in his art/activism. The Manila Biennale, as envisaged by Celdran, is the expansion of this leitmotif. For one whole month, Intramuros will come alive to thousands of visitors who will hopefully see the place the way he does: as a source of inspiration, as a real, living place and not just a tourist spot for balikbayans, and as the heart and soul of a city that has since retreated into its newer, more modern walls. “Had Intramuros not been bombed in 1945, we’d be a very different city [populated with] different kinds of people; even our art would be different,” Celdran says. The trauma that was the complete obliteration of a oncebeautiful, cultured, and progressive city had led to a rebuilding that was born out of fear and greed. Bigger and bigger walls came up, creating the culture of the compound, then the controlled environments of Forbes Park, then the air-conditioned malls. “All of a sudden, it became a polarized city. Everything else in between became the extramuros.”

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He muses that there’s more art on the walls of houses in Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village than there are inside local museums. So he wants to bring art and culture back to the center, where it all began. Ringo Bunoan is in charge of curating the artists, who will be given $200 each to create work around the theme “Open City,” referring to a period during World War II when Manila was declared an open city. The theme is also about looking to the present and the future, where artists and visitors open up the city and transform it into a space that flows. The participating local and international artists, some of whom will be housed at Victoria Court, the official artists’ residence, are encouraged to immerse themselves in Intramuros. “I hate the word ‘site-specific,’ but aura, context, and environment are what’s really most important when you’re talking about art,” Celdran says. “If not, you’re just looking at a cadaver that’s hanging on the wall. The [creative] process has stopped.” The Biennale will also hold panel discussions on topics relevant to the art scene today, such as sexual harassment and the role of the gallery in the age of social media. Artists will be given a forum to speak honestly about the issues that affect them without having to perform “like a dancing monkey” in front of collectors, as Celdran, despite having to wear many hats as a producer of the Biennale, is primarily an artist and has only the artists’ interests in mind. That said, it also doesn’t hurt to teach artists how to fend for themselves, such as getting their own TIN. By participating in the Biennale, the artists will get to show the world that they do what they do for themselves.

By producing the Manila Biennale, Celdran hopes to draw people from malls and reacquaint them with other public spaces in the city. The goal is to bring audiences to Intramuros, not as tourists, but as locals who are well informed about their own culture.

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“I hate the word ‘site-specific,’ but aura, context, and environment are really what’s most important when you’re talking about art.”

STYLING MELVIN MOJICA GROOMING JANICA BALASOLLA

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Having grown up within the gated community of Dasmariñas Village himself, Celdran made the metaphysical and physical journey to become Old Manila’s loudest advocate. He was 14 years old when he started drawing political cartoons (admittedly ripped off from Doonesbury), which legendary cartoonist Nonoy Marcelo took an interest in. Every week, in order to drop off his drawings at the Business World offices, Celdran had to take a bus and the LRT from his posh village to the Port Area, yet it was an incredible journey he looked forward to every week, after realizing that the world out there was much more exciting than what he had found in his cloistered village life. After taking up fine arts at the University of the Philippines, doing an internship under Santiago Bose and BenCab in Baguio, and

finishing art school at the Rhode Island School of Design, he returned to Manila and spent the next 15 years living and breathing Intramuros. It was both his muse and his medium, and it was also a place where he has slept in, woken up in, vomited in, gotten arrested in. But Celdran insists the Biennale is not about him; he’s just producing it. And he also happens to know where all the taverns are, where you can find a particular mango tree next to a pile of rubble as well as every single bell, bell tower, wall, and tile. “If I get you curious enough to leave your comfort zone, go downtown to see that sculpture, and hate it on site, I already won.” The Manila Biennale: Open City 2018 opens on Feb. 3 and will run until March 5.

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EATS Both Saigon Pho’s bún bò and pho bo use broth cooked for 10 hours. The bún bò has spherical rice noodles, while pho has flat ones.

SOUP UP

Get to know Saigon through this Vietnamese joint in Maginhawa TEXT OLIVER EMOCLING PHOTOGRAPHY NICOLLO SANTOS

Since restaurants first appeared within the then quiet neighborhood of Maginhawa years ago, the now bustling food street has sustained its popularity. But for Vietnamese national The Vinh Hoang, it is still not comparable to the food-lined streets of Saigon. He recalls how Saigon locals would stop by a shop to grab a banh mi and eat it on their bicycles, or how they would enjoy bottles of beer every night after work. Every restaurant there is focused on specific food, he explains. That experience is what he is trying to bring to Maginhawa through Saigon Pho, a nondescript restaurant offering authentic Vietnamese cuisine that Hoang grew up with. As its name suggests, Saigon Pho still

highlights the popular Vietnamese noodle dish, cooked Saigon-style. When their pho bo arrives on your table, it’s presented without any fuss: an assemblage of herbs, some slices of beef, and bean sprouts sitting atop flat rice noodles. It looks almost too simple, but a spoonful of the hot, clear soup instantly reveals a rich savory flavor—the result of the beef being boiled for 10 hours. The soup also maintains fresh notes from various herbs. The dish is already flavorful, but you can still build on its taste with generous additions of hoisin, chili sauce, or lime. With pho already gaining traction among the local dining crowd within the past couple of years, this hole-in-the-wall also included in its menu a less popular noodle dish called bún bò.

