Marketman in ESQUIRE U.K. Edition (August 2011)!

Yup. It’s a lengthy article with wonderful photos of Filipino food but it starts off with a shocking view from without about how some Europeans might perceive the Philippines in several ways… It’s a gritty piece, not fancy travelogue, and it starts with some depressing lines, but winds up with a wonderful conclusion, with Tom Parker-Bowles absolutely “going to bat” for Pinoy cuisine…

If you recall, I had been invited by Margarita Fores at the last moment to a hastily arranged dinner for the writer, here. Marketman gets just a brief mention in the lengthy piece, but the most amusing quote is this: “she (Margarita) introduces me to (Marketman), the THIN and intelligent man behind the blog marketmanila…” Heehee. THIN. THIN. THIN. Cheap thrills. This at the end of my diet a few months ago… Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of the issue. :)

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Marketman is a well-traveled management consultant who loves buying, cooking and eating good food. Read more »

59 Responses

  1. oopps, bad of me to presume that there would be a link to the article. Hope our friendly neighborhood magazine stall carries this.

  3. will definitely buy this issue!!! and to be complimented on ur figure!! fantastic =)

  5. which one will go to your head first: to be in Esq UK or to be referred to as thin? LOL!

  12. Abbeylicious sure got my attention….to be called THIN in Esquire is quite a distinction..esp for a foodie!!! WOW!!! and thanks, whackerZ!

  14. Yeah, really depressing to read some of the stuff Western travel guides write about us, some true, others false, most half truths. But we do have some advocates. Travel writer Chuck Thompson considers RP his favorite place to visit, Rafe Bartholomew raves about us. Many amongst us, esp the upper class, complain that we’re not like Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, etc. But as someone who’s done some travelling myself and seen the homogenization and Disneyfication of the world, I’d rather take all our grit, grunge, and warts, since that makes a place much, more utterly interesting, at least to me (I found Albania much more fascinating than Barcelona). Upper class people talk about the “kabaduyan” of regular Pinoys, I call it “quirky and interesting.” Kudos to you MM for going out of your way to visit the grungiest of palengkes to the spiffiest supermarket/farmer’s market, now that makes an engrossing and interesting travel. I’d really hate to see us go Disney.

  15. First, PIGMAN.. then…THIN.. what’s next???

    Thanks whackerZ for the link and Mike for hitting the nail on its head.

  18. I know, I know, I am confident foodies will not lose the pork for Abbeylicous , her quads and gluts ( and cleavage too)! Gee, if I were younger I’d probably have an inferiority complex. Now to get that copy of Esquire to read that wonderful conclusion by Tom Parker-Bowles and about that thin intelligent man behind this blog.

  21. You’re funny, MM. That really made your day didn’t it? His description of Margarita Fores is even more flattering but I guess what he really fell for above anything else was Imelda’s charm. And lechon skin.

  22. Congratulations!!! I have to keep my eye out for this issue…would love to read his piece, grit and all. Let me know if you come across it over here. Well, without the grit it wouldn’t be our true story I suppose…but fantastic to know that he would “go to bat” for our cuisine :) We are making our mark!

  23. hehe just finished reading the article online—-very entertaining–nice pics, one of which was a man proudly presenting his prized rooster. He also called you ‘intelligent’, MM..You left that one out…you were more thrilled by ‘thin’. TP-B’s description of the dishes, esp the lechon skin made me so hungry..the unflattering comments no longer bother me. it is what it is—

  26. congrats, if you email me a mailing address I can pick one or two or three :) copies and mail it to you.

  27. That was good. Abbeylicious was better. Joke only!

    @Mike – Its true what you say. At the same time, we (Filipinos) don’t do much to elevate ourselves beyond what is assumed about the Philippines. This is on both sides of the Pacific where we indulge preconceived notions or memories of people who have have visited there. It really gets old, almost cliche with visions of poverty, girls, corruption, etc. And for some, this is what they look for. Granted, they can find it, but there is so much more and even more potential for the Philippines.

