I promised myself that I would never buy a book that I wouldn't read. I have a pile of books I shopped years ago, enough to supply me with reading materials for quite some time. However, aside from leisurely reading, I also buy books for research. Sometimes, it would cost me an arm and a leg, but never mind, that's another story... Not feeling well today, I dropped by the mall to buy medicine and my spirit guide (if ever I really have one) whispered I should drop by the only bookstore in town... There I saw a good find! Doreen Gamboa's seminal work, Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture. A first edition or original print would cost a huge some from Filipiniana booksellers, but thankfully, this latest edition Anvil is fairly affordable.
This Negrense writer may be described as the "compleat writer". Her writing could be defined as "incisive yet soulful" and her ability to grasp the Filipino culture lies on her ability to permeate in the hearth and home, as well as in Filipino cooking. In her words, writing about Filipino food should not be solely left to food critics, columnists or restaurant reporters. It should be the business of historians, dramatists, essayists and poets. Food writing "is an act of understanding, an extension of experience of experience. If one can savor the word, then one can swallow the world." She died 18 years ago but her work as a food historian and writer lingers to this day. This year, Anvil has revised, updated and reissued this 1994 original to allow us to explore the local and global nuances of Philippine cuisine through its people, places, feasts, and flavors.
Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture is a groundbreaking work that introduces readers to the wondrous history of Filipino foodways... After indulging on this purchase, I went home feeling better. (Originally posted on my IG handle @khristian_george_writer last February 2019.)
Doreen Gamboa Fernandez (1934-2002) was born in Silay City, Negros Occidental. She otained her A.B., major in English and History in 1954 from St. Scholastica’s College, Manila; completed her M.A. in English Literature (1956) and Ph.D. in Literature (1976) from the Ateneo de Manila University. She began teaching at the Ateneo de Manila in 1972 and has chaired the departments of Communication, English and Interdisciplinary Studies. In 1998 she was recognized with Metrobank Foundation’s Outstanding Teacher Award. She was twice a recipient of the Fulbright Asian Scholar in Residence Award (1983, Ohio University Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute; 1992, Michigan University Seminar on Southeast Asian Literatures in Translation).
A prolific writer, she authored: the “Iloilo Zarzuela: 1903-1930” (1978); “In Performance” (1981); “Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture” (1994); “Face to Face: The Craft of Interviewing” (1995); “Palabas: Essays on Philippine Theater History” (1996); “Fruits of the Philippines” (1997); “Palayok: Philippine Food Through Time, On Site, In the Pot” (2000).
She received the Achievement Award from the National Research Council in 1997; and in 1999, was recognized with the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts (Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Centennial Commission), honoring 100 Filipinos who helped shape the arts in the Philippines in the last century (1898-1998).
You can order a copy of Tikim via Anvil's website, Shopee and Lazada.
Some more interesting reads about Doreen Fernandez and Tikim:
She Was Filipino Food’s Greatest Champion. Now Her Work Is Finding New Fans. (via New York Times)
Here’s Why Food Historian Doreen Fernandez is a Vital Part of Today’s Culinary Scene (via Pepper)
Why 'Tikim' is the essential book on Filipino food (via CNN Philippines)
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