Welcome December-Hanukkah Celebration Here at THD

Today is December- Month of My Birth, Christmas and Hanukkah Holidays. Welcome, December!!  This coming Sunday, December 3, at 4PM I sign up to attend my first Hanukkah Celebration in my almost 89 years here in Planet Earth ( see Flyer Above). THD Staff send me a Christmas Card that I receive this morning, Thank you, THD Staff and Management for your birthday Greetings.  The Birthday Celebrants for December are listed below:

Now with the Hanukkah Celebration:   It will be hosted by a co-resident and loyal reader and commentator of my blogs, Cantor/Rabbi Richard Botton. There will be music accompaniment by Charlie Barreda. Latkes and wines will be served. Looking forward for the event. 

Latkes are type of potato pancake or fritter in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine that is traditionally prepared to celebrate Hanukkah. Latkes can be made with ingredients other than potatoes such as cheese, onion, and zucchini.    I am a Roman Catholic, so I am not familiar with Jewish Holidays and Celebration. This event will be my first experience of a Hnukkah Celebration and I eagerly looking forward to attending it.

For those of you who are not familiar with the word Hanukkah, here's a definition from Wikipedia.  

Hanukkah, (Hebrew: “Dedication”) is Jewish festival that begins on Kislev 25 (usually in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival. Although not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Hanukkah came to be widely celebrated and remains one of the most popular Jewish religious observances. The following are the eight traditions during the Festival of Lights during the Eight Days of Hanukkah. Giving of Gifts is similar to the Christian Christmas Celebration of Giving Gifts. 

What is the story of Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is a joyous Jewish holiday that recalls an ancient miracle after a hard-fought victory over religious oppression. The historic event sparked Hanukkah traditions that last to this day.

In the first century B.C.E., Greek rulers banned Judaism. They tortured and persecuted those who dared practice and desecrated the holy Second Temple in Jerusalem, even sacrificing a pig and installing a statue of Zeus inside. A small band of Jewish warriors, led by Judah Maccabee, rebelled. When the battle was won, the Maccabees set out to rededicate the temple, which involved lighting candles on a menorah (a branched candelabra) that would burn continuously. Though they scoured the Second Temple, they found only enough oil to burn for one night. Miraculously, it burned for eight nights, which gave the Maccabees time to find more so they could keep the temple holy.

Today, Hanukkah celebrates that miracle and, by extension, the triumph of light over darkness. Those themes are evident in many of the most beloved Hanukkah traditions and in the giving of Hanukkah gifts.

Eating potato pancakes and jelly donuts

If you accidentally walk into a Jewish kitchen during Hanukkah and you’re likely to inhale the delicious aroma of latkes, aka potato-and-onion pancakes fried in oil. If you’re especially lucky, sufganiyot, or jelly-filled doughnuts, will also be on offer. These decadent Jewish delicacies—along with other fried foods and Hanukkah desserts—symbolize the miracle of the oil. While latkes are more traditional, sufganiyot only became popular in the 20th century, when Israel promoted them as part of the country’s official Hanukkah celebration. Beginning in the 1970s, American Jews began adopting the delicious Hanukkah tradition.

For Complete Details of the 8 Hanukkah Traditions read💥

💥https://www.rd.com/article/hanukkah-traditions/

Meanwhile, Today is also RENT DAY!  Write your Checks and Stay Another Happy Month Here at THD- The Place with many Fun Activities and Good Food! Advance Merry Christmas to All! 

Iloilo City Joins UNESCO Creative Lists in the Field of Gastronomy

I was not surprise to read last month that Iloilo City, my place of birth and college years won the UNESCO Listing as a Creative City in the Field of Gastronomy. It now joins cities not only known but also respected for gastronomy, such as Phuket in Thailand and Alba (the land of truffles) in Italy. To date, there are 54 Cities of Gastronomy around the world.

The famous Batchoy of La Paz and Pancit Molo dishes (above photo)mentioned in the news are the two dishes my taste buds are familiar with since my childhood days. Batchoy is a Filipino noodle soup of pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin, and round noodles. Pancit Molo or Filipino pork dumpling soup is a type of soup using wonton wrappers which originated from Molo district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It consists of a mixture of ground pork wrapped in molo or wonton wrapper, shredded chicken meat, and also shrimp

The Kadyos, Baboy, Lanka(KBL)- the dish that my mother's maid use to cook for the family also was listed as one of the local dishes, Iloilo is famous for because of its originality and creativity.  KBL is Peas, Pork and Jack Fruit. The Peas and Langka are grown in our Farm in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, This dish is one of the pleasant Food Memories in my childhood and teenager years,   

From the Local News:   A significant trading port, Iloilo City boasts a diverse cuisine influenced by Chinese, Malay, and Spanish cultures. Iloilo City is known for its delicious dishes, such as La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo. New restaurants and food businesses have emerged, showcasing the city's rich culinary heritage and innovative dishes. Iloilo City is also home to a number of food festivals and events, especially during January's Dinagyang Festival, which attracts visitors from all over the world. In addition to its culinary excellence, Iloilo City is also committed to sustainable food practices.

