Today I Learned: Two Books of Food Writing Legend Doreen Fernandez Are Making a Comeback
Food writing in the Philippines is synonymous with the name Doreen G. Fernandez. The cultural historian and food critic was a prolific writer who published for Manila Chronicle and Philippine Daily Inquirer, released 15 books on both theater and food, and presented several academic papers at conferences and symposia in the field of Philippine studies. Two decades after her death, Manila-based publishing house Exploding Galaxies is reprinting two of her food books: Sarap: Essays on Philippine Food (co-written with Edilberto N. Alegre, 1988) and Palayok: Philippine Food Through Time, On Site, In the Pot (2000).
"We started Exploding Galaxies so that we could bring the best of Philippine literature back to readers. Novels and fiction have been our focus, but we heard the call of Doreen Fernandez’s books as something just as urgent to republish. These books have long been out of print and yet so sought after," said Mara Coson, publisher of Exploding Galaxies, in a statement.
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Lives Remembered, Histories Regained
Doreen Fernandez and Ed Alegre
Sarap and Palayok as Landmarks of Filipino Food Writing
Sarap had not been republished since it first came out almost four decades ago, and now, the new edition features illustrations by Gianne Encarnacion, Kitty Jardenil, Elle Shivers, and Eva Yu, with design by Kristian Henson.
It is one of the several books where Alegre collaborated with Fernandez, whom he calls his "indefatigable editor, dear friend, and comrade of many battles." The two, both scholars and researchers, also worked on Lasa: A Guide to 100 Restaurants, Kinilaw, and the two-part series Writers & Their Milieu: An Oral History of Second Generation Writers in English.
"In those days, there were very few good Filipino restaurants. But Doreen and Ed were nurturing rather than critical, trying to encourage—and were ultimately successful—in shifting people’s attention to local cuisine," said photographer Neal Oshima about their collaborations.
"Dining with Doreen and Eddy was part of my cultural education. She provided the historical context, he the anthropological, both of them in love with literature and words spoken, heard, written, and read. Food was not just for eating, but a past unearthed from historical sources, an experience tasted and documented, a window into the Filipino soul," added public historian Ambeth R. Ocampo.
In Palayok, Fernandez presents the origins and evolution of Philippine cuisine until the book was first (and last) published 25 years ago. "Food to the Filipino is history. It is also bond, culture, and identity," she writes on page 28.
The Exploding Galaxies print now includes photographs by Jilson Tiu, known for capturing every nook and cranny of our streets in poignant images, and now rendering the same technique in the eateries of Manila. Book design is by Miguel Mari.
"Seeing Sarap and Palayok republished is incredibly gratifying. I remember on the 10th year anniversary of her passing, my mother—Doreen’s sister—was so moved at the many tributes remembering her, and amazed that ten years on, not only had she not been forgotten but her work continued to be recognized as pioneering and revolutionary. And now, 23 years since Tita Doreen left us and she continues to be discovered/ rediscovered—by new generations of readers who didn't grow up reading her weekly newspaper and magazine columns, by Filipinos at home and away from their homeland.
I can't emphasize enough how valuable, poetic even, this twin reissue of Sarap and Palayok is, the two volumes that bookend Tita Doreen's published work on food. Sarap with Eddy Alegre in 1988 was the first, and Palayok in 2000 was her last; she passed away two years later. Thirty-seven years since Sarap, 25 since Palayok, and they still read as fresh, insightful, and vital as they did when they were new. They are classics now," said Maya Besa Roxas, niece of Fernandez and representative of the Doreen G. Fernandez' estate.
She hopes that readers would approach the new editions "with curious and open minds, with generosity and respect, [and] with pleasure."
"I feel happy, good, and right about Doreen and Ed's Sarap reprint. Their seminal works will fill the vacuum of savoring at the same time understanding Filipino food and distinctive Filipino cultural identity in terms of gustatory and thinking experiences today," said Joycie Dorado Alegre, wife of Edilberto.
"Republishing Sarap comes with making invaluable knowledge on Filipino food affordable. Like freshly caught sapsap sold at the talipapa, the republication of Sarap is a blessing," added their son, Lakan Uhay Alegre.
Exploding Galaxies republishes the lost classics of Philippine writing. They have so far reprinted three novels: Wilfrido D. Nolledo’s But for the Lovers, Linda Ty-Casper’s The Three-Cornered Sun, and Erwin E. Castillo’s The Firewalkers.
Sarap: Essays on Philippine Food and Palayok: Philippine Food Through Time, On Site, In the Pot are available online and in bookstores starting October 15.
