Celebrating Filipino American History Month

One of my first clear memories of helping my Filipino grandmother in the kitchen was when she let me help roll out some sticky dough on the floured countertop, forming little pockets for siopao (a delicious steamed bun stuffed with a filling of your choice). Although I can’t recall if I was all that helpful (or more of a mess), I can still remember the wonderful smell of the cooking buns filling up the room and the sweet taste of the cooked dough melting on my tongue.

I am half-Filipino on my mom’s side and half-Chinese on my dad’s–something that has given me a unique mix of culture as I’ve grown up. While I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on Filipino heritage and culture, I have a deep respect and appreciation for it and the ways it winds itself into my life. Filipino American History month is an awesome opportunity to learn more about the country and its wonderful traditions, people, and ways of life. I’ve compiled a short list of things you can do to celebrate this month–and perhaps learn a little more about the Philippines while you’re at it.

1) Eat some Filipino food

Filipino culture centers around amazing food. While there are, unfortunately, limited options for eating out around Andrews, I think that you should keep some dishes on your radar for the future. My Filipino friend, Anjela To-Ong (junior, pre-physical therapy), suggested some of her favorite desserts, so I’ve put together a list of sweet treats that we definitely think you should try at least once:

- Halo-Halo: essentially shaved ice, but with some twists. Instead of the sweet syrup, you’ll add things like evaporated milk, ube ice cream, sweet red and white beans, coconut, gelatin, jackfruit, mangos, and more. Everybody’s dish looks a little different, but it’s a perfect treat.
- Puto Bumbong: one of my mom’s favorite desserts. Traditionally, this is made from a special purple rice called Pirurutong, which is soaked, dried, poured into bamboo tubes and steamed. You top the dish with some butter and shredded coconut with sugar.
- Turon: a sweet version of what can also be a savory dish called lumpia (a version of spring rolls). It’s made up of banana (and sometimes jackfruit) soaked in sugar, then wrapped in a lumpia dough before it’s fried in a caramel/sugar sauce. If you’re up for it, it can be topped with ube ice cream too.
- Ensaymada: one of my favorite Filipino pastries. It’s a buttery dough baked into a bun which is then topped with butter, sugar and cheese (a hard-to-beat combo, if you ask me).
- Taho: made with silken tofu, tapioca pearls (similar to those put in boba), and a brown sugar syrup, this one can be served warm or cold. My grandmother told me that when she lived in the Philippines, there was a vendor who came around and sold it warm–a dish she particularly enjoyed.

There are so many more dishes I could tell you about, but I hope I’ve given you enough reason to explore on your own. Once you try Filipino food, there’s really no going back.

2) Attend an AFIA event

The Andrews Filipino International Association is a great resource if you’d like to learn more about Filipino heritage and culture. Throughout this celebratory month, they have been hosting a ton of interesting and informative events that I’d encourage you to check out. If you’d like to participate, some of their upcoming events include a halo-halo night at the University Towers (8:00 p.m.) on Thursday, October 28, as well as a White Rabbit Night Market taking place at the Flag Mall on Sunday, Oct. 31 (7:45-9:45 p.m.).

3) Visit the local Fil-Am Church

The Michiana Fil-Am (Filipino-American) Seventh-day Adventist Church is a 3-5 minute drive (and 20 minute walk) right off campus (8454 Kephart Lane, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-9569). Their services include a Sabbath School at 10:00 a.m. and a Worship Celebration at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings. It’s a great way to take part in a Filipino-American community nearby. A livestream service is available as well, which can be accessed on their website.

4) Do some research on the country and culture and learn how to say hello

Did you know that the Philippines is made up of over 7000 islands? That it was previously a Spanish colony, then later briefly owned by the U.S., and gained independence in 1946? Did you know that there are 120-175 different languages spoken across the country?

Just a quick Google search can teach you so much, and I’d encourage you to take some time to learn something you might not have known before. You could look up a YouTube tutorial on or performance of the traditional Tinikling and Pandanggo dances, or could check out some popular soap operas/teleseries.

I can start you off here: to say hello/how are you in Tagalog (the particular dialect spoken by my grandmother), you can say “kamusta ka?”

For a more detailed explanation of some basic ways to say hello, you can check out this website here.

5) Talk to some Filipino friends (and, as my grandmother advises: go to the Philippines!)

One of the easiest ways to authentically learn more about the Filipino culture and people is to talk to someone you know. I find it incredibly meaningful when people ask me about what my culture means to me and how it has shaped me. Asking questions to Filipino friends is not only a great way to learn about their personal experience with their culture, but can also be an opportunity to learn more about who they are as a person.

Finally, when I asked my family what they thought people could do to learn more about the Philippines, my grandmother’s immediate response was simply: “Go visit!” There are so many beautiful things to see and historically valuable locations to experience. I know I speak to students when I say this, so the opportunity may come later in life, but if you ever do get the chance to travel there, I hope you’ll be able to glimpse just how deeply rich and wonderful the Filipino culture is. I consider myself incredibly lucky to get to experience that culture through my family, and I look forward to all the things I will continue to learn about it in the future.