    One of the statements that stands out is ‘America’s real legacy, a taste for the fast and processed’. Oh how true! If you visit Seafood City or simillar Filipino grocery, there is so much premium on canned foods. I live in an area that has many Illokano households, so I would expect Seafood City to carry an abundance of Filipino produce. Shocking to see that corned beef, condensed milk and canned fruit cocktail is marketed over fresh food. At the same time, convenience and shortcuts are the bane of Filipino cuisine. So many turo turo here reinforcing that Filipino food is ‘brown and greasy’, thus ‘real Filipino’.

    The big one thorn for me is Filipinos being apologetic for what we eat. Many a restaurants here calling themselves ‘Asian’ cuisine, instead of Filipino. Shame. Even a recent airing of ‘Eat Street’ with a Filipino food truck, apologizing for how unappealing Filipino food looks. Freaking vegetarian Indian food looks pre-digested! Granted that all cuisines will undergo a change as they adapt to new homes. But for Filipinos for being in the US since the 1700s, that change is overdue.

  29. Jong, thank you so much for that generous and kind offer, but a family member is in London at the moment and will be home in a couple of weeks so they are bringing me a copy. But thanks! whackerZ, THANK YOU for that link. :)

  31. are “thin” and “intelligent” all that mr parker bowles can think of to describe mm? then i don’t think he’s much of a writer. how about erudite or enthusiastic? :)

  36. This fellow inherited the disarming gene from his mom who obviously must have used it on her current husband. Thin and intelligent can get anybody far with a lot of people. I shall put it down then as more than sufficient payback for the crunchy lechon and pili brittle you brought to Margarita’s feast.

  38. Folks, thanks for the link to the article! Kudos to you MM and others for doing a great job of guiding him through the foodscape of the Philippines.

    I was laughing out loud with his encounter with Imelda. Too funny.

  39. Very nice read. Quick pace, very energetic. Proud to be Pinoy. (

    Though the introduction and beginning of the piece were not quite complimentary, but perhaps candid, as the writer seems to be.)

    Congrats MM!

    Couldn’t help but notice – Ivan, you, Claude, Gaita (uh, never mind Imeldific) – Filipino Food, your well-written blogs, our chefs – you are all becoming our foremost ambassadors, it seems. The world seems to be looking at the country, increasingly, through your lens.

  41. Jenny: thanks! i somehow could not open whackerZ’ link. i read the article via your link.

  42. Thanks!! Jenny for the link.Honestly written..take it with the grain of salt about Manila.. and in the end,it is a nice article about our food,our foodies(Claude,Gaita,MM).. Our heart of gold.. no one can take that away from us!!very proud to be Filipino!!and to you MM WOww!! Thin & intelligent ..i will say a very limited compliments on description of you,Bowles should read you blog^_* so he can learn lot’s more about you.. who, makes us proud to appreciate our cuisine no matter where we are..Kudos MM!!

  44. Double congratulations are in order: for the article (which was a great read) and for being introduced as thin!

  48. Hi MM, my husband just got back from the UK and got me 3 copies of Esquire, 2 of which I am giving to the snobbish husbands of equally snobbish Pinays living in my building! These 2 Frenchmen never have good words about the Phil one can just wonder why they ended up marrying Filipinas. But what bothers me the most is that the wives do not ‘defend’ us and even say harsher things.. Anyhow, I’d love to see their reactions to Tom’s article. I really loved his honesty. Not surprised that Margarita, you, and Claude made him fall in love with our cuisine. So much for shithole, he had a ball!

  49. Loved how the article was right on cue. You really cant “box-in” Filipino cuisine :) and “we cook it better at home” is very pinoy. I’ve actually heard that from my aunts when I was a kid.

  50. All Filipinos should thank you, MM. You have done more for PH tourism and PH cuisine than all our govt agencies’ marketing promos (meron ba?) put together. How fortunate for us that you, Claude, Ivan and the rest were able to explain “us” to Mr. Parker Bowles. And by George, he got it! ;p

  52. congratulations! just read the bowles piece now and finished the article with a smile on my face.

  54. Daphne just posted the pages from this magazine on her site (daphneDOTcom). I saw a pic of (me thinks) Ivan Henares. I guess they called a lot of contacts before coming and meeting them up. Not sure if your picture is there, knowing you as a face covering ala the neighbor of Tim the Toolman show kinda dude.
    Anyways, it looks like a good write up and more on street food.

  55. oh my, am late to this na pala! posted a link in the comments section of the dinner blog. sorry for the duplicate!

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