What is the recipe for the traditional Filipino street barbeque on a stick?

Dear Filipino,

I was in the Philippines in about 1976. Everywhere in the streets, there were people selling the most delicious beef or chicken barbeque on a stick. I want the recipe please. I've tried the recipes on the Internet and it just wasn't the same. I even asked  Filipinas going home to visit family to try to get the recipe but no success. As you can see, it's been 35 years and it's still on my mind. You are my last hope. I promise if you do, I'll tell everybody, "The Pinoy is JEFROXS."  LOL!

Rob Bob, AZ

Dear Rob,

You mean "Jeproks" as coined by Mike Hanopol? You mean "cool and smart"? Hey, actually I wouldn't mind being called Jeproks -- just don't call me "laki sa layaw"!  ;-)

Unfortunately, I don't have the recipe myself -- I was just a toddler in 1976. But I don't give up that easily if the label "Jeproks" is on the line.  So I reached out to The Man -- Ray Gingco of WokwithRay.net -- for help.  He's a great cook and 1976 is one of his favorite years because it's "the year of platform shoes and ultra wide bell bottoms."

Ray published a recipe last year for traditional street Pork BBQ on skewers, but he said the recipe can also be used for chicken and beef.  He suggests top sirloin for beef and chicken thighs for chicken.  I'm reproducing his recipe below for your benefit, but you may want to visit his website to really learn from The Master himself if you have other questions. 

Pork BBQ with Banana Ketchup Glazing
by Ray

This dish is very easy to prepare and best eaten with a concoction of vinegar and garlic dipping sauce. Some folks like to eat this delicious barbecue with pickled shredded papaya (AKA achara) on the side. During my high school days in the 70′s, I can still remember this dish being cooked and sold by street vendors right outside the gate of our school. Pork BBQ is always the best seller along with deep fried vegetable lumpia (eggrolls), and ukoy (shrimp fritters).

Here in the States, I always buy the meat from Asian Supermarkets because I can always ask the nice guy behind the meat counter to slice the pork to the right thickness. So, when I get home, all I have to do is cut the meat to correct width for threading. Of course I can slice the meat myself but if someone else can do it for me and it’s part of the price of the meat. . . why not? Always use pork butts because it’s more tender and it has the right amount of fats, which gives the BBQ the best flavor. By the way, in case you are wondering. . . Pork Butts is not actually the ass of the pig. Okay, I shouldn’t be saying ass here, oops my bad, I said it again. They call it butts because it is the butt end of the shoulder.

Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork Butts
10-15 Bamboo Skewers
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
6 cloves Garlic – finely minced
3 tablespoon Lemon Juice
3/4 cup 7-Up or Sprite Soda
2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
3 tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoon Rice Wine or Dry Sherry
2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 cup Banana Ketchup for Glazing
2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Cooking Directions:

If you bought a whole pork butts, slice it by 1/4 inch thick then cut each slice about 1 inch wide strips.

In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, soda, Worcestershire, sugar, wine, and black pepper then mix them with a whisk.

Add the meat and mix thoroughly until well coated.

(Source: WokwithRay.net)

Transfer meat and the marinade in a Ziploc bag then refrigerate for about 4 hours.

Soak skewers in water for about 1 hour before using.

Thread meat on a skewers

Prepare basting sauce by combining Ketchup and oil then mix well with a whisk.

Set the barbecue grill to medium.

Grill the meat turning every minute so it won’t burn.

When meat is half-way cooked, start brushing the meat with ketchup mix on every turn.

Serve hot with rice or with BEER! (hehehe).

Serves 4 to 6.  Preparation time including marination: About 4 hours & 30 minutes.

Hope this works for you!

Got a question for The Filipino?  Email him now at askthepinoy@gmail.com.

Why do Filipinos eat with a spoon and a fork?

Dear Filipino,

Why do Filipinos eat with a spoon and fork? We use a spoon not only to eat soup but also almost everything else. Some of us can even use the edge of the spoon to cut our food.

A related question is: What other people use a spoon the way Filipinos do?

Thank you and regards,
Cold in Winterspeg, Manisnowba, Canada

Dear Cold,

Bienvenue and warm greetings to you! 

