Sarap: Essays on Philippine Food

“To take food as seriously as Fernandez and Alegre did in 1988 was bold and daring in all sorts of ways, but it was made all the more important because there was a solid backbone that ran through the diverse essays: it was about Philippine food as an essential marker of Filipino identity; it was a performative act of being Filipino.”
—Clinton Palanca

“Dining with Doreen and Eddy was part of my cultural education. She provided the historical context, he the anthropological, both of them in love with literature and words spoken, heard, written, and read. Food was not just for eating, but a past unearthed from historical sources, an experience tasted and documented, a window into the Filipino soul.”
—Ambeth Ocampo

“Somewhere in this book, Doreen writes, ‘Eating is the act of ingesting culture.’ In essay after engaging essay, food is a lens through which to view the world Filipinos live in: a melting pot of flavors and ingredients that reflect a people’s rich environment, cultural diversity, and complicated history.”
—Howie Severino

“In those days there were very few good Filipino restaurants. But Doreen and Ed were nurturing rather than critical, trying to encourage—and were ultimately successful in—shifting people’s attention to local cuisine.”
—Neal Oshima