If it’s true that one surefire way to pluck one’s heartstrings is via one’s stomach, then Lifestyle Network and ICanServe Foundation’s recent fundraising event for breast cancer awareness held at the NBC Tent was “bound for (gustatory) glory.†While the recent spate of events turned the affair to a joint effort for breast cancer awareness and for typhoon Yolanda relief efforts via Sagip Kapamilya, one can only commend the organizers for pushing through with the event as a means to drum up publicity and much-needed funding for both causes. In the case of typhoon Yolanda, it’s evident that while disaster relief efforts were hinged on immediate reaction, implementation and proper distribution; the monumental task of resettlement and rebuilding is a long-term concern where donor fatigue and waning public interest will be the enemies. As for breast cancer awareness, education for early detection via simple, manual testing, as well as assisted treatment for financially challenged cases, especially in the low-income urban areas and far flung provinces, remain as challenges for the Foundation.
Dubbed “Around the Philippines in Small Plates,†the event allowed one to partake in a bevy of delectable sampling portions prepared by the best chefs of the country, all highlighting Filipino cuisine. While showcasing the diversity by region of Philippine dishes, some chefs chose to prepare dishes that had particular relevance to the cause, as they came from the Samar and Leyte provinces — the areas hardest hit by Yolanda. Such was the case with Glenda Barretto who had Samar’s Kinilaw as her dish on offer. In no particular order, the following also participated in the event: Jessie Sincioco, Robby Goco, Gene and Gino Gonzalez, Myrna Segismundo, Ginny de Guzman, Sandy Daza, Margarita Fores, J. Gamboa, Vicky Pacheco, Allen Buhay, Juan Carlos de Terry, Fern Aracama, Hylton Le Roux, Alex Tanco, Suzette Montinola, John Navarro, Luis Chikiamco, Camille Ocampo and Sharwin Tee. Famous and legendary food suppliers also lent their hands to the cause, and these included Pepita’s Kitchen’s lechon, and seafood from Alavar. It was literally, an orgy of the best the Philippines can offer in terms of food — and all for a great cause!
On social media, I came across a comment belittling this kind of activities — “Why use fashion shows, dinners, art auctions, etc. to raise funds? Isn’t it simpler for these affluent people who will bid for an evening gown, gourmet dinner or painting to just contribute that money directly to relief funds or organizations?†The truth is, more often than not, these very same personages have already done their bit for Yolanda, whether on a personal note or through corporate efforts. What the criticism fails to realize is that donor fatigue is a grim reality, and it does not take into consideration how lives can still be affected months from now. At a certain point, if there are ways for us to stretch further the “helping hands†of these people in a position to do so, there may have to be more creative means to achieve that. In the end, it’s the thought that counts, and how we can transform that willingness to help into concrete ways to amass goods and funds that can, and will have to, mean something for the long haul.
The world beyond
The novels today take great pride in their ability to whisk us to worlds starkly different from our own and have us share in the experience. In the case of Ford’s novel, it’s the life of a Chinese-American in Depression Era Seattle, while Doescher’s is a playful Shakespearean take on Star Wars. Nutting’s debut novel chronicles the breakdown of morality in suburban Tampa.
Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford (available at National Book Store) William Eng is a 12-year-old “orphan†living in 1930s Seattle. He has dim memories of a life with his mother, and that at some point, she either committed suicide or plain disappeared. His deep friendship with blind Charlotte at the orphanage leads them to “escape†one day and seek out the Chinese-American actress Willow Frost, who William “feels†is his long-lost mother. Flitting between William’s 1930s odyssey, and the back story of Willow in the mid-1920s, the novel is a touching and highly charged story about paternity, living a lie, the sacrifices one makes for one’s children, and the kinds of friendship one makes in times of adversity. Set in the immigrant world of the ‘30s, the story resounds with tragedy and bleak hope. Enthralling!
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher (available at National Book Store) The film Star Wars is such an iconic banner of the 1980s and has turned so many into converts and disciples, it’s not uncommon to find homages and tributes to the cinematic masterpiece. But Ian Doescher goes one up on most everyone by turning the film’s story into a Shakespearean epic, true to its premise by being presented to us in iambic pentameter. The struggles for power, the forces of good and evil set against each other, the tangled thorns of paternity and love, the clash of cultures and technology, as set on a distant futuristic planet — they’re all vividly recreated in the form of the Great Bard’s writing style, and thus becomes a unique fun read. Be ready to be dazzled and entertained in equal measure!
Tampa by Alissa Nutting (available at National Book Store) Celeste, Tampa’s first person protagonist is one woman to avoid. Twenty-six, married, she works as a substitute high school teacher specifically to satisfy her craving, preying on 14- and 15-year-old boys. She needs them like a cactus needs water, obsessed with those boys in the cusp between adolescence and manhood. This is one well-written, disturbing novel. She systematically screens her students for targets, analyzing with precision how to choose the ones ripe for picking. Graphic, sexually charged and analytical, there’s no stone left unturned in the creation of this female “protagonist.†As the plot develops, we’re brought into Gone Girl territory, but without the dark humor, only the darkness of reality and the dire consequences.