Southern Living: 2017 March

March 2017 Volume 11 | Issue 07

FIELD NOTES

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CONT ENTS 12 COVER STORY How photojournalist Hannah Reyes thrives in the Instagram age

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EATS

Rethinking Chinese food

Cover photo by Geric Cruz 08 SPACE History in the making

MARCH 2017 04 BEAUTY Why bacteria is good for you

26 RECIPE A celebration of local produce

06 FIXTURE Dissecting food labels

28 THE GET Royal leather

EDITOR’S NOTE Change course Joseph Pulitzer III once said, “We will illuminate dark places and, with a deep sense of responsibility, interpret these troubled times.”

Today, the credibility of journalists is under siege. Media itself becomes the news. Social media and the internet have democratized reportage, and anyone can share opinions disguised as facts. And people only believe those reports that are aligned with their beliefs.

It has become much easier for us to create own versions of the truth.

In fact, “post-truth” was Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year in 2016: “Objective facts have become less influential in shaping public

opinion than appeals to emotion.”

With that in mind, we explored the theme Transit, the act of passing through, in this issue. For our cover story, we sat down with documentary photographer Hannah Reyes to talk about the role of photography, especially during these trying times.

“There’s still much beauty that exists around us,” she says of landscapes she documented. “Just because I’ve documented social injustice doesn’t mean that this kind of beauty doesn’t exist anymore.”

This might be our transition year, hopefully to better things. But after three months of 2017 so far, what kind of future lies ahead of us?

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ONLINE

MINDFUL EVOLUTION

SOUTHERN living

A healthier digital space

GROUP PUBLISHER BEA J. LEDESMA MANAGING EDITOR DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS KRISTELLE ANN BATCHELOR, OLIVER EMOCLING, EDLAINE FLOR ONLINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR PAULINE MIRANDA CREATIVE DIRECTOR NIMU MUALLAM GRAPHIC ARTIST DANICA CONDEZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER PATRICK SEGOVIA INTERNS KRISELLE VALENZUELA, ZAIRA TAN CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS BEVERLY DALTON, SEPTEMBER GRACE MAHINO, MONICA YANG PHOTOGRAPHERS GELOY CONCEPCION, GERIC CRUZ, SAM LIM, TRISTAN TAMAYO HAIR AND MAKEUP CLAIRE SEELIN-DIOKNO, BULLET REYES STYLIST RIA CASCO COPY EDITOR SEPTEMBER GRACE MAHINO PROOFREADER PAULINE MIRANDA EDITORIAL CONSULTANT RIA FRANCISCO-PRIETO BOARD CHAIRPERSON ALEXANDRA PRIETO-ROMUALDEZ FINANCE ADVISOR AND TREASURER J. FERDINAND DE LUZURIAGA LEGAL ADVISOR ATTY. RUDYARD ARBOLADO HR STRATEGY HEAD RAYMUND SOBERANO VP AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER IMELDA ALCANTARA SVP AND GROUP SALES HEAD FELIPE R. OLARTE AVP FOR SALES MA. KATRINA MAE GARCIA-DALUSONG HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LURISA VILLANUEVA SALES SUPERVISOR JOY SANTOS-PILAR KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST ANGELITA TAN-IBAÑEZ SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ABBY GINAGA, THEA ORDIALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ANDIE ZUÑIGA, CHARM BANZUELO, LIZA JISON SALES SUPPORT ASSISTANTS RECHELLE ENDOZO, MANILYN ILUMIN MANAGING EDITOR ANGELA VELASCO ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR PAM BROOKE CASIN EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS CHRISTELLE TOLISORA, KRYZETTE PAPAGAYO SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES SHANNA MALING, SARAH CABALATUNGAN ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE INA MATEO GRAPHIC ARTISTS CHEE FLORES, KATRICE MONTES, NICO ORTIGOZA, JAYCELINE SORIANO PRODUCTION MANAGER JAN CARIQUITAN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT MARICEL GAVINO FINAL ART SUPERVISOR DENNIS CRUZ FA ARTIST KRISTINE MAY PAZ MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER JELLIC TAPIA TRADE MARKETING SUPERVISOR BIANCA DALUMPINES BRAND MARKETING SUPERVISOR MA. INA RODRIGUEZ BRAND MARKETING ASSISTANT NICOLE USON EVENTS ASSISTANT MERJORIE YOUNG GRAPHIC ARTIST ROI DE CASTRO

