Here’s the Up Against Bullying anthem I wrote and delivered at the Human Experience, which is held every Monday night (from 7pm to midnight) at The Beat Coffee House in Fremont East District, Downtown Las Vegas.
My heartfelt thanks to Prince, one of the four energetic MCs’ who take turns to keep the “fire” going the whole night.
Those of you who wants to adapt this anthem for their anti-bullying movement, please feel free to do so. Let’s join hands to discourage people, both adults and students, from bullying.
I am a fan of Anthony Bourdain! His food and travel TV programs, “Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown” and “No Reservation”, on CNN and Travel Channel, respectively, are culturally educational.
As a fan, I wanted to clarify (for the would-be viewer) on a dessert, HALO-HALO, which, I heard on CNN, that Anthony will be featuring this Sunday night “Parts Unknwon” as part of his visit in Koreatown-Los Angeles,
Since the program is featuring the food in Koreatown, allow me to reiterate that HALO-HALO, though exotic sounding as it is, is NOT a KOREAN dessert. It is FILIPINO’S!
In Philippine language, specifically in Tagalog, the word HALO` means “to mix two or more stuff”. Hence, HALO-HALO means “mix-mix”! And in the Philippines, one can buy or order HALO-HALO in food carts of street vendors, small food stores, and in classy restaurants. The common components in HALO-HALO is shaved ice, evaporated milk, sugar, cooked red beans (Filipinos usually use cowpea, a specie of genus Vigna), a colored bar of “gulaman” (agar-agar) cubed once cooked, and, at least, some cubed fruits- cubed cooked banana, etc..
In classy restaurants, you can find in the mix, cubed caramel custard (leche flan), a scoop or two of ice cream, a mashed purple yam, coconut gel or shreds of young coconut meat, cubed mangoes or jackfruit, and “pinipig” – rice, which were harvested before they reach complete maturity, and roasted and pounded or ground.
The richness of the mixture and taste of HALO-HALO, therefore, depends on where you get it. Those who would like to taste the real HALO-HALO should look for it in Filipino restaurants, not in a Korean restaurant. Probably, one would be asked for an extra dollar if a scoop of ice cream would be added.
I hope the HALO-HALO, that Anthony Bourdain is featuring this Sunday in his CNN program, is from a Filipino restaurant in Koreatown. Otherwise, what he’d have is a HALO-HALO fusion or copycat, not the real thing.
Meantime, pls. check this video that I got on You Tube, courtesy of campoxanto’s channel.
edindustanwrites 