Tikim by Doreen Fernandez

April 4, 2022

I had been searching for this book for nearly a decade, as the first publishing of Tikim was in 1994. And then the revised and updated edition came out in 2020 so I was able to get it immediately once it reached National Bookstore shelves.

It’s a compilation of Doreen’s writings over 10 years doing columns for the Philippine Inquirer and other publications. Essay after essay, you’ll find her either writing about a specific restaurant on Roxas Boulevard in Manila that’s no longer open, or something more contemporary or “evergreen” like the different food influences from Mexico to the Philippines; the latter essay goes on for almost 20 pages.

I think there’s an essay for everyone in this book. I’m not into essay compilations but Tikim had me reconsidering. There were times when I’d skip an essay because it was about, say Valentines Day, because she had to write a timely article at some point. But then she’d have a more personal essay all of a sudden about growing up with her lola and having Noche Buena. I never grew up having Noche Buena, but it was nice to have a glimpse at her life when she was younger.

After finishing the book I realized that had I not moved to the Philippines, reading Tikim would not have hit me so “close to home”. She talks about restaurants in Manila when she was in college, streets where I’ve tried a few spots myself. She talks about growing up in Negros, where I eat with friends from time to time these days (pre-pandemic). If only she were still alive, I would have loved to sit down with her for dinner, lunch, breakfast, or even for just bibingka or puto maya with a side of 3-in-1 in any small town municipality.

She continually wrote for periodicals and their general audiences, and she put in the effort to travel, learn, and most importantly eat her way through those 10 years. In doing so she left behind a legacy of Filipino food writing probably unprecedented even up until today.

“If one can savor the word, then one can swallow the world,” she writes. Thank you Mam Doreen, we can continue to savor your words for generations.

Get your copy from the Anvil website here.

More books I’ve read

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