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BEAUT Y

CULTURED BEAUTY How bacteria can help your skin

TEXT BEVERLY DALTON ILLUSTRATION DANICA CONDEZ

Probiotics have long been known for their significant benefits to the digestive system, but new research has revealed the wonders that good bacteria can also do for the skin.

When the gut flora, or the complex community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, has more bad bacteria than good ones, chronic inflammation arises, causing acne and other skin problems. So if you want your skin to clear up, the gut is probably a good place to start. Adding probiotics to your diet can help improve the skin’s health and appearance. The live, active cultures found in yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, Kefir milk, miso, and kimchi may just be the fountain of youth people have been searching for.

a preventive measure. With a healthy balance of bacteria in your digestive tract, the skin will follow suit. Having a bowl of yogurt with fresh berries every morning will surely help. Just keep note that the yogurt should have the label “live, active cultures.”

Glowing skin Although it may seem counterintuitive to apply bacteria on skin, probiotics can actually help reduce redness. They also seal in moisture, keeping skin soft and supple. This is because probiotics, when topically applied, restore good bacteria and antioxidants the same way they do when digested. Check out local beauty stores and look for brands that have probiotics as a key ingredient in their products, like Lancóme Crème Wrinkle prevention Radiance Clarifying and Clinique Realness Solutions Probiotics can slow down the early signs of aging with Probiotic Technology. because they flush out toxins and eliminate free radicals. Try drinking a glass of Kefir milk a day. It’s Reduces bad bacteria rich in microorganisms and antioxidants, and has been Probiotics add more good bacteria to our digestive believed to prolong life and diminish the appearance of system, which in turn help restore balance to the dermis wrinkles. by fighting off bad bacteria. The result: better-looking skin. The presence of good bacteria also reduces the Prevent future breakouts need to use antibacterial soap, which is often drying to Cutting back on carbs can certainly decrease the skin. The next time you visit a Japanese restaurant, inflammation but a daily dose of probiotics can also be think of your skin’s health and order a bowl of miso.

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FIXT URE

LABEL CONSCIOUS

There’s another more important checklist to consult when buying groceries TEXT KRISTELLE ANN BATCHELOR ILLUSTRATION ZAIRA TAN

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FIXT URE

“Farm-fresh, straight-from-the-dirt” produce doesn’t exist in absolute form.”

Imagine picking up a bag of your favorite chips from the grocery rack, then noticing a new brand of snacks stacked right next to it. Both brands feature the same ingredients and the same flavor, but the newer one has the additional claim of having “reduced fat.” The catch, though, is that it is packaged less appealingly. Do you try it out, or rely on your usual choice?

Sadly, the average grocery shopper rarely checks food labels. Studies show that only a small percentage of people look at the nutritional information printed on their grocery items, as the rest are drawn more by a product’s branding and whatever looks “healthier.”

Brian Wansink, director of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, says consumers tend to “make snap judgments based on dubious health claims but, ultimately, meaningless language.” The most common claim is the “natural” label that plenty of food manufacturers abuse, but what is natural, really? The same goes for products labeled as “lite” or “healthy.”

According to the latest regulations from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), these terms can be based on a product’s fat content. This is why a box of cookies made with artificial sweetener can be labeled as “healthy” compared to a can of nuts high in fat. One recent publicized dispute, however, made the USFDA re-think its definition, a move that would soon urge the food manufacturing industry to implement changes in their packaging.

Misleading products Overall, marketers coming up with ways to lure buyers through language remains a pressing issue. Terms such as “gluten-free” and “organic” are also being thrown around a lot these days—even tacked onto a mere power bar, for example, that is still basically junk food. Wansink says even if junk food is labeled as healthy, it is still junk. He has also discovered that this marketing phenomenon creates a “health halo” among consumers: lulled by the

impression that they’re eating something that is marketed as healthy, a consumer tends to eat more, believing there won’t be much drawback.

