It's More Fun in the Philippines!

 It is more fun in the Philippines! A fitting new slogan heralded by the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) to express the country's core strengths, it's fun-loving Filipino people.  The Lonely Planet guidebook described Filipinos as "among the most easygoing and cheerful people anyway", and I agree!

Entering EAT! Vancouver, a 3-day food and cooking festival, I was greeted with friendly signs inviting delegates to visit the Philippines booth. Of course, I b-lined straight there and was warmly approached by Rene R. Delas Santos and staff members from San Francisco's PDOT.  

The booth showcased large photos of Philippines' breathtakingly colourful landscape, staff promoting the country's exotic sights and activities, yummy treats for sampling, and a professional kitchen ready for a cooking show. 

We soon got a quick lesson on lumpia shanghai (spring rolls) by, Albert Rivera, top chef and winner of the 2012 Kulinarya Filipino cooking showdown. I tried his lumpia, dipped with his homemade, sweet and tangy banana ketchup sauce. Masarup! 

It's exciting to see the event delegates toting bright green Philippines bags and buzzing about the country's alluring sights and food.  PDOT did a wonderful job representing what the Philippines has to offer and it makes me proud to be a Filipina!