COOK MAGAZINE - May 2018

In this issue

It seems that Summer 2018 might be known as the summer without Boracay. While there are countless other beaches that are equally or even more picturesque than Boracay, the small party island has been summer central for the past 30 years, even longer. I’d rather not get into the should and shouldn’t haves, but I am for giving the island a break and it would be nice to promote other places.

Other than the closing of Boracay, 2018 might also be known as the year everyone went to Taiwan. While I personally haven’t been, the sheer number of social media posts of friends that have gone to Taipei makes me feel as if I’ve been there multiple times. I wonder where the next “in” place will be next year.

As for me, I’ve been spending more and more time in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Being so near mountains and rice paddies provides a respite from the searing heat.

Once the heat lets up at around 5 p.m., the greenery all around Sta. Cruz and its neighboring towns seems to make the heat a little more bearable – compared to all the dust and steel and concrete of Metro Manila. Being in Laguna also has advantages when it comes to food.

Freshwater fish, fresh fruits and vegetables and eating home cooked, traditional food work wonders. Of course, there are trade-offs in living away from the big cities but the improvements in quality of life far outweigh the disadvantages.

The abundance and reasonable price of coconuts are something we should take advantage of. I, along with our other chef contributors and columnists share our favorite coconut recipes in this issue.

On the cover, we celebrate the month of May, the month for moms with one of the most prominent celebrity moms in our local entertainment industry – Marian Rivera-Dantes. She shares her life as a busy mom in and out of showbiz and talks about her love of cooking.

So whether you’re heading out of the country or out of town in the remaining weeks of summer, enjoy the change of scenery with good food and good company.