In my experience it’s our proximity to Malaysia and Thailand that brings the automatic generalisation, at least in London as these are probably the 2 most represented of the SE Asian cuisines. And the response of “Filipino food isn’t generally spicy” is more often than not looked at with as much distrust as an aggressive car salesman.
Hmmmm so at least she looked I guess, and you had that brief conversation. Maybe one day, she'll remember. "Oh I went to this wedding and the canapes were beautiful and the chef told me Filipino food isn't spicy. Sadly I didn't try."
I’m curious if this discussion is in part because of our limited understanding of “spice”, as you pointed out at the beginning. The same way I always say Thai food is “not spicy, but full of spice”, for example.
Or I suppose the concept of sawsawan is both intimidating to the newcomer and, maybe, proof that Filipino cuisine does not stand on its own—which, of course, is utter bullshit.
Yeah, the way we often talk about spices and spicing is not very specific or nuanced, and often tends to revolve around the idea of chilli. I had to check myself a few times to make sure I was consistent with my own definitions, though I think I slipped a couple of times!
I see a parallel in the way (particularly, but not exclusively) Americans accuse British cuisine of having no spice, or seasoning, or flavour, ignoring the abundance of e.g. herbs, or the techniques used to bring flavour, that don't involve chilli or other spices (though we do actually use a lot of non-chilli spices).
You'd be surprised! For one of my private dinners, the client passed on a request from one of her South Asian guests that I ensure that the food is really spicy, because she didn't want it to be bland... I just replied that I'll ensure that the food is delicious
I'm curious what was the canape that made her have the impression it's spicy. :)
In my experience it’s our proximity to Malaysia and Thailand that brings the automatic generalisation, at least in London as these are probably the 2 most represented of the SE Asian cuisines. And the response of “Filipino food isn’t generally spicy” is more often than not looked at with as much distrust as an aggressive car salesman.
🤣 maybe I do unknowingly give off car salesman vibes as wel
She barely looked at them...! But I had:
- Brown Butter Polvoron (no chillies or other spices)
- Pork Belly Adobo slices on Skyflakes (black pepper), and....
- Young jackfruit piaparan tartlets (with, er, lots of chillies, ginger and turmeric... so her distrust could be partially justified 😅)
Hmmmm so at least she looked I guess, and you had that brief conversation. Maybe one day, she'll remember. "Oh I went to this wedding and the canapes were beautiful and the chef told me Filipino food isn't spicy. Sadly I didn't try."
I’m curious if this discussion is in part because of our limited understanding of “spice”, as you pointed out at the beginning. The same way I always say Thai food is “not spicy, but full of spice”, for example.
Or I suppose the concept of sawsawan is both intimidating to the newcomer and, maybe, proof that Filipino cuisine does not stand on its own—which, of course, is utter bullshit.
Yeah, the way we often talk about spices and spicing is not very specific or nuanced, and often tends to revolve around the idea of chilli. I had to check myself a few times to make sure I was consistent with my own definitions, though I think I slipped a couple of times!
I see a parallel in the way (particularly, but not exclusively) Americans accuse British cuisine of having no spice, or seasoning, or flavour, ignoring the abundance of e.g. herbs, or the techniques used to bring flavour, that don't involve chilli or other spices (though we do actually use a lot of non-chilli spices).
People just seem to like the generalisations
Bland?!? Oh hell naw!!! 😳 🤬
You'd be surprised! For one of my private dinners, the client passed on a request from one of her South Asian guests that I ensure that the food is really spicy, because she didn't want it to be bland... I just replied that I'll ensure that the food is delicious
Wild!