“Farm-fresh, straight-from-the-dirt” produce doesn’t exist in absolute form. These so-called natural items claim to “contain no artificial ingredient or added color and are only minimally processed,” but they are typically sold among food products that were manufactured using genetically modified organisms and artificial content. The wiser option would be authentically organic produce.

Ingredients as basis The Nutrition Facts panel plastered on products is also rarely accurate. The USFDA allows food manufacturers to use averages for calorie count, salt content, and fat grams by as much as 20 percent. In this case, avoiding packaged foods is still the wisest choice, and products that state only their list of ingredients instead of their nutritional value are still the safest best. Multi-grain snacks, after all, aren’t as healthy as they pose to be, as some baked goods simply use multiple versions of unhealthy, refined grains in their recipes; opt instead for the “100 percent whole grain” claim, which the USFDA regulates.

Self-check Perhaps the most common fallacy would be the best-by dates. These ubiquitous dates are set by food companies based on when they think a product would still be safe for ingestion, but these are not backed up by any scientific standards. To avoid wasting products, be keen instead in analyzing food odor, texture, and quality as they are more reliable indicators than those prescribed dates.

Eating unprocessed food is still the best way to go, but it is understandably difficult to follow all the time.

The next best thing to do is to follow this rule of thumb: the fewer the ingredients a product has listed, the better.

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SOUT SPACE HERNER

HOARDERS’ DELIGHT A small museum makes a compelling case for living in the past TEXT SEPTEMBER GRACE MAHINO PHOTOGRAPHY TRISTAN TAMAYO

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SPACE Aside from the museum, Sulyap is also a bed and breakfast.

In the late ’80s, architect (and later on chef) Roy Empalmado began collecting wooden components that make up a classic 18th century Filipino wardrobe: an armazon, which is a framework to hang up one’s clothes in; an armario, which serves as a cabinet; and an almazon, a little cupboard for storing linen. They all make up his first collection of antiques, which he calls “Armario.”

Thirty years later, these as well as more of his antique and vintage finds can be viewed at the Sulyap Museum, located inside a picturesque compound in San Pablo, Laguna. The compound itself feels like a step back in time, with old Filipino houses restored and repurposed as a restaurant and a bed and breakfast. The museum is housed on the first floor of a three-storey building that had gone through many incarnations through the decades: as a school (Southern Luzon Colleges), as a hotel (Cocoland), as an office for a government agency (Bureau of Internal Revenue), and a private business (Torres Company).

Roy began collecting antiques with the intention of reselling them, but after selling off a few big pieces from his then burgeoning collection, he found it too painful to continue saying good-bye to more, given that he had traveled—and continues to travel—all over the country to source and buy them. Plus, there was the hard-earned skill he had to develop: “learning and acquiring that clinical eye for identifying genuine antiques,” he adds.

With reselling the collection off the table, “that’s when the idea of putting up a place to house them came to be,” says his daughter Theresa. Work in both the restaurant and the museum—that time still envisioned to be a gallery—began in 2006, and the following year, the Sulyap compound was opened to the public. “My goal [with opening Sulyap] was to share the country’s

cultural heritage, and for Filipinos to appreciate the value of each heirloom piece,” Roy says. “Philippine antiques are part of our history, our cultural heritage, our past, and our present lives. These items give us ideas and revive memories of how life was like then.”

Theresa reveals that one of their earliest and most significant visitors to date is national artist BenCab. “He was actually the one who suggested that we expand the gallery into a museum so we can go further into the pieces’ histories.” Based on his suggestion, the Empalmados began doing research on the historical pieces in their possession, with the bulk of the job going to Theresa. “We started that in 2008, when I was still in high school,” she says. Her main information source is the tome Household Antiques & Heirlooms

by Felice Sta. Maria, published in 1983. “What was amazing was that the items mentioned in the book are exactly like the things we have here, though of course it wasn’t a complete list,” she says. “I had to look into other books for more information, but that was the main source.”

