The Philippine Booth was one of the most popular destinations and adjudged second best at the Festival of Nations held on 7 September 2019 at the Nelson Mandela International School in Berlin, one of the premiere primary and learning institutions in the city.

 

The Philippine participation was spearheaded by the students, teachers, and parents of the school’s 6-D Primary Class. Filipina-German faculty member Lea Millares-Sylvester worked with the Philippine Embassy in Berlin in the Philippine booth presentation featuring traditional Filipino fare such as pancit palabok, pancit guisado, puto, empanadas, banana and cassava cakes, and lumpia. Philippine tourism and Jose Rizal brochures were likewise given away to the visitors. A quiz about the Philippines was offered to the booth visitors while Nelson Mandela students made “beaches in a jar” crafts while promoting Philippine beaches as well as the protection of the environment.

 

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon-De Vega joined the Philippine Embassy and the booth team with volunteers from the Filipino-German community in talking about Philippine culture, tourism, and traditions at the Fair. This marked the Philippine Embassy’s first time to participate in the Festival which included 24 other countries. The event attracts nearly a thousand visitors annually throughout its one-day run. END

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon-De Vega joined the Lord Mayor of Osnabrück, Germany Wolfgang Griesert and Bürgermeisterin Eva-Maria Westermann in launching the Kulturnacht (Culture Night) of Osnabrück, Germany on 31 August 2019.

Lord Mayor Wolfgang Griesert who welcomed Ambassador Dizon-De Vega as the first Filipino dignitary to officially visit Osnabruck. The City is now known as an industrial base with many companies in the automobile, paper, steel, and grocery-retail sectors. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega also met officials of Systemgastronomie, a leading company in the city in the course of her visit.

The opening was witnessed by members of the Filipino-Germany Community in Osnabrück including Ms. Maria Malaca, Proprietor of the top Spa-Wellness Center in Osnabrück, Mari-Jing Spa. The members of the Filipino Community took part in the Kulturnacht with a free Hilot massage service, a sampling of Filipino cuisine, and introduction to Filipiniana attire and dances like the popular Tinikling. The event takes place in the historic center of Osnabrück to mark the end of summer. Attracting several thousand visitors from the city and nearby areas, the event further promotes Osnabrück’s reputation as a City of Peace and Multi-Cultural values.

The active participation of the Filipinos in Osnabrück in various cultural, gastronomic, and economic events was lauded by the city officials.  End

 

METRO, one of the largest supermarket chains in Germany and Europe held its Metro Cup Young Chefs Competition in cooperation with the Brillat Savarin Culinary School on 23 August 2019 at the Metro Cooking Academy in Berlin.

 

This year’s competition focused on a five-course challenge featuring international street food and snacks. The six (6) young German chefs were tasked to prepare Lebanese, Argentine, Japanese, New Zealand, and Philippine street food or snacks.

 

The street food chosen by event organizer, Chef Niklas Siebecke, for the Philippinec course was Binaki und Latik (Binaki and Latik), a popular corn-based snack in the Visayas and Mindanao, in particular in the provinces of Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, and Iligan.

 

The adjudicators are all active chefs in Germany, including for the Philippine course, Filipino-German Chefs Bulawan Callanta of AYAN Street Food restaurant and Maite Hontiveros-Dittke, a Dusseldorf-based Chef and food advocate.

 

Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega lent her presence to the occasion and awarded young German Chef Caroline Glusa with the award for the best Binaki und Latik and a native Philippine bag with Philippine cookbooks and food items.

 

Asked what was the most challenging part of preparing the sweetish Southern Philippines snack, Chef Glusa mentioned that getting the sweetish corn meal consistency right was most trying because they had never attempted to prepare or tasted Binaki before.

 

The Embassy of the Philippines continues to have a full slate of culinary-related activities for the remainder of the year as part of its Culinary Diplomacy thrusts.  END

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin hosted “Hallo, Halu-halo!” with more than 100 members of the Filipino community and their German and foreign friends, to commemorate Buwan ng Wika and to bid summer farewell.

 

The highlight of the event was the Halu-Halo sa Jardin, where guests enjoyed the classic Filipino dessert al fresco at the Embassy’s amphitheater while sharing food tales and culinary memories. More substantial fare was on offer at the Pansit at Puto sa Patio, alongside which guests could try their hand in a game of Hugot and Darna created by start-up game companies in the Philippines or browse recipes at the Pinoy Cook Book Corner.

Meanwhile, younger guests had their own kiddie session at the Consular Area, where they were treated to a story-telling of “Haluhalo Espesyal”, a Filipino children’s book by Yvette Ferreol, with illustrations by Jill Arwen Posadas, and other children’s books about Filipino food. Aside from the usual ingredients like kaong, nata de coco, macapuno, langka, ube ice cream, and leche flan, the kiddie halu-halo station let the kids top up their desserts with special ingredients like gummy bears and wafer rolls.

To encourage sustainability, biodegradable cups and cutlery were used and guests who brought their own reusable containers were treated to their own halu-halo station. Another station featured healthier options such as mais con hielo and mango slushie, with toppings like chia seed, cacao nibs, and pomegranate, and oat and soy milk and instead of cow’s milk.

The event was also part of the Embassy’s food diplomacy initiative as well as its Kapihan/Kainan at Kuwentuhan para sa Kababaihan series under its Gender and Development (GAD) program. (END)