Nasi Goreng

MANILA, Philippines -- Travelling overseas, Filipinos (other than those with Caucasian blood) often get mistaken for Malaysians or Indonesians. This is understandable; with the exception of mestizos, we look alike because we all belong to the Malay race, yet we share little else.

There was a race-influenced attempt at organization In the early '60s, as a reaction to the South East Asian Treaty Organization, or SEATO, an expanded regional pro-West organization thought by many to be the Asia-Pacific equivalent of NATO. Those were the years after WW2 and during the Korean War, when very few questioned the need for balancing the scales during the Cold War

Pinoys, like the peoples of neighboring states, are Malay; but that, and geographic proximity, are all we share with our southern neighbors. It took a lot of work, backroom machinations and diplomatic effort for the Malaya, the Philippines and Indonesia to establish the MAPHILINDO, presented as independcnt of SEATO that’s presumed to be partial to the region’s former colonizers.

MAPHILINDO, a confederation of three nations of Malay origins, was finalized by heads of states in July 1963 but foundered two months later when Indonesia and the Philippines refused to recognize the newly-created state of Malaysia. The organization thus never advanced beyond its declaratory establishment.

SEATO was overtaken in 1967 by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), packaged as an economy-oriented organization that thrives and continues to expand its membership.

What is this very lengthy political intro doing in a food column? Simple: the region’s future, just like its past, is not shaped by politics, but by what, and why, its people eat. Proof? Europeans came to Asia in search of spices, staking life and limb for seeds, barks, leaves and other plant parts that heighten one’s dining experience while at the same time preserving meats and seafood.

The result of this European foray into Southeast Asia is illustrated best in this season of Ramadan, which this year is observed in the whole month of August, during which hotels in Metro Manila vie to offer the most diverse and inviting politically-correct buffet presentations allowing Filipinos and expats the rare chance (in this part of the woods) of relishing truly authentic Malay cuisine.

Monday noon was a glutton’s dream: Selamat Manikmati, an Indonesian food festival at the Diamond Hotel’s breath-taking faux al fresco ground floor restaurant, The Concourse. The lunch and dinner buffet, ongoing from August 16-28, involves three Indonesian master chefs with a total of 38 years of professional work in award-winning establishments around the world: Sous Chef Ovan Prahoro and Chefs de Partie Asep Marthy and Agus Setiadi.

At the launching last Monday, diners savored a genuine no-holds-barred experience; almost half of the restaurant space was filled with food from several continents, the better to allow customers to pick and choose before delving into less-familiar Indonesian fare.

The experience was overwhelming. Rare Italian and Spanish cheeses, ultra-thin French beans, artichoke hearts, Greek Kalamata olives and at least six types of lettuce. That’s not even half of the salad bar. The other half had steamed Mud crabs (Alimango), swimming blue crabs (Alimasag), spiny lobster, slipper lobster (Pitik) and New Zealand mussels alongside a selection of Indonesian Gado-Gado presented with thick and rich peanut sauce. And yes, humungous cultured plump Panay oysters, shucked on the spot by well-trained staff.

The rest of the buffet is too numerous to enumerate; I went back four times to taste even half the selections: Aged tenderloin in reduced wine sauce and blue cheese, various seafood, chicken and caramelized pork were my first round. Next came several Indonesian dishes that were spiced just right. A foray into noodles was next, followed by a flirt with pastas.

At the end of the meal, the younger ones at my table nibbled at ice cream, custard and at least 12 kinds of desserts; I savored fresh chevre (goat cheese), green sage-infused sheep’s milk cheese, gooey Brie, several very rare varieties from Spain and Italy which were perfect with crusty hotel-baked breads, dried fruits, several types of olives and brined mature capers.

I dare not enumerate the dozens of Indonesian dishes, because the menu changes everyday. Suffice it to say that each is authentic and spiced just right for Philippine customers; heat can be adjusted by adding sauces that accompany each dish.

At the end of the day, many of the food writers moved from the Diamond Hotel to the Heritage on the south side of Roxas Boulevard. There, the introductory stupendous buffet had a deeper religious tone; it was a certified Halal meal to break the fast after the last prayer of the day.

The Heritage Hotel invested heavily in assuring that an independent, separate kitchen secures an internationally-recognized Halal certification, and a framed calendar instructs, to the minute, the specific schedule for each day’s five prayers, as well as the daily pre-dawn and post-sunset meals.

Unlike the Diamond, the inaugural dinner for the Malaysian Food Festival was 100% Halal, although the hotel’s daily lunch and dinner buffets have non-Halal items on the menu; most popular among non-Muslims is the Singaporean Pig Stomach Stew with medicinal herbs and spices, a rare variation of Bah Ku Teh. Fresh oysters and lobsters, cheeses, Indian, Japanese and Filipino specialties beef up the daily lunch and dinner buffet, ongoing this month.

Guests at both food affairs were awed, united in confessing guilt at being more familiar with European and American cuisine; they’re resolved to learn more about our next door neighbours.

The lesson? Yes, food from Malaysia and Indonesia taste different and foreign the first time around. But is that not what life is all about? Imagine how boring it would be if everyone’s food is alike: booorrrriiiing.

For feedback and comments, email to: solvanzi2000@yahoo.com.