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rouge-andrei-blog · 3 years ago

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Andrés Bonifacio: The Free Man's Lifelong Battle

What does it mean to be truly free? The concept of freedom has always perplexed me as a student, and it has meant a lot of things to me throughout my journey of learning about history. For many of us, freedom entails a life devoid of obligation and burden. When I talked about freedom, I always meant it in the broadest sense. I meant it abstractly. This man, on the other hand, would spend the rest of his life fighting for it. From Lapu-Lapu to Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the early Filipinos always yearned and sought independence for nearly half a millennium. With the group of Ilustrados that José Rizal himself helped form: The La Liga Filipina, they devoted a significant amount of time to writing about it. They fought gently, using the force of their quills and ink. They had stood up to this tyrannical government and risked their lives in the process. Nonetheless, one cannot help but feel the privilege pouring from most of their writings. The majority of these men were wealthy, and they could afford the luxury of studying. Our national hero, too! José Rizal is a son of a Filipino father and a Chinese mother. He came from an affluent family.

However, for the man I'll be writing about today, freedom was not a metaphor. For him, it would become a continuous war that would define his life and legacy, not just a battle of ideas and reforms. This man is the one who would single-handedly initiate the Philippine Revolution. Born on November 30, 1863, Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro, knew of hardship and poverty from birth. Somehow, despite this, his tenacity, his perspective, and his sheer self-sufficiency would make Andrés —not just in his life, not just to the future heroes he influenced, but in history and for all time—the ultimate symbol of the ability of Filipinos to find true freedom in the darkest of circumstances. And they were indeed dark circumstances. Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro lived in a period of strife, a period of uneasiness. He was born the first of six children of Catalina de Castro, a Spanish Mestiza, and Santiago Bonifacio, an Alkalde in their hometown. He was born in what is now modern Tondo, Manila, in a region that as part of the Spanish Empire was subject to its brutal laws. He would have seen all the opulence, insanity, and contradictions of the Spaniards. Bonifacio had an impoverished upbringing and he received little formal education. He worked as a courier and warehouse keeper before becoming involved in revolutionary action. He was, nonetheless, a voracious reader. Bonifacio was obliged to abandon his intentions for higher education at the age of 19 and begin working full-time to support his orphaned younger siblings. He was employed by the British trading firm J.M. Fleming & Co. and worked as a corredor, or middleman, for local raw commodities including tar and rattan. Later, he worked as a bodeguero, or grocer, for the German company Fressell & Co. Unlike nationalist poet and novelist José Rizal, who fought for reforming Spanish authority in the Philippines, Bonifacio advocated for total independence. He is known as "The Father of the Philippine Revolution" and is regarded as one of the country's national heroes. He was a founding member and eventually the Kataas-taasang Pangulo of the Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, or more generally known as the "Katipunan," a movement that sought Philippine independence from Spanish colonial control and sparked the Tagalog Revolution. Bonifacio founded the Katipunan in 1892 when the Liga was disbanded following Rizal's arrest and exile, and thus offered a rallying point for the people's fight for freedom, independence, and equality. The Katipunan modelled its initiation procedures after Masonry, but its intellectual principles were borrowed from the French Revolution, and its materialistic-historical orientation might be described as extreme. Work was revered by the Katipunan as the source of all value. It drew attention to the colonial system's unjust class structure, the rising exploitation of indigenous peoples, and the necessity to reinforce the working class's combined strength to overthrow the inequitable system.

When the Revolution began, Bonifacio restructured the Katipunan into a revolutionary government, naming himself President of the "Haring Bayang Katagalugan" nation-state. As a result, some historians say that he should be known as the First President of the Tagalogs rather than the Philippines, which is why he is not listed in the current official succession. Bonifacio became the Katipunan's top leader, or Presidente Supremo, in 1895. Bonifacio created the Kalayaan, or "Freedom," newspaper with his companions Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela. Under Bonifacio's leadership in 1896, Katipunan grew from roughly 300 members to over 30,000. Bonifacio's organization was ready to begin fighting for independence from Spain, with a militaristic atmosphere sweeping the country and a multi-island network in place.

The Spanish colonial government realized the Philippines was on the verge of a revolution in the summer of 1896. Authorities attempted to prevent the rebellion on August 19 by arresting and imprisoning hundreds of people on treason accusations. Some of those apprehended were truly committed to the cause, but the majority were not.

