On this episode we chat with Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter with the national team at Eater, one of today’s best-known brands in the global food media space dedicated to all things food and dining. People like me who started eating out at restaurants in the golden age of food blogs (circa 2010s) know that Eater’s been there from the start - and that in the US, over the last ten years the growth of Filipino food and awareness of the cuisine is inextricably linked to the coverage they and other national outlets have actually given the restaurants serving those foods.
We cover a range of topics about Filipino food and culture through a diasporic lens, so let’s get to it.
Show notes:
02:40 Meet Bettina
04:40 Filipino food in today's media
07:10 What happens with so much content?
09:20 Flipping the narrative
10:45 Identity, frozen in time?
12:55 Windows into worlds
15:00 On the Philippines Michelin Guide
19:35 Natural interest in regional cuisines
23:35 Tracing coffee routes
26:45 Food as a gateway
28:40 Doreen is back in print!
32:30 Storytelling is alive
36:20 Deep dives over short form
39:40 Lunchboxes then and now
Links:
Bettina on Eater and Instagram
Filipino Food & Culture Chat (2021)