Chinatown Museum: A Look into My People's Past

- Feb. 4, 2021, Friday.

- Since it was Chinese New Year season, I thought of doing something to honor my heritage. Since I was out for errands in Chinatown, I thought it'd be convenient to pay the Chinatown Museum a visit. The Chinatown Museum was opened in 2018 in the Lucky Chinatown Mall annex. I've actually been there before, though I wasn't able to take photos then (I still can't remember why.) Due to the pandemic, they temporarily closed until the Chinese New Year this year. They're normally open everyday, though for now, they're only open from Fridays to Sundays.

- The Chinatown Museum feels like a small Bahay Tsinoy, which is a big museum in Intramuros that presents the story of the Chinese-Filipino (Chinoy/Tsinoy) community. Chinatown Museum concentrates on the Binondo Chinatown in Manila. By the way, did you know that Binondo Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in the world? It was established in the 1500s when the Spanish came to the Philippines.

Binondo Church model.

Let's begin the tour.

- The small museum takes people back to the early days of Chinoy history through their representations of stores, rooms, restaurants and other places where Manila's Chinoys created spaces for themselves. While most Chinoys today are known to be in the middle to upper classes, the earliest Chinoys lived simple lives until many of them prospered in the following decades.

Old stores owned by Chinoys.

Old sewing and ironing equipment.

Mestizo-sangley house.

Stealing is wrong but I was hungry. (No, they weren't real food. Also, no, I didn't actually touch the fake food.)

Simple and cramped living quarters.

Woodworks.

- Some of the oldest stores and restaurants still stand today in Chinatown, and are shards of history that continue to let everyone experience a bit of the past. They are also honored in the museum. Most Chinoys engage in business, and some of those businesses were passed on from generation to generation.

Representation of the Destileria Lituaco, which is still in operation today. A museum of the distillery is in Intramuros.

A representation of the old art supply store owned by the children of Roman Ongpin, in Binondo.

An old Chinese pharmacy.

An example of an old Chinese restaurant. Polland, by the way, is still selling their famous Chinese pastries until now!

- My favorite part of the museum was the model of the Tranvias de Filipinas. Visitors can go on the model tram. This was one of the forms of public transportation in Manila from 1888 until 1945 (end of World War 2). Speaking of the War, there is also a portion of the museum dedicated to the Chinoys who fought and served the Philippines during the War.

Running for government? HAHA.

My pets.

Horseracing or Track and Field?

- The museum itself was not too big, and parts of it are under renovation. However, I truly enjoyed my short stay in the museum - especially since I was mostly alone while going around. I am actually aware of my people's history in the Philippines (being Chinoy myself,) but it is always nice to be reminded with visual aids like the museum's displays.

My Pandemic Chinese New Year!

- Feb. 13, 2021, Saturday.

- Holy crap it's been a year since I last wrote something here!! In case you're reading this from the future, I'd like to remind you that a pandemic swept through the world in early March 2020 that halted everything. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to stay at home, which included education and work, and going outdoors was, supposedly, mainly for doing errands. Leisure trips outside have been strongly discouraged with the rising cases of those affected by the virus, and some establishments like cinemas and other non-essential entertainment facilities have also closed down. Among the many industries affected by the pandemic, the travel industry was one that took a big took blow since borders have closed and non-essential travel are mostly not allowed. Since there are only a handful to no tourists roaming around, businesses like transportation, hotels/accommodations, souvenir stores, tourist spots, and other attractions have either closed temporarily (or worse, for good!) or they had to lay off so many people. While I am bummed that I can't travel like most people - and as in the past few years, this is the longest I've stayed in Manila without going out of the region - frankly I'm just happy to be alive and well right now.  

- Despite all the negativity happening in the world today, I was still able to sort of "celebrate" the Lunar New Year. I went to Lucky Chinatown Mall for errands the day after the Lunar New Year, and noticed that the mall was not crowded despite it being a Saturday. I also noticed that there were nice photo spots set up around the mall, and some usual photo spots had have been there for years but never really got to have a photo taken there.

The rows of lanterns at the third-floor walkway.

They've always been there and I've always admired them, but I guess I was always too busy to roam around to have a photo taken here.

- Since I didn't really plan a photoshoot here - and why would I in the middle of a pandemic - I didn't bring a tripod, so I had to ask people to take my photos. Thankfully they turned out well. Also, face masks and face shields are necessary when going outside the house to protect oneself. Plus, social distancing is a must. 