The majority of its members were workers and peasants, and the urban middle class favoured reform over revolution. It's a perplexing irony. Seneca, A Roman Stoic and Senator had once written that “Freedom is the prize we are working for: not being a slave to anything—not to compulsion, not to chance events, not to men of power.”

Jose Rizal, who was on a ship in Manila Bay waiting to ship out for service as a military doctor in Cuba, was among those imprisoned (this was part of his plea bargain with the Spanish government, in exchange for his release from prison in Mindanao). Bonifacio and two others dressed up as sailors and boarded the ship, attempting to persuade Rizal to join them, but he refused; he was eventually tried and executed in a Spanish kangaroo court.

Thousands of Bonifacio's followers began the revolution by tearing up their community tax certificates, or cedulas. The event was later known as the ‘Cry of Balintawak’ or ‘Cry of Pugad Lawin’. This was a signal to the Spanish colonial administration that they would not pay any more taxes. On August 23, Bonifacio declared the Philippines' independence from Spain, naming himself president and commander-in-chief of the revolutionary government. On August 28, 1896, he issued a manifesto calling for "all cities to rise simultaneously and attack Manila," and he dispatched generals to lead the rebel forces in this assault.

Bonifacio personally led an attack on San Juan del Monte, to capture the Spanish garrison's metro water station and powder stockpile. The Spanish troops inside managed to fend off Bonifacio's forces until reinforcements came, although being severely outnumbered. Bonifacio's forces were forced to flee to Marikina, Montalban, and San Mateo, where they sustained significant losses. In different parts of Manila, other Katipunan units fought Spanish troops. The revolution had swept the country by early September.

The fighting becomes much more intense. As Spain redirected all of its resources to defending Manila, rebel groups in other areas proceeded to sweep up the sliver of Spanish resistance that remained. Cavite (a peninsula south of the city that juts into Manila Bay) was the most successful in forcing the Spaniards out. Emilio Aguinaldo, an upper-class politician from Cavite, led the rebels. By October of 1896, Aguinaldo's soldiers had taken control of the majority of the peninsula.

He led attacks on Marikina, Montalban, and San Mateo on November 7, 1986. Although he initially succeeded in driving the Spaniards out of these towns, he eventually lost his posts and decided to relocate to Cavite, where a conflict between two groups was brewing.

In Cavite, the rebels were split into two groups: Magdalo, led by General Emilio Aguinaldo, and Magdiwang, led by Andrés Bonifacio's cousin Mariano Lvarez. When Bonifacio arrived in Cavite, Aguinaldo, who was more successful militarily and came from a wealthy family, began to challenge him on a variety of issues.

As a more successful military leader and a member of a much wealthier, more influential family, Emilio Aguinaldo felt justified in forming his own rebel government in opposition to Bonifacio's. On March 22, 1897, Aguinaldo rigged an election at the rebels' Tejeros Convention to show that he was the proper president of the revolutionary government.

The first meeting at Imus was largely ineffective. As a result, on March 22, 1897, they convened in Tejeros to organize an election to finally settle the problem of the Katipunan government.

To Bonifacio's shame, he not only lost the presidency to Aguinaldo but was appointed to the lowly post of secretary of the interior. When Daniel Tirona questioned his fitness even for that job based on Bonifacio's lack of university education, the humiliated former president pulled out a gun and would have killed Tirona if a bystander had not stopped him.

Bonifacio refused to acknowledge Emilio Aguinaldo's rebel government after he "won" the falsified election in Tejeros. Aguinaldo dispatched a squad to arrest Bonifacio; the opposition leader was unaware that they were there for nefarious purposes and welcomed them into his camp. They killed his brother Ciriaco, severely beat his brother Procopio, and raped his young wife Gregoria, according to some accounts.

Bonifacio and Procopio were tried for treason and sedition by Aguinaldo. Both Bonifacios were convicted and condemned to death after a one-day sham trial in which their defence lawyer averred their guilt rather than defending them.

On May 8, Aguinaldo commuted the death sentence, but it was later reinstated. Both Procopio and Bonifacio were presumably shot killed by a firing squad on Nagpatong Mountain on May 10, 1897. According to some stories, Bonifacio was unable to stand owing to untreated combat wounds and was instead slashed to death in his stretcher. He was only 34 years old when he died.