Peppered throughout the museum’s five rooms, each curated to present a thematic presentation, are cards that contain tidbits of information on some of the pieces: what they were used for, what they were made from, when were they popular. Except for the last room where all the religious icons are displayed, the rest of the rooms had their contents arranged to evoke the feel of a classic Filipino home: a sala, a bedroom, a child’s room. Mixed with the solid furniture made of narra and molave are smaller home items such as woven baskets, china plates, small items of curiosities, and even a once-working turntable, all meant to evoke the feeling of home—at least, a facsimile of it. “I grew up surrounded by these old

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SPACE The antique collection was originally intended to be a business.

Now, with a growing collection, the Empalmados are willing to collaborate with different museums.

pieces so they don’t creep me out anymore,” Theresa says with a laugh. “Before we put up the museum, they were all in our house—a number of them still are—so I’m very much used to them.”

At the last room, wooden and plaster figures of saints, Mary, and Jesus abound—a slightly disconcerting sight, as most of the statues’ hands are missing, and a figure of the Virgin Mary carrying an infant Jesus had her eyes gouged out. Theresa explains, “I’ve read that old religious statues used to have their hands made from gold, and their eyes with diamonds and precious stones, which people would then steal.” The oldest piece in their collection, she continues, is a representation of God—“not Jesus but of God”—housed within a frame, “but we don’t have it on display currently.” Pieces are routinely added and rotated with other items from her father’s still growing collection, and Theresa continues to do research on what other wonders would his priceless treasure trove still yield.

“The National Museum once offered help to us

in curating the pieces we have here,” Roy shares. “We are open to collaborate with other museums in the country to share our antique collection with others and to rejuvenate our cultural heritage.” He dreams of the president paying a visit to the museum in the near future.

Plans for the expansion of the museum to the second floor are underway, with the Empalmados hoping to finish the work by next year. For now, the cozy, slightly cluttered feeling of the space is reminiscent of an ancestral home, especially with a wooden staircase in the narrow corridor—a feature that was part of the building’s original structure— going nowhere. With the pieces’ origins ranging from the 1800s to the 1960s, their combination imparts the sensation of a space that has seen generations come and go. “We named the place Sulyap because it provides a glimpse of the past,” Theresa says. And contained within that glimpse is a multitude of stories lived, worthy of being remembered.

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“We named the place Sulyap because it provides a glimpse of the past.”

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COV ER STORY

ESSENTIAL

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COV ER STORY

Photojournalist Hannah Reyes discovers that in capturing the stories of others, she has found her own TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAGPHY GERIC CRUZ

We take photos to preserve a memory. Before, we’d only have 24 or 36 shots captured during a family trip, at a rate of maybe one roll of film a day or two. Now, because of technology, we can take an almost limitless number of pictures and videos—or at least, limited by the amount of memory available in our devices. But we also have the option to make proof of these events fleeting too, with a function in apps that delete our captured footage after 24 hours.

The role of photography today “I try not to think about images in terms of the feed,” says travel and documentary photographer Hannah Reyes, 26. “I want to make sure that the images I post are good ones, but not necessarily curated by color or by filter. I take photographs to tell a story. If one ends on my feed, then that’s okay.”

Reyes, a speech communications graduate from the University of the Philippines, entered the traditionally male-dominated photojournalism industry at 19, and she hasn’t looked back since. At first glance, she doesn’t seem to physically fit the image of a headstrong photojournalist, one whose photos have been published

by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Al Jazeera America, and National Geographic, to name a few. But that’s always the common wrong notion: that women don’t fit in the field as well as men do.

“I feel I have to hustle twice as hard,” Reyes admits, adding that she has been dismissed before and was told that she only got a job because she was the supervisor’s ‘type.’ Constantly proving to everyone that she can be equally capable of pursuing a story and carrying her own equipment, she shares that her confidence has been shattered too many times. “I became almost afraid to be feminine. I was almost afraid to show softness, afraid to cry openly about an issue that I was documenting.”

