Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 133

Remembering the "survival" cookbook my mother sent when I first lived abroad on my own. I From it I learned to cook Pinoy d...

Remembering the "survival" cookbook my mother sent when I first lived abroad on my own. I
From it I learned to cook Pinoy dishes from scratch. No Magic Sarap. No sinigang cubes or sachets. Replicating the tastes and contexts of home in a foreign country taught me that the road to Philippine culture is a journey not a destination.
The link to my Inquirer column today:
https://opinion.inquirer.net/142278/a...



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

“The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.” L.P.Hartley. Imagine if PAL still had this family promo packa...

“The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.” L.P.Hartley. Imagine if PAL still had this family promo package today.



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Quick question.Based on my travel history (places in blue I have visited) Should I see more of the world, or more of the U.S.A...

Quick question.
Based on my travel history (places in blue I have visited)
Should I see more of the world, or more of the U.S.A?
Or should I just stay home and write?



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Juan Luna's massive Spoliarium occupies pride of place in the National Museum Gallery of Fine Arts. Visitors who stand inf...

Juan Luna's massive Spoliarium occupies pride of place in the National Museum Gallery of Fine Arts.
Visitors who stand infront it awed by the gore of its subject and its place in Philippine history should be reminded that it was the crowd favorite in the 1884 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid. It appeared on the cover of La Ilustracion Española y Americana in May 1884. Stray copies of the magazines bought cheaply on e-bay have made their way to local auctions where they proved a g...

Two vain mermaids are ornamental details in the 1571 Ortelius map of Asia. Are they looking at themselves in mirrors or are they...

Two vain mermaids are ornamental details in the 1571 Ortelius map of Asia. Are they looking at themselves in mirrors or are they taking selfies?
My modest collection of early maps of the Philippines depict the different ways the archipelago was re-presented before it became the familiar shape Filipinos know today. A familiar silhouette that appear on t-shirts. Since the cartographer did not have sufficient data from Spanish and Portuguese maps the Philippines is incomplete. Can you make o...

Much ado over adobo

Contrary to popular belief, adobo was in the Philippines before the Spanish conquest. Unfortunately, adobo’s native name was not recorded, leaving us with a dish described with the Spanish verb adobar: “to marinate, pickle, or cure with vinegar.” Adobo is technically not the name of a dish; it is a process, a way of cooking. Adobo is a Philippine dish, not a Spanish one.
My Inquirer column today:
https://opinion.inquirer.net/142114/m...


Long before the National Mapping and ...

First physical mass in a long time. Can you guess where? Post-pandemic look of the altar reminded me of Gaudi, not the Sagrada F...

First physical mass in a long time. Can you guess where? Post-pandemic look of the altar reminded me of Gaudi, not the Sagrada Familia in. Barcelona, but the origin of the adjective “gaudy.”



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Then & Now.Walking around Ayala Triangle for exercise recently made me remember that the prewar Nielsen Airfield grew into the ...

Then & Now.
Walking around Ayala Triangle for exercise recently made me remember that the prewar Nielsen Airfield grew into the Makati Commercial and Business District. An airport from 1937-1948, its former runways are today's Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas. The prewar aerial photo from Ayala Memory shows a giant "A" drawn on the former Hacienda San Pedro de Makati.



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

How many islands are there in the Philippines?Don't answer with the question high-tide or low-tide?The answer is not 7,107 as ...

How many islands are there in the Philippines?
Don't answer with the question high-tide or low-tide?
The answer is not 7,107 as most Filipinos know but 7,641 according to NAMRIA. I used to wonder what was the primary source for the previous count of 7,107 or 7,100 and was surprised that in Sebastian Munsters 1540 map of Asia, only "Puloan" (Palawan) is named and what we believe to be the Philippines is drawn as an archipelago of 7,448 islands. How did he get that number without Google earth?

...

Was fortunate to have known and met two strong and inspiring women whose lives shaped their times: Zenaida "Nini" Quezon Avanceñ...

Was fortunate to have known and met two strong and inspiring women whose lives shaped their times: Zenaida "Nini" Quezon Avanceña, daughter of Manuel L. Quezon passed away yesterday at 100 years years old, same day Celia Diaz-Laurel, widow of former Vice-President Salvador H. Laurel, passed away at 93. Its the waning of one age and the start of another.

[image error]

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)