Bonifacio is a pivotal figure in Filipino history as the first self-declared president of the independent Philippines and the first leader of the Philippine Revolution. President or not, he's one of our nation's founding fathers.

Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro would later then inspire generations and generations of freedom fighters for our beloved country. Just like General Antonio Luna would be in part inspired by Bonifacio’s ferocious commitment to freedom —literal and otherwise—when he rose up and led his fellow Filipinos to freedom against American forces.

So, even if centuries pass, the same convictions that helped a man gain freedom and make him strong in the face of adversity will enable future generations to do the same. That is the only way future generations will be able to appreciate and honour someone like Andrés Bonifacio appropriately. Everything else is a waste of time; all you need to do now is act. Forget everything but action. Freedom is not given; it's taken.

“Insurrection is the most sacred of the rights and the most indispensable of duties”

―Marquis de Lafayette

Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro wasn't only a symbol of freedom; he was the embodiment of it. He is a man of liberty. He is aware of the level of responsibility that it entails. And he fought for it until he died. Some birds are simply not meant to be kept in cages. Their feathers are too bright, and their songs are both charming and wild. He is, after all, a free man.

#PHILIPPINES #HISTORY #FREEDOM #POWER #REVOLUTION #BRAVERY #COURAGE #THEFREEMAN

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futureteacherinthemaking · 4 years ago

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The Grape Riots and the Agricultural Reform Movement of California

1. Introduction:

It is the 1930's in California and many families are starting their workday just before the sunrise to leave for the lettuce and grape fields that span the great valleys that cover state. They would have to endure a long workday for outrageously low wages to barely survive. The majority of these families were immigrants and migrants of all backgrounds, spanning from the Mexicans to the Filipinos. Families would have their children drop out of school at ealry ages to help secure funds for the family. When their work in the area was done, they would pack up their belongings and travel to the next rural town looking for more work. This was sadly the reality for many across the state untill three dacades later when revolutionist like Cesar Chavez and Larry Itliong started to fight for reform of the state's agricultural labor. They started with the boycott of products like grapes and lettuce at general goods stores across California in the 1960's and an assortment of flyers and posters educating the public on the issue with the state of agricultural production and the mistreatment of the many laborers. It took another decade untill the Agricultural Relations Act was passed in 1975. This act unfortantly was ineffective at protecting the Unions and the workers who formed them since nothing was inforced or regulated. In this Journey Box we will explore the trails and tribulations of the Agricultural Reform movement, the forgotten filipinos who fought for it, and why it was deemed unsuccesful for a while.

2. Index:

1. Introduction

2. Index

3. Filipino Farm Workers (Photograph #1)

4. Delano Grape Strikers (Photograph #2)

5. NPR’s “Memories Of A Former Migrant Worker” (Participant Account #1)

6. NPR’s “Grapes of Wrath: The Forgotten Filipinos Who Led A Farmworker Revolution” (Participant Account #2)

7. Grape Boycott Flyer (Artifact #1)

8. Boycott For Democracy Poster (Artifact #2)

9. Summary

10. Sources

3. Photograph #1

A photograph of Filipino Farm workers picking lettuce, Nagano Farm, Morro Bay, California, ca. 1930.

Questions:

- Why do you think the majority of farm workers were immigrants or migrants?

- What are some of the day to day conditions the farm workers could be experiencing out on the fields?

- Why was this kind of work popular in the valleys of California?

4. Photograph #2

A photograph of Delano Grape Strike picketers in Delano, California, February 1966.

Questions:

- What do you notice about the makeup of the Delano Grape Strike picketers?

- Why is it called the Delano Grape Strike, what could they be striking against? Consider the importance of the location of the strike as well.

- This is one of many strikes against farm owners and ranchers at the time. What do you think was the general public opinion on the matter at the time?

5. Participant Account #1

The following are a collection of excerpts from NPR’s “Memories of a Former Migrant Worker” This technically is not a participant account but since filipinos were so disregarded within the history of the movement this Filipino Historian was the best I could find

Felix Contreras: You were raised in a migrant farm worker environment. Can you describe what that was like?

Luis Contreras: First of all, we didn't have a permanent residence. We traveled in a truck and we lived mostly in a tent on the road between California and Kansas.

Because we were migrants, our schooling was incomplete. We would arrive in a town after school started and leave before the school year was over. We didn't always have the basic necessities of life, like being able to take a bath regularly.