But at the end of the day, her work speaks for itself.

Despite the constant struggles on the field, Reyes has

come to realize that her femininity has become one of her biggest advantages.

Setting the frame According to The Atlantic, “People take images as truth more than words.” Readers often remember the impact of a photograph more than the words that accompany it, their interpretation of a story built on the impression it made at just one glance. Thus is the power of the image to imprint a story: connecting a spectator to the story emotionally.

Reyes is not immune to this power. As a teenager living in a humble home in Manila, she had browsed through her mother’s magazines and was instantly drawn to the images. “But it took a while before I got a camera. At that time, smartphones didn’t have the capability yet to take photos the way they do now,” she says. “I was very, very lost when I got my first camera.” With it, she took photos of almost everything: family portraits, photos of customers at a bar, pre-nuptial photos. Then she got an internship with the European Press Photo Agency, her first taste of a legitimate photo gig. After winning a Lonely Planet contest, Reyes was signed on for a book project with the Department of Tourism, and she focused on travel photography for a while.

It may seem like a charmed and serendipitous life, but in truth, it was far from free-spirited. “Photography wasn’t paying the bills at first,” Reyes admits. To fund her work and cover living expenses, she had to scour thrift shops to buy and resell anything and everything, from shoes to clothes, both online and at bazaars.

Understanding exposure The constant exposure to complex stories about humanity eventually caused Reyes’ perspective to shift.

“I thought photography was my ticket to travel. Now, it’s the other way around; I don’t want to just take

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COV ER STORY

STYLING RIA CASCO MAKEUP CLAIRE SEELIN-DIOKNO HAIR BULLET REYES

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COV ER STORY In 2013, Hannah Reyes received a National Geographic grant for her story on indigenous cultures in transition to the modern world (extreme left). Last year, she married former rugby player Jon Morales.

“People take images as truth more than words.” photos for the sake of being able to travel,” she says of her decision to delve into photojournalism.

Her rule of thumb: she documents only what she cares about. One of her ongoing personal projects is her series on the lives of domestic workers, whose presence and importance she has known since she was born.

Entitled “Alaga,” she documents the everyday life of her nanny, whom she calls Nanay, and another household help named Millie. In the emotional moments she has been able to capture on camera, Reyes reminds a spectator how these individuals, often treated unfairly by employers, had left their own families to take care of other people’s children in order to make a living.

A number of assignments have personally touched Reyes, but no matter what level of social injustice she encounters, she makes it a point to present a human side of every story. “I would ask myself, ‘What kind of normalcy do people create after going through a harsh experience? How do they live their lives after? How do they navigate the world after the absence of justice?

How do we find joy and tenderness?’”

create a pleasing feed that would fit that certain look people are looking for,” Reyes says about the role her photography plays in the digital age. She sees Instagram as a publishing tool and not a scene for competition. As a media practitioner, she sees social media as a source for potential stories, developing issues, and interesting conversations.

But with the millions of images uploaded on the internet every day, which should carry the most weight?

How can we tell which stories are more important, amid the surplus of mediocre, amateur, and doctored photographs on the web, mostly documenting the more banal parts of daily life?

“We now have a device that fits in our pocket, and we’ve turned the camera on to ourselves,” Reyes says.

Today, photographs are taken for granted, as much a part of our daily lives as breathing and eating. “But we often forget that the camera can be a tool to explore, and to practice looking at others.”

Ironically, the bigger role it plays has rendered it temporary rather than permanent. “To make an image, one that stands the test of time, takes more than being The medium is the message fixated on feeds, filters and followers. It takes time, “I’m not creating images to attract followers or curiosity, and constantly looking beyond the surface.”

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COV ER STORY

“And if you’re just taking photos to make a good feed, then that defeats the purpose.”

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SOUT HERNER

MANILA GIRL Urban planner Julia Nebrija has an unwavering passion to bring the country capital’s immense potential to reality TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAPHY GELOY CONCEPCION

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SOUT HERNER “Traffic is our biggest problem now, but in the future, it will be something else,” says Julia Nebrija, urban planner and Metro Manila Development Authority’s assistant general manager for operations. “Cities are always evolving, and the process is never finished.”

