Travel enables us to see how other people do things and the enterprising among us come home with ideas that can make money. Rice, an item so common that we taken it for granted, is a food for thought. The Japanese people have done wonderful things with rice. Half of the world eat bread, the other half eat rice. Most east Asians eat rice, so do Arabs. In fact, Filipinos who have been to Saudi Arabia have seen how the Arabs eat rice with their hands, very much similar to our own custom of "kamayan".
Americans and Europeans eat rice crispies every morning. "Cereals", they are called. Filipino parents buy them in boxes and at eye-brow raising prices. The kids like them so much, eh,ang totoo, bigas l'ang iyon! Americans and Europeans eat steamed or fried rice now and then, they consider it a variant rather than a staple. California probably grows the most delicious and most plentiful rice in the world. Even the Japanese and the Koreans, rice growers themselves, buy California rice. Japanese tourists from California go back home carrying little bags of California rice, pretty much the same way that Filipinos hand-carry chocolates and corned beef when coming home from the U.S.
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Of course, many of us have had an encounter with the Japanese "sushi" - the bite size roll of raw fish and vegetables inside a covering of rice and "nori". On board Japanese airlines, passengers are treated to rice snacks - dry, salty, crunchy, nut-like improvisations of rice - together with the aperitifs..
Whenever rice production is low and the price of rice goes up a political crisis ensues in the Philippines. Rice and politics are very much a part of the Filipinos' daily fare. There is presently a familiar crisis that is really bothering the Japanese - the "sushi nori" crisis. "Nori" is the dried, crinkly stuff, I believe made from seaweeds, that comes in sheets and is known throughout the world for keeping rolled "sushi" together; it is in panic demand. There is a 25 percent decrease in production. Japan's "nori" comes mostly from Ariake Bay in Kyushu, which produces the best "nori" around - but not this year. The 2001 harvest is low, does not taste good and the color is wrong color. Like what happened to rice farming in the Philippines, getting the blame are civic and public works projects that reclaim bays and farmlands.
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In a related topic, according to lonely planet.com, "Japan Salutes the instant noodle, some varieties are made from rice - what Japanese people consider to be their best invention, a recent survey revealed. Created in 1958, and initially dismissed as a novelty item, the noble noodle was voted in at first place, ahead of the nation's trademark gadgets such as video games and cameras. The famous karaoke and walkman came in second and third, which Japanese people consider their best ideas ( Fuji Research Institute survey
Mexicans eat rice and beans. Rice is mixed with meat, vegetables, spices and spicy salsa, beans and made into the world-famous "burritos. The Chinese probably introduced "lugao" (rice porridge) and rice-toppings - complete meal combos of rice and choice of viands on top, like meat, vegetable, or sea food.
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Our way of growing, milling, distributing and preparing rice have not changed throughout the centuries. Is this a bane or a boon? We have the International Rice Research Institute right in our own soil. The venerable organization can tell us a thing or two about the way we do things with rice. Since we have not seen any revolutionary change in our methods of rice farming, does this mean that the Department of Agriculture and the IRRI find our methods to be okay, albeit classic? Or maybe what will help boost rice production other than limiting the inroads of subdivisions and industry into farmlands is the modernization of farm equipment and implements?
Whatever, the fact remains that rice has become a national staple and source of pride and major export for some other countries. California and Bangkok rice have made it into the international gastronomical scene and command high demands. "Sushi", "burrito", rice "junk food" and other products and by-products of rice have conquered the world. And here we are, a country of rice eaters and growers still oblivious and insouciant about the hidden wealth in rice.
Our unique rice varieties, such as the "malagkit", the way we make "suman" and "calamay" with rice, our "champorado", "sinangag", "ampaw", the Pampango's "buro", our "arroz Valenciana" - all these have potentials as international dining stars and dollar-makers. All that is needed is the tinkering by creative minds and the drive of business-minded travelers.
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Are pets allowed aboard airlines? Most U.S. airlines allow passengers to travel with birds, cats and small dogs, if they can fit in a container and stowed under the seat. The charge is around $75. However, if the animal creates any disturbance the flight captain has the right to land and remove the offender and its owner.
Recently, a pig flew first class, with 200 humans on board. It behaved well for most of the flight and slept like a piglet. But the swine created a commotion upon arrival in Seattle, Washington. It ran down the aisles and left droppings behind. Federal Aviation Administration agents attempted to figure out how the pet made it past the check-in counter and how the pet's owner was able to purchase a ticket for it. Luckily for this porker, it made its destination.
Can an overweight passenger be required to pay for two seats? A passenger felt she was being discriminated against after being told to buy two seats to accommodate her size and had her case filed in a Los Angeles court. She lost. Cynthia Luther, who weighs over 300 pounds, was told by Southwest Airlines that "so as not to inconvenience other passengers seated next to her," she would have to purchase two tickets," her lawsuit stated. Judge Marilyn Hoffman of the Los Angeles Superior Court agreed with Southwest Airlines lawyers that its policy on oversized passengers was not discriminatory or illegal. "The procedure and policy is directed in any situation where it appears for whatever reason a passenger might significantly encroach on another passenger."
To Hindus, the cow is sacred; is there a hamburger fast-food in India? American Hindus accused a large burger fast-food chain of misleading customers into thinking its fries were vegetarian. They were mad that the global fast-food giant tricked them into eating beef. In 1990, the chain announced proudly that it was cooking its fries in vegetable oil, thereby attracting vegetarians. However, vegetarian groups suspected the use of beef seasoning and petitioned the company for full disclosure of ingredients. It was only when threatened with a lawsuit that it admitted that North American fries were first seasoned with beef before being frozen and dispatched to restaurants for frying. The revelation caused rioting in India, where the fast-food chain, believe it or not, has 30 restaurants serving fries but not beef .