The second-floor walkway overseeing the sea of lanterns outside, plus the Macau-looking facade of the mall buildings.

- Initially I planned to remove my mask and shield as my photo was being taken (and only during those moments,) but I thought it would be better to keep my mask and shield on as a reminder to my future self that there was once a time in the world when we had to wear all these things when going out to do simple tasks. (This, of course, is me being optimistic that the world will be normal once more and that people can do regular things outdoors without masks and shields, and without any fear of getting a pandemic-level virus.) Since it was Lunar New Year, I did not fail to wear something cultural significant - what else but one of my casual Chinese attires. Even though you can't see my face, at least I'm still recognizable through my clothes.

Not really sure what kind of aesthetic they were going for, but this was part of the Chinatown Museum promotions. The museum is located in the annex building of Lucky Chinatown Mall.

I'm a piece of art too.

WHEN WILL COVID END????

- It took me more than a month to finally write this - not only because I've been busy with doing research in the middle of a pandemic - but also because I initially thought that my trip to the mall for errands was something significant. However, I later thought that it has come to this point that going out of the house for errands like buying groceries or going to the bank has become "exciting" for me since those are the only times I can go out and have some break from "cabin fever." I try to be responsible and only go out when necessary though. In a way, my trip to the mall during the Lunar New Year has become my temporary definition of an "adventure" since I really have nowhere else to go. I am still hoping that the world will go back to normal soon, though it's easier said than done.  

King Chef: Fit For A King??

- September 20, 2014, Saturday.

- King Chef has recently been one of the most talked-about Chinese restaurants by Manilenos, most especially my people - the Filipino Chinese. One of the reasons why this is so is because of its dimsum promo during the afternoon (2-5pm,) and the late evening (9pm-1am.) Since a branch opened in Lucky Chinatown Mall two years ago (same time the mall opened,) I have only gone there to have dimsum, and I realized that I have never tasted King Chef's lunch/dinner menu. (Speaking of, King Chef serves ONLY dimsum during promo time, and the "real" dishes during lunch and dinner; their big kitchen is closed during promo time.)

- Choosing King Chef to hang out with my three buddies was a tough decision for me. To be honest, I was not impressed with King Chef's dimsum despite the fancy and not-so-usual items on the list. The price was not amusing too despite the 50%-off-discount during the promo times. Their usually bad service (as far as I am concerned,) also ticked me off, most especially during my first visit there. Being the adventurous hungry person that I am, I wanted to give King Chef another chance, and I wanted to taste another side of King Chef; this compelled me to gamble my chances of getting good food and good service.

- I went to Lucky Chinatown around 3pm and personally made a reservation for me and my friends for 6pm, and also told the reservation person about the peking duck that we would be having for the evening, so necessary preparations could be made a bit earlier. The peking duck is one of the items on the menu that King Chef specifically says would take some time to prepare.

- When I came back around 6, no one knew about my reservation (which also meant no one knew about my peking duck.) I was glad that my companions arrived a few minutes late too, since it gave me some time to fix my reservation mishap.

- Evan, Boom, and Rendel came not long after I settled the problem and sat myself in our table, The four of us had fried seafood rolls, broccoli cooked with garlic, 8-spice pork spareribs, birthday noodles, yangchow fried rice, and of course, our giant peking duck.

If our friend Merrill had come, and she had worn pink (which she would have, she told me,) we would've been the Power Rangers.

Boom and Rendel engaging in a really deep conversation....NOT. :)) :)) :)) :))

- The seafood roll was generally fine, although it was not the usual seafood roll that I expected. This is half good and half bad - it's bad because it wasn't what I expected it to be, it's good because it tasted decent. The noodles was the usual too, and we had no complaints there; same goes with the fried rice and the broccoli. The 8-spice pork spareribs was interesting for me because it had an added kick compared to the usual salted or spicy spareribs. It was quite tender for me, and I enjoyed it. It could be less salty though.

Just ignore the head of the duck and pretend it's not looking at you.