The news is a huge win for Iloilo City as it joins the list of Creative Cities for Gastronomy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)! This is under the initiative of Unesco called the Creative Cities Network launched back in 2004, wherein they promote cooperation among cities that have recognized culture and creativity as a strategic driver of sustainable urban development.

There are actually seven fields under the Creative Cities Network: crafts and folk art, design, film, media arts, literature, music and gastronomy. Baguio was named Creative City for craft and folk art in 2017 and Cebu as Creative City for design in 2019.

Here are the 7 most Popular Ilonggo recipes that is known all over the Philippines. 
https://www.yummy.ph/lessons/cooking/ilonggo-recipes-a00261-20190121

Read more: https://business.inquirer.net/430072/hail-to-iloilo-unesco-city-of-gastronomy#ixzz8J466HNCk

For a Collection of Recipes of popular Ilonggo Dishes read this web site: 

https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/19/cook-bible-flavors-of-iloilo-makes-its-debut/

Personal Note: Other regional ethnic Dishes popular to Filipinos are the Sisig of Pampanga Province, the Pinakbet from the Ilocos Region (Northern Philippines) and the spicy coconut dishes from the Bicol Region of the Philippines. Pampanga Province is known as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines.

Sisig is by far the most famous Kapampangan dish. It is made from chopped-up pig face, cheek, and ears, cooked with chicken liver, and seasoned with calamansi juice and chili peppers. 

Marinduque-my second home have several local dishes that are sought by tourist and must be tasted if you are in Marinduque. https://outoftownblog.com/the-best-native-delicacies-visitors-must-try-in-marinduque/

One of My Favorite Vlogger About the Philippines

Kyle Douglas Jennermann, better known as Kulas is a Canadian-Filipino travel vlogger. I am one of his of more than a million subscribers to his You-Tube Channel Becoming Filipino. His Becoming Filipino as of today has more than 385 million views. As of today, he has travelled to all of the 82 provinces of the Philippines. He is an inspiration for the younger generation. My favorite episode was his first travel to Marinduque -my second home. I am reposting some of his photos taken at that trip that lasted for 3 days. Here are some of the photos for your viewing pleasure. 

Drone View of the Boac Cathedral-Boac, Capital of Marinduque Province

Inside the Cathedral with Kumar and his Camera

Kulas in his Morion Out fit as a Roman Soldier

Inside of one of the Caves in the Province

Blue worm inside the underground river in one of the caves

Aerial View of Marker of the Geographical Center of the Philippines

Kulas and Kumar in Marinduque's small airport

Coconut Shells Chandelier-one of the many handicrafts projects in the Island

Kulas -Snorkeling? or just swimming in one of the Hot Springs in the Island?

One of the numerous vintage Houses in Downtown  Boac at Night Time

Purple rice cakes made of be yam- delicious and ibos ( sweet rice wrapped in coconut leaves) below 

Kulas honored and crown King of the Day with Putong Ceremony-only in Marinduque

Butterfly Pupae getting Ready for Packing and Export-Butterfly Industry in Marinduque 

Kulas admiring the Newly Hatch Butterfly for the Putong Ceremony and Other Events

 Hand- Carve Wooden Artifacts for Home Decor For Sale to Tourists
Kulas Inside Bagumbayan Cave in Santa Cruz  

Here's a short bio of Kulas from Wikipedia: 

Kyle Jennermann has traveled to multiple countries (29 countries in Europe and Southeast Asia) prior to settling in the Philippines. His last stop would be in Hong Kong. He went to the city in 2012 to work as an outdoor recreation educator. He would befriend his Filipino colleagues and learn about the Philippines.

BecomingFilipino is the name of Kulas' vlogging project which features his activities across the Philippines. He runs a YouTube channel and an Instagram account for this. He has previously maintained a standalone blog website where his followers can suggest activities for him. Kulas would feature in his own television show titled Becoming Filipino Your Travel Blog which first aired at ANC in August 2016.