Because we often had to set up our tent in the country, we ate a lot of what we found growing in the wild — fruits, some vegetables. If we were in one place long enough we could plant a garden and eat what we grew. Later, after we stopped moving and settled down in Sacramento (California) my mother would sometimes complain that our diet was better in the country with access to fresh food.

We also worked very long hours, often from sun up until sun down. The entire family, children included. As a child you think it's just normal life, nothing out of the ordinary. We didn't think we were working especially hard. It was just a normal life for us.

Felix Contreras: So things like child labor laws didn't exist back then?

Luis Contreras: There were child labor laws, but here's how migrant families worked it: When we were out in the fields you could see a child labor officer driving up along those dirt roads from at least a mile away. Plus they were usually driving a government car, so it was easy to spot them. The kids would leave the fields, gather around the family truck, then go back to work after the child labor office left the area.

Looking back, I think it was in the interests of the ag. industry to not have the child labor laws enforced because we did a lot of work as children. It was a different time. It was a different way of thinking among people who did agriculture work — meaning, there wasn't much of an interest in the welfare of the field worker.

Questions:

- Why do you think this harsh lifestyle was so normalized for migrant families at the time?

- Why do you think the agriculture industry did not care about enforcing labor laws and what do you think made them decide to enforce them now?

- Think about the present and consider how modern migrant and immigrant families live today. In what ways has life improved for most families and what are the modern problems they face?

6. Participant Account #2

The following is from NPR’s “Grapes of Wrath: The Forgotten Filipinos Who Led A Farmworker Revolution”

Perez is outraged that this history is not known, because the actions those Filipinos took improved her family's lives. "I mean, I'm extremely proud that Cesar Chavez was the right face at the right time, but a lot of the dirty work was already done."

For decades the migrant, bachelor, Filipino farmworkers – called Manongs, or elders — had fought for better working conditions. So in the summer of 1965, with pay cuts threatened around the state, these workers were prepared to act, says historian Dawn Mabalon.

"They're led by this really charismatic, veteran, seasoned, militant labor leader Larry Itliong," she says.

He urged local families in Delano to join Manongs in asking farmers for a raise. The growers balked. Workers gathered at Filipino Hall for a strike vote.

"The next morning they went out to the vineyard, and then they left the crop on the ground, and then they walked out," Mabalon says.

Cesar Chavez and others had been organizing Mexican workers around Delano for a few years, but a strike wasn't in their immediate plans. But Larry Itliong appealed to Chavez, and two weeks later, Mexican workers joined the strike.

Soon, the two unions came together to form what would become United Farm Workers, with Larry Itliong as the assistant director under Chavez.

Mabalon says, "These two groups coming together to do this? That is the power in the Delano Grape Strike."

It took five years of striking, plus an international boycott of table grapes, before growers signed contracts with the United Farm Workers.

Those years weren't easy: on strikers, families, or Delano.

Questions:

- Why do you think the Filipinos are usually disregarded when talking about the "Farmworker Revolution”?

- Why do you think the Mexican workers didn't plan to strike immediately, what could they have done instead?

- Does the Farmworker Revolution remind you of any modern movements where people from all background have united to fight for a just cause?

7. Artifact #1

A NAACP flyer calling for support for the grape boycott, 1965.

Questions:

- Who do you think the target audience was for this flyer?

- How impactful do you think boycotting California Grapes was for Cesar Chavez’s farm work reform movement?

- Do you think grocers would try and avoid certain grapes or choose to ignore the boycott?

8. Artifact #2

A poster calling for a “boycott for democracy” of grapes, 1975. (transcript here)

Questions:

- Why do you think Agricultural Labor Relations Act failed in protecting the farm workers?

- Why do you think the ranchers and farm owners are refusing to work with the UFW?

- Knowing that the years of protesting and boycotting did little to reform the state of Californias Agricultural laborers. Why do you think they continue to use boycott as an outlet for achieving their goals?

