In this edition of Kainan With Kinan, I will talk about a popular Filipino dish that’s received a crapload of attention the past week thanks to a seemingly innocuous tweet by one TV star — the sinigang!
Background
In a tweet, the lovely Liza Soberano defended her Filipino-ness from people who say she should not star in her new TV show inspired by ancient Filipino culture. “Pundits” claim Liza is not fit to star in said show because her features do not match those of pre-colonial Filipinos and was mainly cast because she is a popular, pretty face that was tanned bronze in order to look the part. Liza is a Filipino-American.
Liza then tweeted that she is as Filipino as anyone can get because her favorite dish is sinigang… aaaaaand that’s when the fecal matter hit the fan. Fans bombarded her with replies ranging from satirical “my favorite food is (popular regional cuisine) therefore I am a true (insert regional inhabitant) tweets to lengthy lectures on cultural misappropriation.
Indeed, whitewashing in television shows and movies is a problem not only in this country but all around the world (looking at you, Hollywood Ghost In The Shell) and a company that keeps saying they’re proud of being Filipinos should have thought things more thoroughly. If you’re going to represent a certain culture, try to at least make it accurate. But that is another story.
Now, to be clear, I love Liza Soberano, #LizKen forever!!!! And my tweets to her are simply good-natured ribbing with the intent to ride the hype, as is the accepted millenial thing to do.
So in honor of Liza’s sinigang tweet, I learned how to make fish sinigang — made with lapu-lapu (tide grouper), Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc Mix (this is not a paid ad) and the usual sinigang ingredients (onions, tomatoes, chili, radish)! I’m not even a fan of sinigang, but for Liza, and for the burning desire to know everything, I trained myself in the art of sinigang making.
The people whom I served the dish to said it tastes good, although to be fair, they were my family so the opinion might’ve been a biased one.
Do you have anything for me to try and make? Let me know in the comments below 👇🏼!
patrickkennan.com 