- I was most specific about our peking duck. For those who know how to cook or are at least knowledgeable in culinary arts, the preparation needed to make the perfect peking duck is long and complicated. For an upscale restaurant that serves peking duck like King Chef, I was definitely going to be more critical. I like my duck, and is one of the dishes I look for when eating in a big Chinese restaurant (if not duck, at least the pigeon.) I felt that the heavens opened up after the duck was served, and I was not shy in expressing my happiness when the duck was placed on our table. I took my first bite. Initially I thought that the duck was quite tough, although I later realized that I took a thick piece. The duck was generally OK for me, although a pinch of saltiness and spiciness (maybe from the 8-spice spareribs?) could be added. The duck was served with two kinds of sauces, but daddy likes his duck as it is. (Yes, I was pertaining to myself.) While I've had better peking ducks a lot of times before in my life, their peking duck was not half bad, but not good enough to impress me. I still enjoyed my duck, and although we were not able to finish our duck, it's just because it was too big. (I got to take home the duck and I am enjoying every leftover bit of it up to the bone.)

- For dessert we got to have a mango-almond bowl. Normally Chinese restaurants would have either mango sago or almond cubes, but I was wide-eyed child-like ecstatic to know that they had my two favorites in one bowl. If I had more appetite I would have wanted a large bowl, but I was too full from my duck.

Evan hates it when I do my troll face.

There was also a time when the waiters and waitresses started dancing. It was the most random thing ever.

Heaven in a bowl.

- In the end, I was still not too impressed with King Chef, and I am still not forgetting my reservation mishap. However, I am still hopefully that King Chef (at least in Lucky Chinatown,) will improve so I will enjoy my dining experience there (especially with the prices of their dishes.) King Chef in Banawe seems better in my opinion, although it has been some time since that last time I ate there; I hope their quality hasn't deteriorated. I am looking forward to eating in King Chef again in the future, but hopefully with better food. Despite the comments, I still enjoyed my dinner immensely not really because of the food, but because I had the perfect company.

The First for 2014: Someone's Back (For A Visit)!!

- January 2, 2014, Thursday.

- My friend and former carpool-mate Isen came home from USA around a month ago, since he's on winter break from his doctorate/teaching-assistant duties. I was surprised when my neighbor Charmaine told me that he'd be meeting us, since Isen has never gone out with us before; we only hung out with him during our carpool trip.

Finished all our food.

- We had dinner at Lucky Chinatown's Sincerity, a branch of one of Chinatown's best-known hole-in-the-wall restaurants. We had its popular fried chicken, big kikiam, and oyster cake, among others. Annabelle wasn't supposed to come, but Charmaine bumped into her on the way to the mall, so Annabelle tagged along.

Finished all our milk tea.

- Annabelle had to leave after dinner, so only the four of us stayed behind for milk tea at Happy Lemon. I know, it's not a really out-of-the-ordinary meeting, but since it's my first time to hang out with Isen outside college carpool days, this meant a lot to me, probably more than what the dinner meet-up meant to Isen.

"Indian Music Extravaganza:" When A Door Closes Another One Opens

- May 28, 2013, Tuesday.

- I was in the middle of cooking pasta for dinner, when my friend Sandino told me about the on-going "Indian Music Extravaganza" earlier today. It was held in Lucky Chinatown Mall, and unfortunately, not well-publicized. The event was held from 6-8pm, and I was only informed around quarter to 7pm. I had some doubts of going, since I thought that I would have missed the whole thing, and I had to do stuff at home, like my Hindi homework, and rest my aching legs from my hunt for buttons and Muslim trimmings in Divisoria this afternoon.

- I decided to "carpe diem," and go to Lucky Chiantown Mall after a jiffy-dinner, I wore a comfortable half-kurta, and rode a trike to the mall. Just after I arrived, the host was thanking everyone, and the musicians (a tabla player and a sitar player) started packing their things. It was around 7:30pm, and I expected that I had around 30 minutes to enjoy the show more. I had never been so wrong. I was devastated. I almost rolled on the floor to start crying.

- The event was held by the Sahaja Yoga Philippines, and this music performance one of the - if not the final - events lined up by Sahaja Yoga Philippines. Sahaja Yoga, like most yoga forms, relies on self-calming methods and meditation techniques in order to connect all chakras. It is one of the forms of yoga that do not need all the body-knotting forms. Simple gestures and breathing exercises are all it takes to connect the body to itself, and all other beings. Of course, this is probably just the surface of what Sahaja Yoga really is. I did appreciate the fact that Sahaja Yoga is being taught worldwide by practitioners, more often than not, without pay. This form of yoga, like most forms of yoga, transcends all religions, and is more of a lifestyle than a "religion." Still, I noticed that the practitioners had images of Ganesh and other Hindu gods in their phone wallpapers, or their jewelry.