9. Summary:

I chose to cover the Agricultural Reform Movement of California since it is something that hits close to home for me. My family originated from the valleys of California and my Grandpa was one of those immigrant workers who came to the United States for a better life and was met with harsh work conditions and lack of childhood. He would always tell me about how he dropped out of 3rd grade to go work in the fields and ended up losing one of his fingertips at the age of twelve while working. I think this topic would be relevant to many students since they themselves may have family members who were immigrants or be one themselves. They have heard the same stories countless times while growing up. As far as how this can be integrated into other subjects, students could write a personal narrative in the eyes of a migrant child growing up in the 1960s during the movement for English Language Arts. This journey box perfectly addresses the ideas of "A" history not "The" history since we discuss the often not talked about Filipino involvement and the Latin root word of education since we are inviting students to draw out their own thoughts and ideas on the movement.

10. Sources:

Photographs and Artifacts: https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-united-farm-workers-and-the-delano-grape-strike

Personal Account #1: https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/10/08/130425856/cesar-chavez

Personal Account #2: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/16/440861458/grapes-of-wrath-the-forgotten-filipinos-who-led-a-farmworker-revolution

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writingwithcolor · 6 years ago

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LA's Asian Locations

Hello! I’m Kore, I’m Korean, Thai, and Chinese, and live in LA. I’m going to be sending some other things in, in a seperate POC Profile, but this was getting long. But if anyone ever is writing about Asians in LA(since there are… you know… a lot of Asians in LA), or just LA in generally and want to have their character visit one of parts of the city where more Asian people live, here is a small guide to most of them.

Westside

Asian-Americans in LA have a shit ton of places you can go. To begin with is the Westside. This is the area near the Ocean, but isn’t directly on it generally. It’s called the Westside, because it’s almost the western most part of LA. On the Westside there’s Little Persia, with a lot of Persian food, and UCLA. This is specifically called Westwood, but we also call it the Westside. So hah. But because of UCLA there ends up being more East Asians around here because of UCLA, because of this, there’s a super strong East Asian presence around here with a lot of restaurants and stuff. In Mar Vista around here, there’s also a Chinese School that’s super big and popular.

Little Osaka

Then there’s Little Osaka, technically still part of the Westside, also technically called Sawtelle because it’s like three, maybe four, blocks of Sawtelle Blvd. But Little Osaka deserves a special mention of it’s own. This is the first of two Japanese areas in LA, however, Little Osaka also has a lot of Korean things, with many Korean people running Japanese stores. Little Osaka, is super popular to just mostly get food. There’s nothing actually to do here? But hey, food.

Koreatown

Next is Koreatown. So this place is almost in the heart of LA, it’s about 30 min to an hour from the Westside in terms of driving. This is half residential and half not. It’s 100% lit at night. In the heart of Koreatown we’ve got a lot of night clubs, and places to drink. On the peripherals, it’s dead at night. But there’s good food, and a lot of supermarkets. Around 60k Koreans live here alone. There are a lot more than that in LA. Around here is also Little Bangledesh. I’ve never actually been, but that’s also mostly made up of Korean people. Recently Little Bangledesh tried to take over half of Koreatown and make it into little Bangledesh, but was defeated in a vote, as Korean people really didn’t appreciate that.

Right outside of here is Wilshire Korean School, which is a bilingual private school that has Korean School on Saturdays. This is one of maybe… three? Proper Korean schools in LA, most people just home teach their kids Korean. There are two supermarkets here. Galleria and HMart, both of them in Plaza sort of places. Galleria’s has better food, and probably better shopping. But HMart is the OG Asian supermarket and is near two really awesome desert places. One of them you can get a sweet bread, shaped like a fish, filled with ice cream and either red bean, custard, or nutella, and the other one you can get patbingsoo at, or Korean shaved ice.

Little Tokyo

There’s also Little Tokyo. Which I don’t think I’ve ever been to, odd, since I’ve lived in LA my whole life. But I mostly keep to Koreatown and the Westside too.

Chinatown(s)

Okay now for the Chinatowns. So there’s technically one, and that’s in the middle of LA. But let me tell you, that’s not Chinatown. It was, once upon a time, however, a lot of Chinese people moved out of there and to either Alhambra, or Montery Park. So we’ve got Old Chinatown, New Chinatown, and Chinatown. Now I can’t remember whether Montery Park or Alhambra is Old or New, but these are both out a bit a ways from the Chinatown in the middle of LA.

In that Chinatown, all the festivals are thrown. It’s also tiny. Alhambra is a lot more laid out than Montery, which is super laid out. But Montery Park, and Alhambra, have got great food. Also no social lives, but great great food. There’s a supermarket here, when you leave the heart of Chinatown, and walk for maybe 10 minutes, that’s probably the biggest Thai supermarket I’ve ever seen. I mean… You can buy so much coconut sugar here. It's insane.

