In Memoriam: My Grandfather

One of my favorite photos of my grandparents. Minalin, Pampanga, Philippines, 1975

My grandfather passed away on Nov. 27 at the age of 89 years old.

I've always felt disconnected from my extended family back in the Philippines; not because of any family drama or anything, but really only because the geographical distance makes it very difficult to build and maintain relationships. (Let's face it; the flight to Manila makes a five-hour flight to New York seem like a nanosecond, not to mention the fact that a plane ticket can cost about a month's salary for some.) In any case; my grandparents helped raise my cousins; my memories of my grandparents consisted of stories my dad would tell me about them and the three times I've visited. But despite the distance (both literally and figuratively), I've always held a fondness in my heart for my family back there.

Thankfully, the Internet and social networking have enabled the kinds of connections I've wanted to make with my cousins. My cousin, Jon, wrote this tribute to our grandfather the other day, and after reading it, I realized that my dad --- the oldest of all the siblings --- is SO like my grandfather. I may not have had the pleasure or privilege of living with my grandparents, but my grandfather's teachings, personality, values and beliefs were mirrored in the teachings, personality, values and beliefs I've seen in my own father.

And I never felt so connected to my family than at that moment.

No Reservations

I met Anthony Bourdain Friday night. He was in Santa Cruz doing a book signing for his new book, "No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach," which is more of a travel book with photos.

Can I just say: I lovelovelove Anthony Bourdain. Not only is he an awesome chef and writer, but his TV show about traveling to exotic locations and eating their food teaches you about other cultures and traditions in a way that is insightful, entertaining and, most importantly, respectful.

Don't even get me started on how hot he is. I'm just saying.

I told him as such (about him being respectful, not about him being hot) when we had our conversation (I'll never wash my ear again!) --- I asked him if he had ever done a show in the Philippines (he hadn't) and, if not, that he really needed to to bring his perspective, because that fuckin' Andrew Zimmern guy totally blew it. Don't even get me started on Zimmern. For real.

Anyway, we (that would be my man, Bourdain, and I) went off on that for a minute, and then he asked me where he should go.

"Pampanga," I said. "The folks in that region are known for their cooking."

"Alright. Done," he said.

Please believe my heart just about exploded. Tony, if you're reading this, and you do a Philippines show, give your girl a shout out in the end credits, wouldja?


UPDATE 11/19: So I found out a bunch of lucky-ass San Franciscans got to sit around and have dinner with Bourdain the next night. How the fuck can I get in the loop on shit like this for next time? I would have absolutely wrangled the funds needed to be a part of this. Oh well. My heart is still a-flutter.


(Cross-posted on my other blog.)

Uh-oh.

At least the evacuations have already begun:

The Philippine authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 20,000 people living near a volcano, saying an eruption could take place soon.

The alert was raised to four - the second highest level - following increased activity at Mount Mayon, in the centre of the country.

It began abnormal activity in February, and started emitting lava in mid-July.

Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines, having erupted about 50 times in the past 400 years.

People living in the region watched with alarm early on Monday, as five successive volcanic blasts happened within 40 minutes.

By mid-morning, Mayon's peak was covered in a dark cloud of volcanic material rising high above the crater.

"We deem it necessary to raise the alert level to four," Philippine volcanology and seismology director Renato Solidum told Reuters news agency.

This means that an eruption could happen within days. Level five represents an ongoing eruption.

Of course, there are some folks who cannot leave the area, for whatever reason. I just hope not too many people are affected by this, because the poverty in the area will ensure that they never will recover.

Modern-day slavery

Ugh. And these people were Filipinos too.

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- A federal jury found a wealthy suburban couple guilty Friday of harboring an illegal immigrant and forcing her to work as their maid for 19 years.

The Filipino national testified during the eight-day trial that she felt like a prisoner in Jefferson and Elnora Calimlim's home.

[...]

Jefferson N. Calimlim's attorney, Tom Brown, told jurors the couple had plenty of money to hire an American worker. He said Elnora Calimlim wanted a Filipino maid because she had one while growing up in the Philippines, and she wanted only to help a fellow Filipino.

Elnora Calimlim testified Martinez earned $150 a month for the first 10 years and $400 a month thereafter. Most of the money went to Martinez's parents, who French said received about $18,000 over the 19 years.

Martinez would have earned about $480,000 over that period had the Calimlims paid her a U.S. minimum wage for her 16-hour days, a U.S. Department of Labor witness testified.

Some "help" you gave her, there. Embarassing.

Blame Canada

I don't remember how I got a link to this article, but it really ticked me off. A Filipino child in Roxboro, Canada (just outside of Montreal) was punished by a lunch program monitor after this person didn't like the way he ate:

Luc Cagadoc’s table behaviour is traditionally Filipino; he fills his spoon by pushing the food on his plate with a fork, his mother, Maria Theresa Gallardo, says.