With the two musicians. I assume the played well. They're both from Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Left: Avnindra, Right: Sandesh.

- Most of the practitioners stayed after the event, and lingered to take photos, and talk to each other, or to interested passers-by. I took the opportunity to talk to these practitioners, which included the two musicians, Sandesh and  Avnindra. I met Russians Sergey, Anya, and another guy whose name I have forgotten (shame on me,) Iranian Olga (residing in the Philippines for some years now, studying dentistry,) Australian-living-in-Hong-Kong Alex, among a few. I also met a couple from Shenzhen, who demonstrated the short steps in doing basic Sahaja Yoga. Needless to say, I was able to use some of the many languages that I knew, and had to use them one after the other. It was confusing, and fun at the same time.

With my new Russian acquaintances.

Practitioners wearing Indian clothes.

- I was also able to bump into my friend Yanyu, whom I haven't seen in the last few years.

With Yanyu and her officemate Janice.

With Alex, who gave me much info about Sahaja Yoga.

- I left an hour later than I expected, having a lot of laughs and chats with the practitioners. I had no regrets going to the event, despite missing the performance itself. I'd still like to thank my friend Sandino for "alerting" me "in real time" after encountering this in Lucky Chinatown. Today's lessons are: a. carpe diem, especially if the venue is close to you, b. when a door closes, another door opens, and c. knowing languages will definiely get you somewhere.

The Southeast Asian Craving: Banana Leaf Asian Kitchen

- April 28, 2013, Sunday.

- My friends Christiane, and now-doctors Monica and Dorenett, and I decided to try the newly-opened Banana Leaf Asian Kitchen (BLAK) in Lucky Chinatown Mall. BLAK replaced what used to be Kirin, a restaurant that served Szechuan-style Chinese food. I received neutral to not-so-favorable reviews of Kirin; I tried it myself last December, and was not too convinced with its Szechuan food. (Probably why it closed down.)

Dor and Christiane.

- BLAK opened a few weeks ago, and I hoped that it tasted better than the Banana Leaf in Robinsons Place Ermita. Banana Leaf in RP Ermita was not too authentic, so I wished that BLAK won't disappoint me.

- We had nasi goreng, pad thai, shrimp covered in oats, and Thai chicken green curry. Although the dishes were generally OK, I felt that the serving size seemed a bit small. I also preferred the shrimp to be cooked with the oats without the shell, than with the shell, since most of the seasons oats' flavors go to the shell instead of the body.

Sumosam's parade outside. Dunno why they had a small parade though. 

- I had pandan iced tea to drink, and felt that the pandan was too overwhelming. At least the restaurant's special iced teas, like mine, could avail a free refill.

Yogurt.

- We all had yogurt after our semi-heavy lunch. BLAK seemed promising, and was a great addition to Lucky Chinatown's list of restaurants. Although located a few doors away from Little Asia, another restaurant that served Asian food with different twists and fusions, I think both restaurants were still largely distinct in terms of the dishes available and the manner of preparation. (I still prefer Little Asia though. I think their pad thai is more authentic than BLAK's.)

No Pie Pi Day of Asianness

- March 14, 2013 (3-14, therefore "pi,") Thursday.

- My friend Marga invited me earlier for a dinner nearby with our friend Melissa. Quite strange for them to have a dinner out on a Thursday night, but why not, right? It was also quite fortunate that we were able to push through, since the heavy rain poured this afternoon - it even hailed in some parts of Metro Manila - but the weathe went back to its good ole summer heat half an hour later.

- I met Marga at around 6pm, and went to Lucky to look for Melissa. We decided to have lunch in Little Asia. I wasn't used to seeing Little Asia quite empty, and had to constantly remind myself that it was still Thursday, and so the mall wasn't too full.

With their idol, Nichkun Horvejkul.

- We walked around afterwards to condition our tummies for dessert. Soon, we settled in Rainbow Snow to have Taiwanese desserts. I was a bit full, so I ordered a large glass of matcha mousse; it wasn't too sweet so I liked it. My friend and Rainbow Snow owner Ricsson was also there, and he came to chat with us once in a while.

- The three of us saw our friend Karen just as we were about to go to the parking lot. It was a nice brief encounter. I think she was the cherry on top of today's pi(e) day. :D:D:D:D