YEARS of writing about Chinese New Year always have new information for me. There is so much inherent mystery when you can’t speak the language. My early stories involved food that’s served because it sounds like “gold,” “money” or “lucky” in Chinese.
MANILA, Philippines—Cyrille Soenen recently announced that he will no longer be executive chef of a big hotel. He will be chef of his own bistro to be called Ciçou (his nickname, pronounced “see sue”).
MANILA, Philippines—The Mayon Volcano rises majestic as soon as you approach Albay whether by land or air. At one point, you seem to be closer to it and yet you see that it’s not the perfect cone as pictures have shown.
MANILA, Philippines—I grew at a time when eggs were still fresh, Jersey milk was unpasteurized and half cream, chickens were from the backyard, packaged cake mixes and frozen foods were unknown, and garden fruits and vegetables were eaten in their proper seasons.”
MANILA, Philippines—Every time I talk about the Thai cooking lessons I took at The Oriental Bangkok, my friends tell me they still have to taste what I learned.
MANILA, Philippines—The newspapers recently reported that fruits from Jolo were brought to Manila on board a military C-31 plane as part of the project “Fruits of Hope,” a peace program initiated by the Philippine National Red Cross headed by Senator Richard Gordon.
