JOEL'S JOURNAL
As December arrives, Filipinos eagerly count down to Christmas day with Simbang Gabi, puto bumbong, and bibingka. Originally served to fuel the working folk, these treats now symbolize warmth, tradition, and nostalgia—making Christmas special and memorable, year after year.
From gracing tables celebrating important milestones, to being a well-deserved treat and a comforting pick-me-up, cake is more than just cake.
Today, in my own kitchen—in a city far from my lola’s house—you’d find a piece of paper scribbled with her recipe tucked in the shelf of staple seasonings and fancy salts. I haven’t tried cooking it, but it gives me a lot of comfort knowing it’s there—that I can access her recipe, that I can access my family.
When words are inadequate, food steps in as a powerful symbol of thoughtfulness, gratitude, and appreciation.
Crafting a meal from scratch is more than just following a recipe—it's an immersive experience that connects us to our past and grounds us in the present. In this story, we explore how a return to cooking became a journey of rediscovery and peace.
When it comes to the social experience of eating, the line in the sand between introvert and extrovert is exactly that—a softly drawn line that can be crossed and moved. Whether it’s with a friend, or five, or you alone, you decide how many get a seat at your table, and it needn’t be the same number every time.
From curing, salting, and drying we explore how food preservations have evolved and the iconic gourmet products they have birthed.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, people around the world eat their lunch. From bento boxes in Japan and dabbawalas in India to late lunches in Spain and day-drinking in France, exploring how lunches around the world differ offers us a peek into different cultures, traditions, and lifestyles.
We rarely see the bakers who rise before dawn, the cooks working by the dim glow of a single bulb, or the taho vendors preparing under the pre-dawn sky. But their echoing calls remind everyone that breakfast—and a new day—is here.
Our collective love for rice and its centrality to our culture has spurred the creation of a whole vocabulary related to this grain and every step of its journey.
In the world of gastronomy, Michelin is a legendary name with the power to launch stars itself—by bestowing the coveted Michelin Stars. Its triumphant climb and of those within its pages are epics worth recounting, but the footnotes and afterword to their stories also bear remembering.
As you walk along the streets of Vietnam, one thing becomes clear: this country likes to eat. The smell of lemongrass, coriander, and nuoc cham is never far off; those, and coffee. Oh, the coffee.