Kulas acting as an ambassador for a grassroots community-led innovation program by the Department of Science and Technology. May 2021

Kulas' would first visit the Philippines in January 2013. He was still employed in Hong Kong at the time so his visits remain sporadic for a while. One noted visit was in November 2013, when he assisted in relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). He would commit more to his project when he quit his job in Hong Kong by around 2015, deciding to live in Cagayan de Oro which serves as his hub for his travels.

Kulas' content on his vlog features his experiences in visiting different parts of the Philippines as well as the culture of the relevant localities. One of his most viewed videos featured the lantaka weapon.

Kulas has helped in relief operations for victims of various other typhoons that impacted the Philippines like he did for Haiyan back in 2013.

By February 2023, he has visited 81 out of 82 provinces with Sulu the only unvisited province.

Kulas is a native of Comox Valley in British Columbia, Canada. Having been born around 1987 or 1988 in Vancouver Island, he has Canadian citizenship.

He received Filipino citizenship through an Act of Congress, specifically through Republic Act No. 11955 in 2023

His naturalization process began when Senate Bill No. 1509 was filed on November 14, 2022 by Senator Joel Villanueva in the Senate. This was followed by House Bill No. 1764, the House of Representatives counterpart of the proposed measure which was approved in February 2023. This bill was authored by Biñan Representative Marlyn Alonte. The two bills were consolidated in May 2023 and eventually was signed into law by President Bongbong Marcos in August 4, 2023.

He formalized his Filipino citizenship when he took his oath allegiance on September 13, 2023.

My blog Becoming American was inspired by His vlog Becoming Filipino. Here is the list of the top ten foreign vloggers promoting the Philippines. Kulas is #2 in the list.

top 10 foreign vloggers in the philippines

I Experienced Discrimination Because of the Way I Look

There were two episodes of my life here in the US that I experienced discrimination because of the color of my skin and the way I look.  I am reposting this today after reading an article recently that one out of five Asian-American born in the US hide their ancestry to Non-Asians because of fear of rejection and not able to "fit in". 

The first episode was in Gladstone, Missouri( suburb of Kansas City) in 1965 and the second was in San Diego, California in 1982. 

The David B Katague Family at the Hamilton Heights Swim Club, Gladstone. Mo. 1965

"Our Life in Missouri will not be complete if I do not write this incident about a subtle racial discrimination my family experienced from our local swim club.

In 1965, my wife and three children experienced their first discrimination experience in Gladstone, Missouri.   Gladstone is a northern suburb of Kansas City, Missouri with about 99.5% Caucasian population at that time.

The discrimination was not blatant but very subtle. After relocating in Missouri for my first job after my Ph.D graduation from the University of Illinois, my family and I joined a Country Swim Club just a couple of blocks and a walking distance from our rented residence. 

My wife, Macrine, and the kids would swim at the country club twice or three times a week. The first day, they were there, she overheard the conversation from two middle-aged ladies. She heard a comment of the first lady to her friend, "look we are getting invaded by blacks already". Macrine look around, but there were no black families around; she and the kids were the only colored ( brown) relaxing and swimming in the pool area. Macrine was bothered by what she heard but did not get upset. She continued watching the kids swimming in the pool and relayed her experience later to me. 
 

The David B Katague Family, Platte Woods, Missouri, Christmas Photo-1966 

After our second year in the neighborhood, we became more active socially and became well-known to the Gladstone community. I was elected by the members of the club as treasurer for two years. I was handling the payroll of three employees and collecting the membership fees of the 300 members. I was delighted that the club members and Board of Directors trusted me with their finances. I therefore conclude that the cure for discrimination is education and ignorance is the mother of prejudice".

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This is the second episode of discrimination and stereotyping I experienced in 1982 because of the way I look. 

"Macrine and I attended a 3-DAY of Tennis Class and Vacation Package at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, California which at that time was a five star resort  to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1982.

Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, Caliornia

The following article (excerpt in Chapter 10 from my autobiography, written in 2009) is an example of an ethnic stereotyping based on my skin and appearance as an Asian man and a Filipino. 

"Life in Pinole, California would not be complete, If I do not write about our tennis activities as related to our 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1982. As part of our community activities, Macrine and I played tennis almost everyday after work. On weekends. I also played double with the men's team at Contra Costa College. So, as one of my silver wedding anniversary gift to Macrine, we decided to attend a 3-day tennis academy package at Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego. The five star resort is home of one of the best tennis academy in California at that time. For the three days, we played tennis 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. In between tennis we had gourmet meals and entertainment at night. The cost of the tennis package was very expensive, comparable to the cost of playing golf and staying at Bellarocca Resort here in Marinduque today.