Traffic is the bane of every city dweller’s existence, given the time, energy, and money it costs us to get from one place to another, and Nebrija is no stranger to this daily struggle. Two years ago, she rode a bicycle around Metro Manila. Now that she works in the government, she commutes or walks to work just like everybody else.

With her current responsibilities, she has a wider view of what else needs to be addressed to make living in Manila more convenient, and what it would take to bring their plans to fruition.

Why did you pick this location for this shoot?

Even before I started working with MMDA, I was already very fascinated by the Pasig River. Our urban history starts from the river. Intramuros, the old city of Manila, is at the mouth of Manila Bay. Culturally, we are people of the water, and environmentally, when you are by the river, you see big, beautiful trees and birds. It’s a really peaceful place to be. I believe that the Pasig River is our last urban frontier. There’s nothing else like it, so I’m really passionate about letting other people know about it, appreciate it, and eventually work towards reviving it to be the central piece that brings together a lot of things in our city and even define Metro Manila itself.

The Pasig River is what all of my efforts somehow come back to because in operations, we deal with flood management, solid waste management, environmental protection, traffic, and transport. Almost all of our mandates intersect somehow in the water. It’s a very symbolic place for me and represents how I feel about the city, and where I hope the city is going at the same time.

Are there any future projects that will involve the Pasig River?

Not just the Pasig River, but also the esteros. We were able to get signed the Metro Manila council agreement that all legal easements of waterways should be prioritized as public spaces and thoroughfares for nonmotorized transport. Now, we’re looking at reclaiming alignments on esteros as well as parts of Pasig River to become public spaces and also as pathways for people.

That’s definitely something we’re working on, and we’ll see that progress in the next year and a half. There’s also the improvement of the ferry service and the addition of more terminals and more bridges across Pasig River, even extending the ferry service to Marikina, Laguna Bay, and Manila Bay. Where do we actually start solving the problem?

On a daily basis, we figure out what we can do now,

today. We have to do something where we both inspire people to change and, at the same time, give them concrete plans on how to do it.

Every day is a balance of ideas and actions from the top down and from the bottom up. Some days, we’re thinking more on a top-down model, some days it’s extremely bottom-up: physically going to bus terminals and doing inspection, talking to street-sweepers, inspecting pumping stations. We zoom in and zoom out all at the same time, trying to get everything aligned.

Did your perspective change from before you were simply an advocate to now that you’re in office?

It has changed in the sense that I have realized a bigger disconnect. Working with an NGO, I had thought that our voice was very strong. But now that I’m on the other side, I feel like advocates are not nearly as loud as the car users, those with special interests, the commuters, etc.

These people are a lot louder, but they’re more about protecting the kind of city they want to keep, instead of trying to think of alternative solutions or think of a different vision for the city. We need to have a stronger civil society and more representations on certain issues.

But otherwise, regarding my perspective on the issues themselves, they’re as complicated as I had thought they would be. I am hopeful that as I am working from the inside, as I’m able to meet a lot of people that I had wanted to meet while I was still on the outside, we can work together to get things done.

There’s a lot more pressure now, and I didn’t think it would become easier once I get into office. I definitely feel the difference between the responsibility of being an advocate who says how things should happen, and the responsibility of being the one in charge to actually make them happen. It gives me a whole new drive and really lights a fire in me. It gets me moving in a different way, other than writing articles or writing letters to a senator. I have to carry ideas through from A to Z, and figure out how to make them a reality—and that’s a really good challenge. It’s a challenge our office plans to succeed in.

Books on Urban Planning What Makes a Great City by Alexander Gavin

A People’s History of Recent Urban Transportation Innovation by Transit Center

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Urban Bikeway Design Guide

by National Association of City Tranportation Officials

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SPECIAL FEAT URE

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Free yourself from working 24/7 and make time for relaxation as soon as possible with the hotel’s latest room offering. Stay at a 41 sqm studio for P7,500, or lounge on a larger 64 qm one-bedroom suite for P9,500 per night, inclusive of Dining Card Privileges for two. Said offers are available from Mar. 1 to Apr. 9, for all locals and foreigners with ACR. For inquiries and reservations, call 317-0999 or email reservations@makatidiamond.com.

