This Side of Heaven... where angels love to tread!

This was the video that made it happen:



Okey, Anthony Bourdain as we now know has been to the Philippines and has experienced the sights, sounds, smell and the taste of the Philippines. Like any pinoy foodie who is always proud of their country's culinary diversity, I have always thought that if given the chance, I would gladly show people like Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern around my home country to experience Filipino cuisine.

It is funny how Filipinos visiting their relatives in the US or in any other countries find themselves being served pinoy dishes instead of the steak, filet mignon or other fancy dishes of their adaptive country. The reason for this I guess would be because, pinoys miss their homeland and the closest that they can ease the pain of homesickness is through their food.

I'm glad that Anthony, even though at first skeptic of Augusto Elefanio's real motive during the finalists' interview after learning that he was only in the Philippine for a week, gave him another chance. (I guess that was after Anthony has been literally bullied by his pinoy fans to visit the country.)

Foodie guides for Anthony were Ivan Man Dy (in Manila), Claude Tayag (in Pampanga) and Marketman in Cebu.

I know a lot of pinoys will be thinking the show didn't cover more of the other familiar foods (e.g. dinuguan, pancit, lumpiang shanghai, etc... ) but after reading the blogs by the foodie guides, they pretty much had a list of dishes representative of pinoy cuisine but since it was the productions prerogative to choose and edit the show, they get to decide what is to be featured. But anyways, this would I guess be a good reason for another trip to the Philippines in the future. I just hope that Anthony remembers all the scrumptious fare served to him to warrant another show.

As for Augusto, I know that the show played on his alienation to his ancestral land and it played an integral part of the show. This was uncannily done, as if they know of the spirit of every pinoy who has been uprooted from the homeland. But if it's any consolation to Augusto, you are not the only one for I am sure that any Phil-American especially those who were born here in the US of A feel your pain. Listening to him explain to Anthony how it is to be a Filipino yet not be connected in some ways to the motherland is heartbreaking. Just the other week, my daughter Karrol was telling me the same thing and she felt she had to learn how to balance herself as a way of adaptation.

Anthony's enigmatic question about why Filipino cuisine has not reach international recognition has been asked and talked about with his guides. Filipinos may have different and oh so varied take on this matter ... as varied as the cuisine and regions that it represent. Maybe it is time for us pinoys to change that.

Visit Ivan and Marketman's blog to get an insiders view on No Reservations: Philippines.

My last words for Augusto is to continue to re-connect with his relatives back in the Philippines. The video you made was well-done, you deserved that second chance.