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YOUR GUIDE TO MANILA’S NEIGHBORHOOD HOTSPOTS, COMMUNITY GATHERINGS, AND CULTURAL EVENTS

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EATS The primary difference between the two is the noodle’s shape: While pho uses flat rice noodles, bún bò features cylindrical ones swimming in reddish broth. When probed whether the noodle’s shape has a culinary implication, Hoang explains that it’s simply a matter of cultural preference. The bún bò has the same base soup and herbs as pho, but it’s slightly spicy. If you want to make it even more pungent, add an appropriate amount of their satay. Saigon Pho’s menu is relatively short. According to Hoang, he intended to keep the menu that way so it could really center on the food he had eaten back in his hometown. Aside from the noodle dishes, they also offer other Vietnamese fares like banh mi and goi cuôn or Vietnamese spring rolls. Their spring rolls come with two choices of dips: their original sauce—tangy and spicy with a fish

sauce flavor that is bolder and a bit sweeter than what Filipinos are used to—and the much sweeter peanut sauce that was created to cater to the Filipino palate. Hoang’s partner Joanna Gabiran explains how some diners associate their goi cuôn with lumpiang sariwa, which has a similar nutty sauce. A meal here can be capped off the Vietnamese way with ca phe sua da or Vietnamese coffee, though to cleanse your palate, you can opt for their green tea. Their green tea is infused with jasmine flowers, making it more aromatic and relaxing. Saigon Pho stays true to the refreshing taste of Vietnamese cuisine. Aside from its authenticity, it’s also Hoang’s love letter to his hometown. Opening it on the busy street of Maginhawa was like bringing home with him wherever he went.

Vietnamese coffee; Com tam with pork and egg

Saigon Pho. 2F 108 Maginhawa St., Teacher’s Village, Quezon City. 848-3355. Facebook.com/saigonphoph/

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MKTG

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RECIPE

ASIAN BITE

Give grilled tofu a kick with a spice-heavy marinade

SHOT ON LOCATION SEVENTEEN O' NINE

RECIPE GRAI ALVARÂ PHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK SEGOVIA

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RECIPE

THAI TOFU SKEWERS INGREDIENTS

1 pack of 250 g. firm tofu, sliced in cubes 1 tbsp. fresh turmeric 1/4 cup ginger Bell pepper 3 cloves garlic 8 pcs. kaffir lime leaves 1/4 cup curry leaves 1 tbsp. red Thai curry paste 1/2 cup olive oil 2 pcs. red chili Bamboo skewers PROCEDURE

1. Blend all spices and oil in a blender. 2. Toss cubed tofu in a bowl with the spices mix. 3. Marinate tofu for 30 minutes to an hour. 4. Skewer tofu with bamboo sticks then pan grill over medium heat until the sides turn golden brown.

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T HE GET

GREEK GLIDERS

Saunter in traditionally made leather sandals from the Balkans TEXT ALYOSHA J. ROBILLOS PHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK SEGOVIA

Greece is synonymous to many things beloved by both tourists and locals: sun-bleached ruins, Greek yogurt and succulent souvlaki, seemingly endless coastlines that run the length of the Aegean Sea, and of course, sandals made in traditional Greek fashion. Greek mythology even speaks of a talented sandal-maker sought out by gods and goddesses who desired fancy footwear made of premium calfskin and precious metals. The craftsman, said to have resided in the island of Crete, enchanted each pair he made with magic. Although sans sorcery and spells, the same Greek craftsmanship is now available locally through a brand that specializes in leather slip-ons and sandals. Aptly called

Hellas, which is what the Greeks call their country in their native tongue, the label’s designs are as simple and straightforward as its name. Hellas shoes come in basic, easily mixed and matched neutrals—white, nude, tan, and black—and are 95 percent handmade, using traditional sandal-making techniques passed from one generation to the next. A unique blend of leather shavings and compressed latex keeps soles ultralight, while the wider widths are able to accommodate feet of all shapes and sizes. True to its promise of carefully crafting sandals “from the finest leather pieces of the Greek islands,” Hellas uses only calf leather to assure durability, comfort, and luxury inspired by myth and magic.

CommonThread. Power Plant Mall and Greenbelt 5, Makati City. Facebook.com/CommonThreadPH. Instagram.com/CommonThreadPH

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