Anong mayroon sa Pilipinas na wala “masyado” sa Netherlands?

My Top Five Filipino Foods (I Miss Them In Hollandia)

Filipinos love to eat and the Philippine archipelago is considered a melting pot of South East Asia. -Driftwood Journey

After a number of travel blog, I want to write again something about foods. Food and eating. On this blog, I will tell you my top five among Filipino foods. Foods that I wish I have it too here in the Netherlands for a day to day basis.

Siomai. Siomai also called pork dumplings. But a beef version of it in Chowking is I prefer more than pork. Siomai is traditionally cooked through steaming. But now, siomai are being served fried complimented with calamansi/lemon and soy sauce. I love siomai in a dim sum or in noodles. I never have siomai here in The Netherlands and I do not know if there is some Asian restaurants here that served siomai.

Siomai

Taho. Taho is a Filipino snack food, but for me, it served as my very light breakfast during those times that I was an office girl. In the morning, there is a "manong magtataho" in front of our office building and I have a cup of taho entering the office. When I visited my father in The Philippines last year and stayed with him in the hospital for about two weeks, I brought back my old habit: a cup of taho in the morning. Taho is made of fresh, soft, silken tofu with sweetener and flavoring. Taho vendor usually adds sago pearl (similar to tapioca pearl) but I prefer my taho just plain. The usual cup is worth 5 pesos. For satisfaction, I have worth 10 pesos.

The ordinary taho that I love.

Taho at Soya Box

Polboron or polvoron. Polvoron is a deliciously sweet short bread. I have read that polvoron or polvorones are popular holiday delicacies in Spain and Spain is its place of origin. In The Philippines, we enjoyed it the whole year round. The main ingredients of polboron are flour, sugar, milk, and nuts. There are two big bake shops in The Philippines where we can buy special polboron. The last time, I brought back in The Netherlands a box of polboron from our holiday in The Philippines. Next time, I will take home three boxes to sustain me long. If you are a coffee lover like me, try polboron, it is also a perfect match for your coffee.

wrapping polboron (photo credit: instructables.com)

next time I will make it three boxes :)

Laing. Laing or ginataang natong in Bicol dialect, is a spicy coconut based dish. This dish is budget friendly, but I can bargain a steak for laing. My mother is well known among our circle of friends because she cooks a very delicious laing. My mother's ingredients for laing are coconut milk, natong (dried taro leaves), grilled or fried fish, sili or chili. I remember one time, I bought Laing in the can at the Pinoy store in Rotterdam, to try if it can satisfy my craving. But sad, it tastes nothing. It is like they just boiled the taro leaves and then they put it in a can.

I'm telling you, I can bargain steak for laing :)

Bangus. Actually, bangus is milkfish in English and it is the national fish in the Philippines. But bangus is a versatile fish. You can feed me the entire weeks with only bangus and rice and I will surely enjoy it. Hahaha! To name bangus dishes, I can say I love fried bangus, daing na bangus (marinated), paksiw na bangus (cooked in vinegar), sinigang na bangus (cooked with many vegetables and tamarind or guava for sour taste), or just plain grilled bangus. Someone told me that I can buy bangus in a market in Rotterdam for the price that I do not know. And there is someone who told me that I can buy a daing na bangus to any Filipino store here in The Netherlands in 8-10 euro per piece. I have not tried that yet. It is a bit expensive for me.

sinigang na bangus

inihaw na bangus

my Dutch family experienced the Filipino way of eating

at Gerry's Grill with my family

You might be a Filipino reading this blog and knows well the taste, the smell of these foods that I love. Or you might be someone who has been in the Philippines or planning to visit the Philippines, you have an idea now of some of our foods. Don't be surprised to see that we, Filipinos eat three meals a day, that food is the basis of our social life. If in the western countries, it is a common thing to ask you, what do you like for a drink?, in the Philippines, because of the hospitality, we often ask our visitor or even a stranger who passed by while we are eating to come and eat with us. Many people don't understand about this in our culture, but for us it is like a simplest way of sharing our life's blessing.

The Philippine Independence Day Picnic In The Netherlands

Every 12th of June is an annual national holiday in the Philippines. It is the day to commemorate the Philippines Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Filipinos around the world has organizations and foundations to celebrate this particular date even thousands miles away from home. Filipinos are well known for these positive traits: strong family ties, religious, and hospitable. But when they are gathered together, foreigners see it that they are fun-loving, love to eat, and are music lovers. When you visit the Philippines, you can see a karaoke session almost anywhere.

My husband paying fees

Filipinos in the Netherlands are also celebrating the annual Philippine Independence Day. They call it Kalayaan Fiesta in The Netherlands or Philippine Independence Day Picnic. This year it falls on 4th of June. Filipinos in The Netherlands travel to Spaarnwoude, Amsterdam, where the annual celebration or picnic being held. They bring their family and friends there.

My `pinoy plate: laing, Bicol Express, and adobo. 

Many installs tents where they can stay the whole day, eating, drinking, having fun with friends, and many are making barbecues. There are stalls where you can buy Philippine products from handicrafts to balikbayan boxes, from foods to beverages.

my husband and son at the handicraft stall

There are tents of agents for condominium units in The Philippines, and also the tent of the Philippine Embassy in The Netherlands. Since I arrived and live in The Netherlands, I have been at the Philippine Independence Day Picnic three times together with my husband.

with my family

Last year and this year, our almost three year old son is also with us. Spaarnwoude is an hour trip from our home by car. The entrance fee is 6 euro each and the parking fee is also 6 euro. Almost every year there is a Filipino celebrity guest. From what I have seen today, there were more people and stalls today than last year.

On stage with Gino Padilla

And I can say, a lot of preparations done this year. This year, the celebrity guests are Gino Padilla and Isabel Granada. Isabel Granada is my contemporary. I remember her as a sweet face with long eyelashes at the afternoon television show That's Entertainment, while Gino Padilla is really a big hit with his classic songs such as Closer You And I, Gusto Kita, and Why Can't It Be. I really enjoyed today with my family. I am now happy  here in The Netherlands but there are also some things back home that I miss occasionally like native foods and Filipino songs. I have never been to a concert in the Philippines, so it was a real treat for me to hear Gino Padilla live for 6 euro.

my son

I left my husband and my son for a while to have a clear view of Gino Padilla. It is like I was star-struck. I am thankful to security personnel for allowing me to get on stage to Gino Padilla. Only those who had Gino Padilla CD and those who will buy his CD are allowed to come near to him. I told them I had no CD and I will not buy, I just like to come to Gino Padilla! And they let me come inside to the stage. I am also thankful to my friend Arlene for making a short video of me with Gino Padilla while on stage. I returned to my husband like a carefree child showing all my photos and the video with Gino Padilla. I told my husband that if I am in the Philippines I will not do that. Because I am in the Netherlands, I did that. It is really different when you are very far from your mother land.

With my friend, Arlene and her son.

It was a very fun filled day. The weather also cooperates because when we travel back home the temperature reached to 28 degrees. At home while I am cooking spaghetti for our dinner, I am smiling while singing this: kahit sabihin na mali ako, alipin mo o bihag mo, ako'y iyong iyo. Yes, I am almost a Dutch now that my Naturalization has done, but my heart remains the same, a Filipina by heart and blood, and it is always a happiness to talk or sing using my native tongue.  I just feel I am truly blessed because I belong to a loving Dutch family here in The Netherlands that loves me and all my Filipino ways.