The Perfect Storm. A Shift in Social Acceptance

For What's Cooking Atlanta

A Blog Docomenting the Rise of Filipino Food in Atlanta

By Hope Webb

On March 25, 2002 I was just 22 years old, living alone and working at The Bank of New York. The episode of Fear Factor aired and Balut made its debut as the cringeworthy staple food of the Philippines. The message was clear, civilized people should only consume Balut if they are dared to, blind-folded, with a chance to win $50,000. After that every American was programmed to ask every Filipino they ever encountered for the rest of their lives the unoriginal, stereotypical and very predictable question, “Do you eat Balut?”.  If my eyes weren’t attached they would roll right out of my head, bounce off the ground like a rubber ball from the gumball machines of the 70’s and 80’s and book it into the far away from the human brain.

Since becoming more grounded in Atlanta’s Filipino Food scene, I’ve made it my mission to trace back the Filipino Food Movement here in Atlanta. I’ve heard about Fil-Am in Asian Square, the place in Virginia Highlands next to Yeah Burger, Barrio Fiesta, Janet’s Kitchen, and Andrew Bantug’s sold out Kamayan dinners at Upper Room in 2015. I’m finding that the more that I dig into the history of Filipino Food here, the more I have to go back to those moments in time when Filipino Food was first exposed to the American masses. A time when impressions good or bad were made to the American consumer and then do some detective work to pinpoint exactly when there was a shift in social acceptance.

In 2007, Episode 3 of Andrew Zimmern’s first season of Bizarre Foods aired, he picked and probed at Balut making certain to reinforce for the viewers at home that “all Filipinos eat this.” He called the embryonic fluid (that we describe as tasting like chicken soup) as the “funkiest” part of the whole experience. The chicken soup is really the funkiest part? Really? He certainly did change his tune 5 years later and parrots the sentiment to this very day declaring Filipino food “the next big food trend in America”. But this was only after his friend Anthony Bourdain toured and tasted his way through the foodscape of the Philippines in a more graceful, grateful, poetic, empathetic, and down to earth way leaving the world curious not crude and judgemental.

Anthony Bourdain’s was such pioneer and a steward of the hospitality industry who brought culinary and cultural awareness around the globe into our homes. Contrary to Andrew Zimmern’s food tours of shock and awe and a far cry from Joe Rogan’s mutually degrading Fear Factor. He shed more light and understanding on our culture and cuisine than any past food show celebrity. The love story between Bourdain and the Philippines began in 2009 with Season 5 Episode 7 of “No Reservations”.  After all the press junkets surrounding that series and leading up to his return to the Philippines in 2016 for his 7th Season premiere of Parts Unknown, I would argue that Anthony Bourdain single-handedly shifted the worlds perspective on Filipino food and it only took him the better part of a decade to do it. Thank you Tony you are sorely missed but your spirit lives on in the #filipinofoodmovement

Remember, 2012 was a very important year in the history of Filipino Food in Atlanta. It was the year Sarap Atlanta and Eggrollin ATL made their debuts on the pop-up food scene. Shortly after Claire’s Kitchen was off to the races. They still hold it down to this day. These details are very important to our present day footing and the space we hold in the food blogger Mecca that is the Atlanta’s abundant food scene. Had it not been for those before us where would we be? Certainly not where we are. The butterfly effect in this case sent ripples into the universe and created the perfect storm. I’m just happy to be here. Mabuhay!

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