First, a big caveat: If you're looking for an explanation from someone who is an authority on refined and sophisticated dining etiquette, you've come to the wrong place!  Read no further and leave now.  Why?  Because I am a pig when I eat.  I slurp.  I make all sorts of snorting, gurgling and other suilline sounds.  I am oblivious to the world when I'm in The Zone.  The best one can say about my table manners is that I do know how to really enjoy my food, much to the consternation and embarrassment of The Filipina, who was brought up in a much more genteel environment.  Thankfully for me, she hasn't divorced me yet because of this, although it's fair to say things did get, well, quite heated at some point.  A veritable macho, I didn't back down -- hah! [The Filipina approved this line.] -- although for the sake of marital harmony and bliss, I did agree some compromise was in order, leading to our household's now decade-plus-long Dining Room Detente.


(Blogcadre.com: Pottery Barn thinks it's cool, too!)

But you're right: It is indeed Filipino custom to use a spoon and a fork (no knife) at every meal, unless the Filipino you're talking about is the sosyal type.  What's also interesting is, a common decorative item in Filipino kitchen walls or dining rooms is a giant set of spoon and fork, the ever-present yin and yang of Filipino dining which has inspired countless jokes, haikus and a film.  But you'll be glad to note that this Filipino style is going mainstream because even Pottery Barn apparently has seen its coolness and wants to profit off of it.  (Some Filipinos want to take this retailing development to the next level and are hoping that barrel men be up next, although something tells me that the time is not ripe yet.)

And being from Canada, you've probably heard about the famous "spoon-and-fork boy" who won $17,000 in moral and punitive damages against a Montreal-area school board and two of its employees following the 2006 complaint filed by the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) with the Quebec Human Rights Commission because the school board's employees called the boy's culturally specific way of eating "disgusting" and "dirty," among others. 

Makes you wonder how the whole thing would have panned out if the Filipino boy had gone completely au naturale and used his bare hands instead, right?

But here's the deal: If you ever bump into those types of snooty Canadians and find yourself having to endure condescending language from them about how primitive our dining traditions are, you can put them in their place and let them know -- gently and in an avuncular tone to emphasize your moral ascendancy -- that unlike them, you're actually familiar with the history of utensils!

Here's how you go about it:

First, you start with the fork.  You ask them the following (without expecting an answer of course): "Did you know that men of stature in Europe and the Roman Catholic Church once expressly disapproved of its use, seeing it as 'excessive delicacy'?" 

Then, you proceed: "In fact, history has it that, in the 11th century, when a Byzantine princess who married a Venetian magistrate refused to eat with her hands, the outraged clergy and local populace invoked the Divine, saying: 'God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks -- his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to Him to substitute artificial metallic forks for them when eating.'  And as late as 1897, the British Navy forbid its sailors to use them 'because they were regarded as being prejudicial to discipline and manliness.'''

That should floor them, don't you think?

But you're not done yet, of course.  Because before they can say anything remotely intelligent, you follow up with the history of the spoon next.  Here, you can mention the following: "On the other hand, spoons have been found as relics from a period long before knives and forks began to appear." 

"Therefore," you can ask them, "if the spoon was the first of all implements to be used for eating, why do you think we should get rid of it now in favor of the knife?"

Assuming they do come up with a retort, you ask them point-blank while feigning nonchalance: "So, are Canadians' dining etiquette more similar to the Americans' or the Europeans'?" 

Wait for them to answer but whatever their answer is, you then go in for the kill and tell them: "Well, Canadian table manners are considered kinda primitive also then."

They'll likely ask you, "Why?" 

And then you'll answer: "Because the truth of the matter is that when an American is dining in Europe, his/her dining etiquette is at best considered 'savage'; likewise, when a European is dining in America, he/she is the one accused of bad table manners.  Why, everybody knows that!" 

I can guarantee you that if you go through this exercise with them, they'll never look down upon your eating habits again!

The point here, of course, is that we really sometimes have to stand our ground and let other people know that eating styles are a highly cultural thing.  Ask any chopsticks-wielding kung fu master!

But still, why do we eat with a spoon and a fork?  And is this cultural eccentricity ours alone?

The answer to the latter question is no, because actually, the Thais and the Indonesians also eat just like us: The spoon is the primary utensil used for eating (with its edge often serving the functions of a knife) while the fork is used primarily just to push the food onto the spoon.