Thaitown

There’s also Thaitown!! Which is closer to Koreatown than both Old and New Chinatown. This is where you can get a lot of Thai Food, and products. There’s not a lot to do here, and it’s mostly disappearing. But food. Really though, this place is super duper duper boring.

Little India

There’s Little India as well. It’s maybe three streets at most.

Little Saigon

Little Saigon is the heart and soul of the Vietnamese diaspora in LA. It’s beautiful, and actually really awesome. Unlike Thaitown though, you can get good Vietnamese food outside of it. They’ve got streetfood (illegal in LA technically), and a super duper ginourmous market that’s bigger than the biggest HMart that I’ve ever see. It’s so… big.

Everything else isn’t of much note, I’m not going to lie. I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide! I enjoyed writing it for sure.

More PoC Profiles here

Commentary

I’m assuming much of the above is confined to Los Angeles (City) proper. Because much of the Asian population in LA moves pretty fluidly between cities, here are my additions for LA County as a whole (including some key LA landmarks that were left out).

Torrance, Gardena and parts of Culver City: Home to the largest Nikkei and Japanese expat population in LA. This used to be the homebase for Toyota America until they moved their HQ close to their factories in Texas. However, many other Japanese companies still use this region for their American homebases, and as such the biggest Japanese grocery chains (Nijiya, Tokyo Central and Mitsuwa) all operate their largest Californian stores here. This region also has sizable Korean, SE Asian and S. Asian communities. One of LA’s more popular Indian grocers (Samosa House) is based in Culver City. Asahi Gakuen, a Japanese Saturday language school designed to help Japanese American kids keep up with the Japanese national curriculum, is also based here.

San Gabriel Valley aka 626: This includes not only Alhambra, Montebello and Monterey Park, but also Arcadia, Covina, West Covina, San Gabriel, Duarte, El Monte, Commerce, Asuza and Chino). It’s a pretty big, diverse place home to a large number of diaspora in various waves from Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and South Asia. The annual 626 Night Market (a street food fair) is held near the Santa Anita racetracks. When I was a kid, most of my lion dance jobs for the Lunar New Year were in Old Chinatown, but they have all since moved here. The diversity in cuisine is incredible. To get a sense of just how many different types of food there are out here, I recommend reading old reviews by the late, great Jonathan Gold from the LA Times.

Glendale and Pasadena: Large Armenian and Persian communities. Lots of very good bakeries, restaurants and also Armenian evangelical churches.

Artesia and Norwalk: Little India, basically, but there are also large Vietnamese and Filipino communities. Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia in particular has many Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi grocers, restaurants and clothing shops.

All of the cities I have mentioned have things like language schools, religion and culture centers, grocers, restaurants, etc. specific to the communities I’ve described above.

Religion (Major landmarks):

Hinduism: Venkateswara Temple - Malibu; Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple - Chino Hills;

Buddhism: Zen Center Los Angeles - Koreatown; Koyasan Betsuin - Little Tokyo; Nishi Honganji - Little Tokyo; Higashi Honganji - Little Tokyo; Zenshuji Soto Mission - Little Tokyo; Guan Di temple - Old Chinatown

Taoism: Thien Hau Temple - Old Chinatown

Shintoism: Konko Church - Boyle Heights, Gardena, Whittier

There are also many gurdwaras and mosques spread out throughout LA County (North Hollywood in particular for LA proper), but I’m not saying where they are because humanity is terrible.

Addendums for Little Tokyo:

Japanese American Museum: Covers the history of Japanese Americans in the US, internment during WWII and Little Tokyo. Also provides assistance to families looking to review historical, declassified records about interned relatives.

Nihonmura Plaza: main setting for festivals for Tanabata, Obon and New Years. Has a nifty looking traditional Japanese fire tower

Kinokuniya: LA branch of a major Japanese bookstore chain

Addendums for Koreatown:

Dawooljung/ Korean Pavilion: A gazebo and open space across the street from the Seoul International Park and the Koreatown Community Center

Schools for Eastern Medicine/ Acupuncture: There are at least 2 schools in Koreatown for Eastern/ Chinese/ Alternative medicine that quite a few Asian Americans who run their own clinics have trained at.