But after being punished by his school’s lunch program monitor more than 10 times this year for his mealtime conduct — including his technique — the seven-year-old told Gallardo said last week that he was too embarrassed to eat his dinner.

“Mommy, I don’t want to eat anymore,” Gallardo says Luc told her at the kitchen table April 11. “My teacher is telling me that eating with a spoon and fork is yucky and disgusting.”

When he eats with both a spoon and fork, instead of only one utensil, the Grade 2 student said the lunch monitor moves him to a table to sit by himself.

And when the mother filed a formal complaint against the employee and talked to the school's principal, Normand Bergeron, he said this to her:

"Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat."

Quite frankly, I am surprised to learn that this happened in Canada. I mean, I thought we Americans had the monopoly on the "This is America, do as we do" argument. If they're going to ban spoon-and-fork eating in Canada, they may as well close every Thai restaurant in that country. Newsflash: They do it too, damn heathens, eating with a spoon and fork like that. How DARE they. While we're at it, let's chastise the Europeans, who eat with a knife and fork in each hand. Hell, let's banish those Asians that eat with those funky sticks, too. And while we're at it, someone tell those damn Messikins that tortillas are NOT eating utensils!

The principal tried to defend himself by saying Luc's eating habits were "turbulent," whatever that means. Obviously, we all know that every seven-year-old kid has impeccable manners.

Reading stuff like this really breaks my heart. Some fools in Canada, in their patriotic zeal (I got another word for it), ended up giving this poor kid a complex.

Way to go, Canada.

It's this blatant refusal to accept the subtleties of other cultures that makes me pessimistic about issues like racism and immigration reform. Yes, this story came out of Canada, but when was the last time you heard stuff like, "This is America, speak English," or "If you don't like it, go back to where you came from," or even "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve"? Or when was the last time you laughed at a joke that perpetuated a stereotype about a specific culture?

There's always going to be some level of intolerance in our society; I've come to accept that. And maybe we are making baby steps toward inclusion and tolerance. But Jesus H --- the kid is seven years old. I hope my little homeboy in Canada stops feeling ashamed for who he is. And I hope eventually, or hopefully through that "everything is embarassing to me" phase of his life, that he learns to embrace his culture down the line rather than repudiate it.

I hope nobody ever again makes him ashamed to be Filipino.

What now?

Great. Coup attempt in the Philippines.

"I have declared a state of emergency," Arroyo said in a taped address on television and radio, adding she had authorized the military and police "to take ample measures."

Dad comes home Saturday.

Digging for Hope

I feel like a bad Filipino for not commenting on Friday's landslide in South Leyte. This was partially because the initial counts of 1,800 feared dead tripped me out. My dad and his sister are in the Philippines right now, so I had my initial "Where the fuck is South Leyte?" Google Maps freak-out moment. (Nowhere near where they are, thank Jah.) Also, the mental image of trees sliding down the hill - vertically - was hard for me to fathom. I didn't comment also because I've been angered by stories about how illegal logging in the area has caused uncontrolled soil erosion, making this landslide inevitable, and I really wanted my reflection on this disaster to be a little more rational rather than a slew of F-bombs.

Fortunately for me, I don't have any family in South Leyte. My family is mainly on the island of Luzon. In case you were wondering.

I was born in the States, and have visited the Philippines about three or four times. And whenever I visit, I realize that they have the same problems that we do here - but on a much larger scale. Natural resources are plundered. Basic infrastructure is lacking (although my family says that now there is a central highway that connects Manila to Northern Luzon, where my mom is from). Corruption - of all kinds - runs rampant. And it always makes me sad to see that, because that is what the rest of the world sees. But in reality, if you dig deep enough, you can find the beauty of this country. Like now.

When I read stories like this, it just makes me so proud of the people from my ancestral homeland, because they refuse to give up their search and rescue efforts, when other cynical and jaded people - like me - would have already given up. I mean hell - even Imelda is going to donate some money to the mudslide victims instead of using that money for some "alternative medicine" treatment she was going to check out in Hong Kong. She does have a heart after all.

My mom sometimes says that the Philippines is a land of "lost opportunities." I hope that Philippine President Arroyo takes her cue from this disaster to make sure that greed (e.g. illegal logging helping to make this landslide worse) doesn't overcome the basic need to take care of the Philippine people. It's a tall order, but she can at least get the ball moving in the right direction. It's an opportunity to make some real change. Like, for example, a broader use of coconets to help battle soil erosion, helping to prevent landslides of this magnitude from happening again.

Baby steps.

If any of you readers happen to have any family affected by the landslide, you are in my prayers.

Photo credit: AFP/HO/Michael D.Kennedy