But again, why?

Stumped, I turned to The Filipina's in-law who studied culinary arts and accounting -- let's anonymize him by the name "Chef A" -- to account for this.  Here's the theory he propounds:

Chef A believes that the use of a spoon and a fork is perfect for the way Southeast Asians prepare and cook their food.  He said that unlike, say, the Americans who like their meats and other food items in big slabs and humongous chunks, Southeast Asians generally prepare their dishes in bite-sized pieces -- chopped, minced or ground -- thus leaving no real need for a knife. 

Also, Chef A theorized that because of the humidity and absence of natural refrigeration in the tropics, the region's cooking style has evolved to take the environment into account.  Hence, Southeast Asians tend to overcook their food through excessive grilling, boiling or sauteing, making sure to kill the bacteria; as a result, the dishes tend to be tender, soupy, saucy and/or otherwise perfect enough, susceptible enough and soft enough to eat using just a spoon.  That's why, he adds, meats cooked rare are also not native to Southeast Asians because these meats would require refrigeration prior to cooking and also a knife for eating.

To me, Chef A's explanation makes a lot of sense.  I only wish Chef A can also explain to The Filipina why her husband's eating style is actually endearing to his Korean and Japanese friends, and why that should be the case with her too.

Got a question for The Filipino?  Email him now at askthepinoy@gmail.com.

The Mexican asks: How much Spanish remains in Filipino languages?

Dear Filipino,

How much Spanish remains in Tagalog or any of the other Filipino languages?  Whenever I'm enjoying my pansit bihon with lechon and the turo-turo joint is broadcasting some Pinoy show on the television, I can't concentrate because the sprinkling of Spanish makes me feel like I should know what everyone is saying!

The Mexican

The Mexican

Dear Mexican Dear Idol,

First of all, thank you very much for your email and question!  The Filipino is honored -- no, make it extremely honored and grateful! -- that you've written to encourage him to keep up this blog, which was inspired in the first place by your "Ask a Mexican!" column!

[NOTE: This and the next few paragraphs, which are enclosed by the brackets, are not for you, Idol, but for the uninitiated.

A Filipino turo-turo joint, or a carinderia, is a local eatery which serves inexpensive home-cooked meals and is typically characterized by a very informal ambience: i.e., no reservations required, no uniformed waiters at your beck and call, no fancy fixtures, et cetera.  The root word, turo, is a Tagalog word which means "to point," so patrons of a turo-turo joint usually just point from an array of heated but earlier-prepared viands to order their desired meals (although generally they are also able to order a la carte meals at higher price points). 

Pancit bihon is a popular Filipino noodle dish and lechon is a pork dish.  See the below photos for reference:

Pancit Bihon (from wokwithray.com)



Lechon Kawali (from wokwithray.com)

Just looking at the pictures make me salivate, but enough with this aside and on to The Mexican's my idol's question. ;-) ]

The Pinoy television show you were watching was probably in Tagalog, which is the language of the people from the provinces in and around Metro Manila.  It was made the national language in 1937 and renamed Pilipino in 1939. 

There are several good reasons why, whenever you're eating at the turo-turo joint, you feel you should be able to fully understand (but maybe don't) what the Filipinos on TV are talking about.  They are as follows:

• There are an estimated 4,000 Spanish words in Tagalog, or about 20-30% of Tagalog words while Visayan and other Philippine languages borrowed about 6,000 Spanish words.  But then dig this: Chavacano, which is spoken in Zamboanga, is actually the only Spanish-based creole language in Asia. (So I'm not entirely sure here, but I'm guessing you can probably survive in Zamboanga speaking only Spanish!)
• With slight changes in spelling and pronunciation, Pilipino incorporated the Spanish terms for counting (uno, dos, tres...), telling time (a la una y media?), the calendar (Enero, Pebrero, Marso...), days of the week (Lunes, Martes, Miyerkoles...), among others.  
• Spanish has developed "false friends" in Tagalog and in the other Philippine languages.  These are the related words which started out from the same starting point but -- probably because of local usage/application, loss of nuance, or outright misuse -- have developed different meanings with the passage of time (e.g., kontrabida, which is from contra vida, meaning "against life," is now Tagalog for villain).
• Of course, there are also a lot of "false cognates" -- similar words in Spanish and Tagalog that appear to have a common origin but actually do not (e.g., ama is Tagalog for father but Spanish for housewife).  (I think another good example is the word recently used by Brandon Rios to describe Pacquiao: puto, which is a popular steamed rice cake in the Philippines, but is not exactly a term of endearment in Spanish.)
• Then, there are the Tagalog words which the Spaniards incorporated into their own language, too (e.g., dalaga, palay, bolo, etc.)
• And here's the most interesting as far as you and I are concerned: Because the Philippines was directly under the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which was created to administer Spain's far-flung colonies including those in the Spanish East Indies and which was headquartered in Mexico from 1565 to 1821 (until Mexican independence), there was an active Manila-Acapulco galleon trade which allowed many native Mexican words, such as those from the Nahuatl, to creep into Philippine languages (e.g., sayote from chayotl, kamote from camotl, etc.).

