Bieber sings Christmas carols to ‘Yolanda’ survivors in Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines — Pop megastar Justin Bieber sang to young survivors of the Philippines’ deadliest typhoon Tuesday after he flew into the disaster zone to boost an international relief effort.

Bieber flew unannounced to Tacloban City just over a month after it was devastated by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) and sang Christmas carols to children at a local school amid tight security, witnesses said.

“He sang Holy Night for the children,” said Kate Donovan, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one of three aid agencies expected to benefit from Bieber’s charity work.

Photos posted on social media showed young fans with mobile phones snapping away at the Canadian teen heartthrob, who has more than 46 million followers on Twitter.

Prior to visiting the Philippines, Bieber had posted a message on fund raising website Prizeo.com urging his millions of fans to donate to the victims of the typhoon, the strongest to ever hit land.

Yolanda cut across the central Philippines on November 8, destroying scores of communities along its path.

Tsunami-like storm surges it triggered also swallowed up many coastal areas, and were blamed for majority of the nearly 6,000 deaths.

More than 1,700 others remain missing and about four million have been displaced.

In his message on Prizeo, Bieber said those donating to his cause could win a chance to personally see him record music next year.

“In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, its victims in the Philippines need our help — and they need it now,” he said in his appeal.

Many other international celebrities have also lent their voices to the massive rehabilitation effort, including Grammy-award winning singer Alicia Keys who visited victims airlifted to Manila two weeks ago.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Yolanda survivors rejoice after Pacquiao triumph

TACLOBAN, Philippines — Thousands of Filipino survivors of Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) erupted into wild cheers Sunday to celebrate their boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s victory that gave them a brief respite from the enormous destruction and rebuilding that lies ahead.

“It felt like I got my house back,” said street sweeper Ardel Nebasa, who lost him home in tsunami-like storm surges that ravaged Tacloban city on Nov. 8.

Officials hope that watching Pacquiao’s triumph against American Brandon Rios in Macau would help traumatized survivors take their minds off the horrific devastation wrought by the typhoon and inspire them to pick up the pieces from the storm that killed more than 5,200 people.

“I was so happy and I wanted to cry but there were too many people,” said Nebasa, who watched the match with his son and thousands of others on a TV screen set up in a public plaza in Tacloban city.

He added, “It would have felt like another storm has hit if he lost.”

Another survivor waved a cardboard placard that read: “We’re for Pacquiao, God bless, Tacloban will rise again.” Many jumped repeatedly in joy.

Thousands of residents also cheered at Tacloban’s Astrodome stadium and watched the fight on a giant screen, their view partly obscured by the light filtering through holes in the basketball gym’s ceiling. One man carried a Philippine flag.

Pacquiao, who defeated Rios by unanimous decision to take the WBO international welterweight title, has dedicated his comeback fight to storm victims and promised to visit Tacloban and outlying regions that the storm had turned into a corpse-strewn wasteland.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the 12-round match, many spectators in Tacloban threw their baseball caps, shirts and pieces of cardboard into the air, even before the result was officially announced.

Tacloban city folk, Nebasa said, would gladly await the visit of Pacquiao, who rose from poverty to become one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

“We’ll be thankful if he can help us,” Nebasa said. “He came from the ranks of the poor and we identify with him and are happy for his triumphs.”

In Macau, the 13,000-seat arena at the Venetian casino was packed. Many in the audience were Filipinos who either lived and worked in Macau or nearby Hong Kong, or made the one-hour flight from the Philippines.

Some waved Philippine flags, and frequently chanted, “Manny, Manny.”

Businessman Bong Ferrer flew to Macau with a group of 11 others.

“Of course this is a high morale day to the Filipino people because of what’s happening to us back in the Philippines. It’s redeeming to us. It makes us feel in high spirits,” he said.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Filipino versions of good ol’ US Thanksgiving turkey and Italian ‘porketta’

During my student days in the United States, I looked forward to the midterm breaks in Easter and Thanksgiving. That meant most of the students going home to various states to be with their families and experience a festive meal. But to us, foreign students, it meant we had the whole dorm to ourselves, and we, too, had our own special dinners.

For Thanksgiving, it meant a whole plump Roast Turkey with all the trimmings. I love how this almost boring-looking huge bird can be transformed into the center of attraction for the annual special American family gathering. The dish is so popular that some restaurants serve it all year round.

Many US celebrations have been adopted by Filipinos. And many homes also celebrate Thanksgiving, which I believe is on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, we would celebrate it sometime in October. But most people just want to celebrate without going through the trouble of preparing this heavy feast.

There are a few dining places that can save us from the agony of preparation. I remember a friend who made one of the best-tasting stuffings I have tried. Carla Reyes Tengco made her roast turkey and the stuffing with castañas or chestnuts. That is one turkey dish that jumps out every time I think of it.

Another is Bob and Ninay’s Roast Turkey. To me, the stuffing and gravy distinguish this dish. I love how it brings me back to the feast I would experience every year as a student. I have tried many versions, and this, to me, is what I crave for.

The bird is huge with a perfectly roasted crust, delicious stuffing and gravy that binds all these together. The gravy is made from the drippings and the insides of the turkey like the liver, gizzard, etc. Stuffing is either sausage cherry or chestnut apple. The dish is served with cranberry and mashed potato on the side. With creamy mashed potato, the turkey will take the diner to a whole new level. I am so hungry and craving for this roast. It’s cheaper than many restaurants that offer it.

Porketta

Another festive dish is Porketta. Ram Jorge makes the most delicious, crispy, moist, authentic Italian Porketta. He calls himself the Porketta Man, in fact.

The Italian dish is rolled-up pork belly or liempo, slow-roasted until the skin is so crispy it pops. What happens in this slow process is the fat between the crunchy skin and the tender and moist meat melts and drips all over the roast. The result is a dish I have seen and tried in many places, but never this level.

Seasoned perfectly, rubbed and stuffed with herbs, Porketta is a foodie’s dream. There is a salsa verde that goes with it. One way to serve it is sliced on grilled ciabatta bread with the sauce and eaten as a sandwich.

It is also okay to serve it with garlic rice. I would slice a piece, complete with the crunchy skin and the moist meat, and have it as is without the sauce. I enjoy eating it so much, I can’t stop. I hardly eat pork, but this Porketta is an exception.

As soon as I got this roast, I traveled from Rockwell to Katipunan because I wanted to eat it while it was still crunchy. But don’t worry; if it gets cold, you can preheat the oven at the highest temperature and put in the Porketta for eight to 10 minutes at the highest rack, uncovered, until the skin becomes crunchy again.

This coming Thanksgiving or even this Yuletide, check out these two dishes.

(Bob and Ninay’s Thanksgiving Turkey, tel. 9840065 or 0918-9098850; Italian Porketta made by “Porketta Man” Ram Jorge,  0917-8102218)

Charity food event

Tomorrow, I and other chefs and personalities will be at the NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City for an event called “Lifestyle Network’s Around the Philippines in Small Plates.” We will be in our own booths serving dishes that will make you dance in satisfaction. This will be a charity dinner event for the benefit of ICanServe and survivors of Typhoon “Yolanda.” Trust me, you cannot imagine how delicious the food in the various booths will be. This happens Nov. 22, 7-11 p.m. See you there!

Visit sandydaza.blogspot.com; follow on Twitter @sandydaza.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net