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2012/10/bellarocca-resort-versus-balesin-island.html

The cost of the trip was not my concern, since it was my Silver Wedding Anniversary gift to both Macrine and myself. An incident at the resort is why I am mentioning this trip. As soon as we check in, Macrine stayed at the front office to smoke, while I carried our luggage to our room. On my way to our room, an elderly white couple approached me and requested that I also helped them with their luggage as soon as I finished what I was doing. I gave them a surprise stare and blurted out, "I am just checking in myself, and I do not worked here". They apologized profusely. 

Later on, I realized why I had been mistaken for a porter. About 95% of the resort porters, janitors and maintenance workers were either Filipinos or Mexicans. This incident is an example of how people judged you with the color of your skin and not what you had accomplished or what is in your head".

The above tennis vacation package, a post 25th wedding anniversary gift to my wife and myself, we will never forget, because it reminds us of our younger days. Moreover, the above incident also reminds us that most people first impression of you is your external appearance and not what is inside your heart and head.

If you are a Filipino-American, have you experience a similar incident in your life? I will be glad to hear from you.

I Have Cravings for Soft Shell Crabs

After 2 days of feasting, ( Turkey Dinner on Wed-Thanksgiving Eve here at THD) and yesterday Honey Baked Ham Dinner at Dodie's and Ruth Residence in Bencia, you would think that I will not be thinking and writing another article on my Food Cravings.  On the contrary good food triggers more cravings and perhaps a sign of Food Addiction. Hopefully Not!  So today I am posting on my cravings for soft shell crabs. I wrote this last September.

"The end of September is also the end of the season for live or fresh soft shell crabs( SOFTIES). However, they are available all year round frozen and can be purchased in some restaurants or local fish markets in most big cities. Last May before I moved here at THD, I ordered soft shell crabs from my Favorite Seafood Restaurant in Rancho Cordoba.  It was expensive but delicious and it cured my cravings for the SOFTIES.  When we were residing in Maryland in the mid 1990's, availability of this seafood delicacy( fresh) was easy because of the nearness of Chesapeake Bay from May to September. 

Here in Walnut Creek, I am not sure where to buy soft shell Crabs. So I did a Google Search and here's what I learned.     

where to buy soft shell crab near me

One of the these Sunday Evenings when Food is not available here at THD I will order soft shell crabs via Door Dash, or Grubhub  and have it delivered in my front door not outside the gate of the The Heritage Downtown.  It will then be the only time when my cravings for this seafood delicacy will be satiated. Meanwhile I have several filipino dishes in my freezer ( Dinuguan, Calderetta) that I purchased recently just in case I will have cravings for Pinoy dishes. The other day my cravings for Dimsum was cured when Dinah and I were able to have a Dimsum lunch when we visited the Blackhawk Museum in Danville.  The other day, my friends from Fairfield, Frank and Mildred Cabunoc brought me PINAKBET that I consumed with gusto. 

Thank you, Frank and Mildred for the treat.  A lot of my non-Filipino co-residents here at THD had asked me the taste of pinakbet. Here's the answer to the question.

The tender and earthy sweet taste of the squash, the crunchiness of the green beans, the bitter taste of the bittermelon and the slimy texture of the okra are the flavors you will experience with pinakbet. This is a vegetable dish that may contain a little bit of shrimp or pork, but it is primarily a vegetable dish. The protein Pinoy dish that is a good pair is either Calderetta or Dinugu-an.  Calderetais a hearty meat dish using chevon (goat meat), beef, or pork combined with potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, and liver spread or liver paste. This is a popular dish served during special occasions and a regular in every Filipino cookbook. 

Dinugu-an is a Filipino savory stew usually of pork offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili and vinegar. As for the taste, Dinuguan is definitely porky and savory, not heavily salty, but usually with a sour note. Texture wise, this dish varies widely, from a fairly thin, light brown number to a thick, dark, grainy stew that Filipinos jokingly refer to as chocolate soup. I love this dish once in a while.

Finally, here's a photo of the Persimmons/Pomengranate Salad served Last Wednesday Here at THD to complement our Turkey Dinner! I hope you had a Great ThanksGiving Day. Mine was fantastic because it ended with the 49ers manhandling of the Seahawks in Seattle, Wa.