Despite the departure of the Spaniards in 1898 from the Philippine archipelago, Spanish remained one of the official languages in the Philippines until 1973.  And in fact, it was still a required subject in colleges across the country until 1987.  Unfortunately, however, except for a few thousand words which became part of the daily Philippine lexicon, The Filipino did not really learn it enough to be able to really converse in the language.

Thanks again for your question, Idol!  Mabuhay ka! ;-)

Got a question for The Filipino?  Email him now at askthepinoy@gmail.com. 

What do Filipinos cook for themselves at home?

Dear Filipino,

I've had lumpia before, and that's it. Could you please tell me about Filipino cuisine?  Everyday eating, not what the restaurants pump out.  I'm especially interested in hearing what families cook for themselves, more than what they cook for guests.  Has a Filipino Brother-in-Law, But Boy is He Worthless.

Thank you!

Itchy Ishy

P.S.  Filipino, lots of people start blogs and lose steam. I'm really looking forward to yours, so don't quit on me. Good luck with the questions!

Dear Itchy Ishy,

Believe it or not, what you see in typical Filipino restaurants are also the dishes ordinary Filipino families cook for themselves on a daily basis.  Except for a few fancy Filipino restaurants, most Filipino restaurants serve the home-cooked variety.

The most popular are the following:

You have all types of adobo (typically marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic): chicken adobo, pork adobo, chicken-pork adobo, adobong pusit (squid), adobong hipon (shrimp), adobong isda (fish), and other variations.

Then you have the sinigang series, which are soups characterized by a really sour flavor, usually by using tamarind, calamansi (Filipino lemons), or guava, and a generous heaping of all sorts of vegetables.  Like adobo, they can be sinigang na manok (chicken), sinigang na baboy (pork), sinigang na hipon, sinigang na isda, etc.

Because Filipinos love soups, you have the nilaga (really soupy stew), typically with beef or pork and made healthy by vegetables like bok choy.  And the really yummy chicken tinola.

You can also have kare-kare, kinilaw (ceviche), ginataan (all sorts of stuff cooked with coconut milk), all sorts of barbecued meats marinated in soy sauce and vinegar, and all sorts of pansit (noodles), which can be cooked in different styles: palabok, bihon, batchoy, etc.

Honestly, the list of viands is really almost a mile long because of the different styles, regional versions, permutations, combinations of Filipino cooking as richly influenced by the Chinese, Spanish, Americans, Japanese, South Asians, Malays, and many other cultures.   And frankly, I don't have the inclination and time to really go through this list exhaustively right now, but might go back to it later down the road if another reader asks a more pointed question.  (So keep returning, 'k?)

But note, Ishy: There is one thing you can't EVER forget to serve in a Filipino meal:

RICE.  And lots of it!

P.S.  The Filipino doesn't plan to quit on you, Ishy, but then again, The Filipino has made other plans in his past that, because of one circumstance/reason/excuse or another, he had to abandon.  But let's not dwell on this quitting thing and let's just keep wishing each other well, 'k?

P.P.S.  Did I mention you have to serve RICE, and lots of it, every meal?

P.P.P.S.  I'm sorry you have a "worthless Filipino brother-in-law"?  Are you sure you're feeding him enough rice?

Got a question for The Filipino?  Email him now at askthepinoy@gmail.com.