LA is so big and so diverse that there’s no one way to really capture how much of Asia is represented here. I know our county registrar and DMV offers information in Armenian, Chinese, Cambodian/Khmer, Farsi, Korean, Tagalog/Filipino, Vietnamese, Hindi/ Urdu, and Japanese because at least 5% of the voting population speaks each of those languages. I’d love to see further additions from other Asian Los Angelenos.

- Marika.

#POC Profiles #submission #Asian #East Asian #Asian American #Chinese #Korean #Japanese #Thai #Vietnamese #LA #USA #settings #writer reference #culture #food #worldbuilding

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formeryelpers · 1 year ago

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Seafood Ranch Market, 3756 W Ave 40, Los Angeles (Eagle Rock), CA 90065

Seafood Ranch Market is a Filipino grocer with three locations in the Los Angeles area. The Eagle Rock location is smaller than Seafood City and the interior looks old (like they haven’t remodeled for decades). However, they do have a wide variety of Filipino groceries, fresh produce (not that cheap, $0.89 for a bunch of green onions vs. 3 for $1 at Super King), and an in-store restaurant called Lutong Bahay. There is no in-store bakery but there’s a Filipino bakery in the same strip mall. The seafood department is staffed and they offer a free fish cleaning and frying service (with purchase). They carry a much wider variety of fish than you’ll find in your typical American supermarket.

For groceries, they have Filipino snacks, noodles, condiments, sausages, ice cream, etc. The restaurant seems to have a wide variety too, including desserts like halo halo, turon, and maiz con yelo. Apparently, the restaurant is pretty good (based on other reviews). They have adobo, bangus, lumpia, fried chicken, lechon, Chinese Filipino food, etc.

4 out of 5 stars.

By Lolia S.

#Seafood Ranch Market #Filipino grocer #grocery shopping #Eagle Rock #Filipino food #seafood

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maeskitchen · 5 years ago

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Pork Menudo, Filipino Style Stew

It's fall again and my fave time of year because I get to make my fave meals, STEWS. I bought a whole pork loin for a deep discount on promotion from our local mega grocer and there is so much of it, I had to cut it into three roasts. One portion I chopped into chunks for this fab dish.

Mae's Menudo or Filipino Style Pork Stew:

*normally a proper Menudo calls for liver, but I didn't have it (and I'm not a liver fan anyway)

2 lbs cubed pork

Jar of crushed tomatoes or 4-5 blanched and peeled tomatoes

Whole onion, minced and browned

1 can of chick peas

2-3 rough cut carrot chunks

2 cups of baby potatoes or large chunks of cut potato

1 whole red pepper minced

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

2 lobes of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of lemon juice or 1/4 of a lemon juiced (fresh is better)

1/2 small can of tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste (plus chili flake if you want heat)

Cornstarch slurry (3 tablespoon in half cup water)

Water to thin sauce if neccessary

Sear and brown your pork cubes in a hot skillet. Throw them in a pressure cooker for 1.5 hours on minimum heat (or crock pot for at least 4 hrs on high). Add everything else to the pot to simmer with the pork except your tomato paste and slurry.

When your pork is soft and pulls apart easy near the end of your cook, add tomato paste and slurry and cook for 10-15 mins more.

Serve with fresh buttered bread, yum!

Cheers all, and happy eats! 😊

#pork menudo #filipino stew #recipes #cooking

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zennyelsie · 2 years ago

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Pinoy food cravings- Grabe akong ka mingaw ani, and I don’t know how to make these Pinoy desserts. We don’t go often to Filipino grocer, so I took the opportunity to satisfy my food cravings. Only for me since my boys don’t eat them. 😋 #pinoyfood #pinoydessert https://www.instagram.com/p/CfNkS9Gvx2taHwd1M9lxKKSXfyCI7okTiVLE6U0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#pinoyfood #pinoydessert

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laaghigala · 3 years ago

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Iloilo’s Cuisine Delicacies

By: Jeniel Wabe

The municipality of Iloilo City, located on the Philippine island of Panay, is our next culinary stop. Historic houses and Spanish colonial churches are prominent features. Iloilo is in the heart of the Philippine archipelago that it was named as the “City of Love”, which includes southern Panay Island and Guimaras Island Province, which is just across the sea. The city is worth visiting because of its rich Spanish Colonial history, as well as the yearly Dinagyang Festival, gorgeous heritage monuments, delightfully fresh seafood, and distinct Ilonggo delicacies.

