Chicken rice from Singapore—one of the carb-rich but super tasty Asian dishes you can make at home with ready-made sauce kits now available in Rustan's supermarket. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
I still recall, with undiminished disgust and rage, how during a particularly delicious lunch break some years back at a former office, an elderly expat colleague so nonchalantly declared that people in poorer countries eat lots of carbohydrates.
The rest of us were too busy ingesting warm, fresh-cooked rice to even react properly to the undisguised slur. Perhaps it was good that we didn’t like him that much anyway, so we let it off with a shrug and a muttered curse under our breath. From that day on, we didn’t offer him any food we had with us.
Pinoys eat carbs (rice) because we love to, and Asian cuisine has always had its fair share of it—just the way we want it in this part of the world. So there, Mr. Smartypants.
From July 1 to August 15, Rustan’s Supermarket, through its “Asian Streetfood Invasion” promotion, shows us just how yummy the pedestrian fare is in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Beyond a food fest, the supermarket chain brings in authentic products and ingredients so that you can conjure up the good stuff as close as possible to the original street versions.
At the 'Asian Streetfood Invasion' launch, the Concourse Level of Powerplant Mall transformed into a hawkers' row on Thursday as guests tried out various Asian street food dishes. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
Rustans Supercenter, Inc. president and CEO Donnie Tantoco was on hand at the recent promotion launch in Rockwell Powerplant Mall in Makati City. “A visit to any of our neighboring countries is not complete without a stop at a street hawkers stall or a local mom-and-pop outlet,” he said. “Eating street food is a multi-sensory experience—it’s about taste, texture, color, variety, value, and flavors that say ‘authentic.’”
Satay from Malaysia. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
These are the days of an increasingly upwardly mobile population—a greater number of whom has been able to jet around the world. This means more of us have gained an appreciation of places (and flavors) other than our own.
Vietnamese noodle dish topped with seafood. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
Indeed, continued Tantoco: “Across cultures, language, and geography, food binds people into a universal experience – a common ground, a way of revealing and understanding. This is especially true in Asia and good street food in the region is an experience not to be missed.”
Donnie Tantoco (in photo, right), Rustan's Supercenters Inc. president, tries out the Asian dishes with Alex Tay, South Asian regional director for Dairy Farm International South Asia Pte Ltd. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
Consider the Vietnamese pho (noodle soup), goi cuon (fresh spring rolls), bun cha (barbecued pork marinated in chili ginger and garlic); the Thai curries, standard phad thai (fried noodles with dried shrimp and tofu); Singaporean interpretations of Malay, Indian, and Chinese cuisine; and the satay and such of Malaysia.
A recessive hunter-gatherer gene in me stirred eagerly after my wife Joyce excitedly asked me to sample a particularly tasty shrimp cake with sweet-spicy dipping sauce (a Thai creation). The usual urge to let our feet take us to a Thai restaurant would be a copout in this occasion, so I challenged myself to try and make aforementioned street treat. I’m sure the missus will help me realize this dream, saying: “I support you; now go do the groceries.”
The supermarket's Powerplant Mall branch. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
To this end, the folks at Rustan’s Supermarkets have lined up interesting events in addition to stocking their shelves with exotic ingredients. Live cooking demonstrations and a weekend hawker’s market are on tap at the Rockwell outlet on July 14, at Shangri-La Mall on July 28, and Rustan’s Supermarket Makati on August 11.
“Asian Streetfood Invasion” leaflets will be made available to assist, um, hunter-gatherers in their quest for ingredients and other products from the featured countries.
Cultural numbers featuring various Asian songs and dances spiced up the event. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
Topping it off is a raffle that will send winners to one of several featured destinations, complete with a city tour and, of course, street food experience. Airfare and three-day hotel accommodations are thrown in, too. Shoppers spending at least P500 get a raffle coupon.
Tantoco called the promotion “a chance to live our transnational hunger.” I call it a chance to whip up a stormin’ good Asian meal.
Yes, with rice.
Guests enjoy some street food-inspired dishes inside the mall during the opening cocktails of Rustan's Asian Streetfood Invasion event. Photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.