Makati Diamond Residences is located at Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City 1229.

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SPECIAL FEAT URE

Sara Black Group publisher Bea Ledesma taught guests how to cook low carb zucchini fritters (right) and kimchi shirataki noodles (above).

Cat Arambulo

THIS IS WHAT OUR GUESTS THOUGHT OF OUR ZUCCHINI FRITTERS Low carb doesn’t make your meal any less filling We made zucchini fritters at a cooking class last Jan. 26. The big surprise: The low carb dish can replace rice or bread in a meal.

The cooking class served as an introduction to Nolisoli.ph, the digital home of Northern Living and Southern Living magazines. Our group publisher Bea Ledesma, whose blog will also be a part of the site, led the class at Bulthaup, Taguig. The Nolisoli team, Denise Alcantara, Pauline Miranda, Oliver Emocling, Danica Condez, Edric dela Rosa and Kristelle Batchelor, assisted during the class.

“I liked it. It was so dense and filling, I didn’t feel like I was eating something vegetarian,” photographer Sara Black, who graced the cover of Southern Living in 2015, said. “I’m really inspired just to see Bea kind of teach everyone what she’s learned in her journey in the past year, and I think I’m gonna be making these stuff at home.”

Nadine Howell of Pedro Craft Brewers, who was also featured in Southern Living’s December 2016

issue, was all praises for the kimchi shirataki noodles, which was also taught and sampled in the class that afternoon. “The dishes are so good, and I can’t believe there aren’t any carbs in it,” she said.

Some of the ingredients used in the zucchini fritters and shirataki noodles were sourced from Holy Carabao, an organic farm and retailer. Hindy Weber, founder of Holy Carabao, was also present at the launch. “I’m so happy because someone like [Bea] appreciates organic, biodynamic food.

It’s not just healthy for weight loss, but it’s really a more holistic approach to health,” she said.

This event is presented by Bulthaup.

Special thanks to Schott Zwiesel, Legle, Vidivi, and Robert Welch, all available at Garden Barn.

Get the recipe at nolisoli.ph. For updates, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nolisoli.ph, follow us on Twitter at @nolisoliph and on Instagram at @nolisoli.ph.

Coco Quizon

Ces Drilon

Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez

EATS Ping Pong Diplomacy refers to as the tool to thaw relations between the United States and China during the cold war.

FARE PLAY

Ping Pong Diplomacy brings to the table the two sides of modern Asian dining TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAGPHY SAM LIM

With the slew of Chinese restaurants popping up in commercial centers, the Tasteless Group has found a way to work around the existing competition that already provides more than enough options for xiao long bao, siomai, and hakaw. “There’s another room where we can introduce newer flavors—particularly in our case, something spicier,” says chef Him Uy De Baron.

Ping Pong Diplomacy marries the familiar and the unfamiliar to make its permutation of dishes more unique. De Baron and his team introduce Sichuan and Hunan cuisines — think chili bombs in each bite — that are different from the usual garlic-and-gingersautéed Cantonese food we’re accustomed to, putting a spin on generations-old dishes to make them more palatable to the Filipino market. In short, an American diner with Chinese food.

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EATS Clockwise: Crunch Eggplant; Almond Soy Cooler; and Wonton Cheeseburger

Their menu is divided into five sections: small plates, big plates, rice and noodles, desserts, and drinks. Their Wonton Cheeseburger embodies their vision of joining together eastern and western dining concepts. It is basically a deconstructed burger, with crispy, deep-fried wontons stuffed with ground Wagyu beef and sharp cheddar, served with lettuce leaves and caramelized onions, plus sriracha and herb mayo on the side. Eating this takes some effort because you need to wrap the wontons with lettuce first, then add onions and mayo. Every bite is a flurry of texture and flavor, making the dish more exciting and entertaining, especially to the kids.