Let us explore the local food and native cuisine meals that are popular in Iloilo when it comes to the characteristic Ilongo delicacies. There are many classic foods that can be found in Iloilo because of the taste that can satisfy your appetite. The best part of their food in Iloilo: very affordable, a budget friendly signature Ilonggo meals. We listed at least 5 Ilonggo delicacies that are worth trying while you are staying in Iloilo.

1. La Paz Batchoy

Our first in the list is the Ilongos version of La Paz Batchoy. Generally you can see different types of batchoy in Manila or any part of the Philippines that offer this kind of dish but have you tried the authentic Batchoy in Iloilo? Well, the components in this warm bowl of flavorful Filipino noodle soup are fresh round egg noodles, pork offal, and chicken or beef stock. La Paz Batchoy was proudly originated in Iloilo invented by Federico Guillergan in 1938 at La Paz market. Many restaurants in Iloilo are doing their best to make the batchoy as uniquely flavorful in any combination of shrimp paste, chicharon, best enjoyed also with a side of puto and even bagoong (guinamos).

@Local Guides Connect

2. Pancit Molo

Another Filipino pork dumpling soup named Pancit Molo is a sort of soup made with wonton wrappers that started in Iloilo City's Molo area. Though Pancit molo has Chinese influences and was localized by the Ilonggos trying to create of their own version. So this dish is prepared by wontons packed with shredded chicken and, on sometimes, ground pork or shrimp rice flour is used to make wontons. You wouldn’t expect that it was named Pancit but you can’t find any noodles. It is served with a steamy huge bowl perfect for cold weather by taking a sip of a tasty pork dumpling soup.

@Kawaling Pinoy

3. Chicken Binakol

Let’s move to another traditional soup in Iloilo that mostly every Ilonggos knows how to cook this dish named Chicken Binakol. This recipe is quite similar to Tinola, but the main difference is the inclusion of coconut water and pork, which makes the broth a little sweeter than you may expect. If you want to try cooking this dish then you must try the Ilonggos version that is flavored ginger, garlic, and onion with chunks of chayote or papaya and chili leaves. This soup is perfect for those who love chicken in a soup with a unique taste.

@Kathy Purr

4. Tinu-om

The town of Cabatuan Iloilo represents their one proudly famous food the “Tinu-om na Manok.” Yes it’s another popular native chicken soup that is commemorated during the Tinu-om Festival in a 10th days duration of fiesta celebration with colorful expeditions of dances and music in the municipality. Tinu-om is the town's history as well as a popular soup delicacy composed of native chicken souped with spices such as tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, and lemon grass, then wrapped in banana leaves. In cabatuan, Tinu-om in native language means “Balot” that means a chicken wrapped in banana leaves. In making this dish, you certainly need patience and follow the right procedure of cooking the tinu-om or you will fail in the process because of the “Maling Timpla” – the wrong taste of proportionality of mixed ingredients.

@Deal Grocer

5. Laswa

Our last but not the least, a very simple and healthy dish that you can even cook for yourself at home the well-known tasty Ilonggo dish named Laswa. This dish is mostly vegetable-based recipes with a few meats and seafood thrown in for good nutritious meal perfect for family eating bonding. The laswa is similar to dinengdeng and pinakbet in Ilocus but the version for ilonggos uses guinamos as a latter flavor enhancer. Patola, eggplant, sigarilyas, long beans, banana heart (puso), okra, calabasa, malunggay, and saluyot are some of the most inexpensive components for Laswa, which is a boiled vegetable seasoned with salt. Since this dish is flexible, you can add or customize your own ingredients to create a new promising flavor. Enjoy the serve of a nutritious vegetable in a pot or huge bowl, a simple and quick dish yet very healthy and delicious Laswa.

@Kawaling Pinoy

You all probably saying that most of the best cuisine dishes in Iloilo are made in soup, well there are more ilonggo delicacies like puto, bulalo, sinigang, chayote and other foods that commemorates most of their four main festivals which are secular, cultural, and religious in nature. If you want to know more about the province of Iloilo other than their local delicacies then you can visit their official website https://www.iloilo.gov.ph/ everything about Iloilo is on their site. A famous quote from Iloilo city by A.D. Posey saying “Beauty is a heart with wings.”

#ContentWriting

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