Where is the nearest public toilet? To travelers, finding a reasonably decent toilet can be nearly impossible, if not traumatic. Travelers can check online ahead of time for locations and other details at www.besttoilets.com. This friendly guide lists public toilets in many North American cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle and Toronto. The site even uses a star rating system, includes handicap accessibility information, descriptions and often photographs. The toilets are found in government buildings, universities, art galleries, restaurants, stores, hotels, hospitals and others. Remember that the word toilet is rarely used in North America; it is referred to as the rest room, the washroom
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I have lost track of how many billions of pesos were used to build the Expo Filipino inside Clark Special Economic Zone, centerpiece of the celebration of the Philippine Republic's 100th anniversary. Suffice it to say, it was a scandalous amount. Not a few thought there was an anomaly in the way the project was over funded and over built but whatever speculations and accusations there have been, these were negated by a ruling of the Ombudsman that Pres. Fidel Ramos, et al did not commit wrongdoing in undertaking the Construction of the Century.
With that money we could have built a permanent architecture worthy of world attention. Similar grandiose projects in the past, zealously pursued by single-minded rulers, produced such tourism monuments, such as, the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal in India. Disneyland in Anaheim, California, built by Walt Disney; the Basilica of the Holy Family in Barcelona, Spain built by eccentric architect Antonio Gaudi, exemplify monumental tourism-drawing projects created through private enterprise.
The Expo was meant to be a monument , a permanent tribute to the Philippines' 100 years of achievements as a republic (if it was meant to be a temporary edifice, the cost would have been less); only, it was short-lived and served only a scant portion of the population. Its operation plodded for about a year for lack of pizzazz and audience, and then went into oblivion. Cost-Benefit Analysis is a basic tool in business - in the case of the Expo, the benefit did not measure up to the cost.
My personal assessment is that the Expo was like a computer hardware - a great box of metal, wires and chips, but that could not be used due to lack of software and a programmer. The government spent a lot of money erecting the edifice but did pay much money or attention to the programming and marketing of events, activities, and attractions, that could have been the crowd drawer.
Enter new Clark boss, Emmanuel Angeles, founder of Angeles University, an educator not a politician. Speaking before the members of the Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines (REBAP), Mr. Angeles announced that one of his priorities is to reopen the Expo. He said he had ordered the inspection of the building and the start of repair work. He had discussed with governors and mayors the prospect of using the Expo as a showcase and trade center of the different provinces' produce. He added that he had also been approached by representatives of Disneyland who had visited Clark twice to look at the Expo and gather data preparatory to organizing a proposal.
We would like to suggest to Mr. Angeles the formation of a board of advisers made up of people who are specialists in the "software" side of amusement park/entertainment business, the design and production, marketing and promotions, and events management. This board will certainly fast-track the reopening of the Expo.
Clark needs to reopen the Expo for revenue and prestige purposes. The whole nation needs it as a matter of consolation that a project that went out of control is finally going to be manageable.
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On November 30, Andres Bonifacio was born and so were two other extraordinary people: Mark Twain, American writer, and British statesman Winston S. Churchill. We came across the article of Jim Zwick who wrote that the lives and legacies of these three men converged in 1900 and 1901.
Mark Twain never traveled to the Philippines. If it were not for his interest in the Spanish-American War, he would never have heard of Bonifacio. Twain had deep sympathy for the Philippine Revolution and its leader.
Twain knew that the United States had unjustly intervened in the Philippines when the Spanish-American War started in April of 1898. When George Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in the famous battle of Manila Bay, by that time the Filipinos had nearly driven the Spanish from the islands. Spanish forces were already confined to Manila and a few other garrisoned towns, most of the country was already under the control of Filipinos. Aguinaldo declared the country independent on June 12, 1898. The Philippine Republic is notable in world history as the first republic formed in Asia through an anti-colonial revolution.
The Philippine Republic was cut short by the Treaty of Peace that resolved the Spanish-American War. The United States purchased the Philippines from Spain for twenty million dollars. Mark Twain described the treaty as the "stupendous joke of the century" because, having already been driven from the islands by the Filipinos, Spain had nothing to sell. He saw the U.S. annexation of the Philippines as imperialist land-grabbing of the worst kind, and the "purchase" of the islands from Spain as an attempt to deceive the American public
Winston S. Churchill had just turned 26 when he spoke at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on December 12, 1900. He became famous in England when he was captured while covering the Boer war in South Africa as a journalist. He escaped and joined the British army as a lieutenant in South Africa. He published a book about his adventures, From London to Ladysmith via Pretoria. The speaking engagement at the Waldorf-Astoria was the first stop on a U.S. tour intended to promote both his book and the British position on the war.
Twain and his friends William Dean Howells and Henry Van Dyke wrote letters protesting Churchill's appearance at the Waldorf-Astoria. Despite his opposition, Twain agreed to introduce Churchill, and he used the occasion to make one of his sharpest criticisms of both British and American imperialism: "I think that England sinned when she got herself into a war in South Africa which she could have avoided, just as we have sinned in getting into a similar war in the Philippines. Mr. Churchill by his father is an Englishman; by his mother he is an American; no doubt a blend that makes the perfect man. England and America; yes we are kin. And now that we are also kin in sin, there is nothing more to be desired. The harmony is complete, the blend is perfect. "
The chance to meet Mark Twain was a significant event in young Winston Churchill's life. He later recalled: "Of course we argued about the war. After some interchanges I found myself beaten back to the citadel - My country right or wrong." Churchill asked Twain to sign a set of his works, and he interpreted the inscription Twain wrote in the first volume as a gentle admonition: "To do good is noble; to teach others to do good is nobler, and no trouble." It would be interesting to know how often Churchill thought of that inscription as he led his country as Prime Minister during World War II.
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