The small plates would be a better introduction to Ping Pong Diplomacy’s concept. Their Crunchy Eggplant, which is a leaning tower of breaded eggplant, has a rather sweet and spicy taste, as is the palate-friendly Ping Pong Wings, marinated in their 12-spice blend.

These prep the taste buds for the world of spices in the big plates. Order the Not Mapo Tofu, made from fresh soya custard, which they prepare every day. It is served with a spicy and pungent broth—De Baron and his fellow chef Noel Mauricio already tweaked the original recipe to make it less spicy—and pork cooked two ways. Meanwhile, the Dan Dan Chicken Skin Rice from the rice and noodles section is not your regular fried rice, as it is cooked with fermented chili bean.

Neutralizing the assault of flavors are the desserts and drinks. The Almond Soy Cooler is the perfect drink to refresh and cleanse your palate, and the Fortune Balls, created by chef Miko Aspiras, features three flavors of mochi: taro, ginger, and black sesame.

Apart from their à la carte menu, Ping Pong Diplomacy is also poised to launch their takeout counter where they’ll be featuring a whole new menu of baos, among other things.

Ping Pong Diplomacy. 3F SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. 960-4271. www.facebook.com/pingpongdiplomacyph.

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RECIPE

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RECIPE

GOLDEN GRAINS

Combine the riches yielded by local land in one comfort dish TEXT MONICA YANG OF THE MOMENT GROUP PHOTOGRAPHY DANICA CONDEZ

HEIRLOOM RICE WITH CHORIZO AND KESONG PUTI

longganisa and cook until toasted and crumbled, for about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside the cooked meat and rendered fat.

4. For the kesong puti, lightly oil a non-stick pan and brown the cheese slices on both sides. Set aside and cut into 1 cm squares.

5. In a wide shallow pan, start toasting the rice with the longganisa fat and remaining olive oil. The rice Toppings: will begin to turn translucent. Stir 6 links of Alaminos longganisa constantly for about 2 minutes.

1/2 block kesong puti, sliced Pour in the wine and stir until the 1/4 cup tinapa, flaked liquid is absorbed by the rice.

Cilantro leaves (optional) 6. Begin to add the stock one ladleful at a time. Carefully stir the rice, adding more stock only after PREPARATION the previous addition has been 1. Heat half of the olive oil in a almost fully absorbed by the rice. wide shallow pan over low-medium Continue the process for 15 to 20 heat. Add the onions and sautĂŠ minutes until the grains are cooked until translucent. Add the garlic and but still have a slight bite to them sautĂŠ for an additional 2 minutes. without being crunchy. Stir in the Remove the onions and garlic from butter. The rice should be loose and the pan and set aside. creamy but not watery. Season with 2. Start heating the stock in a separate salt and pepper. pot and keep it over low heat.

7. Top the rice with cooked 3. Peel off the casing from the longganisa, kesong puti, and tinapa longganisa. In a dry pan over flakes. Garnish with cilantro and medium heat, break apart the serve hot.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heirloom tinawon rice 3 to 4 cups chicken stock, unsalted 1/2 cup white onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

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T HE GET

SMALL BLESSINGS Royalty-approved luxury TEXT EDLAINE FLOR PHOTOGRAPHY DANICA CONDEZ

Founded in the year before the Belgians declared their national independence, the Belgium-based Delvaux brand worked closely with renowned architect Paule Goethals for its Brilliant collection.

The Belgian royal family also entrusted the label as “royal warrant holders of the court of Belgium.”

The house of Delvaux is known for its use of exotic leather—alligator, lizard, ostrich, and shagreen— and its approach to design, which is modernist and pays particular attention to architectural lines, intrepid proportions, and bold shapes. Toted around

by Rihanna, Dita Von Teese, and Jessica Jung, the Delvaux Brilliant Mini is an exact duplicate of the Brilliant MM Satchel, exuding the same power but in a smaller package.

Available at Homme et Femme, G/F, 8 Rockwell, Makati City.

843-2025.

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