Category Archives: Food

FILIPINO AMERICAN LGBTs PROTEST NEW ‘HECHO’ NAME OF FORMER BANDIDOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT

September 13, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

San Francisco, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Yesterday, The Adobo Chronicles reported that the newly-opened Mexican restaurant in the Castro changed its name from Bandidos to Hecho.

The name change came after a small group of Latino Americans headed by openly-gay Latina comedian Marga Gómez protested the name Bandidos which they said was offensive to Mexican Americans. It is a Spanish word for “criminal” or “outlaw.”

Well, the name change didn’t put an end to the controversy. Now a group of Filipino Americans living and working in the Castro is protesting the new name. In Tagalog slang, the plural of Hecho sounds too close to a Filipino term, echos, which means “lie.” When someone is called echosero or echosera, it means he or she is a liar.

“We are thrilled that a new Mexican restaurant has opened in the Castro,” the group said, “especially because Mexican cuisine is similar in many ways to Filipino food. But to name the restaurant Hecho is offensive to us, Pinoys (slang for Filipino).

The group is headed by openly-gay Filipino American actor and comedian Alec Mapa, a San Francisco native. It is scheduled to meet with Hecho’s owners early next week.

Will Bandidos, a.k.a. Hecho change its name yet again? How about just “The Mexican Restaurant?”

Business, Food, Politics

NAACP WANTS BURGER KING TO PULL ITS BLACK BURGER

September 11, 2014 Pol Pinoy 4 Comments

Tokyo, Japan (The Adobo Chronicles) – NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the U.S. is demanding that the fast food giant Burger King pull the black burger from the menu of its stores in Japan.

The black burger consists of black-colored hamburger buns and black cheese smoked over bamboo charcoal, seasoned with black pepper and squid ink sauce. It is gaining wide popularity in Tokyo and other cities in Japan.

In a strongly-worded statement, the NAACP said that the burger, regardless of its taste, does nothing but perpetuate negative sentiments against black and colored people. “We cannot allow Burger King to commercialize an entire race for profit motives,” the statement said.

Informed sources said that because of its popularity in Japan, Burger King is planning to introduce the black burger in the rest of Asia, Australia, South America and Europe. The fast food chain is reportedly very hesitant to introduce the item in the U.S. because of increasing racial tensions and widespread political correctness among Americans.

Burger King has not returned our calls asking whether it will eventually add black fries to its menu.

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Food, Health & Medicine

SURVEY: ASIAN RESTAURANTS IN U.S. REMORSEFUL ABOUT MSG

August 25, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Chinatown, San Francisco, CA (The Adobo Chronicles) – From Chinatowns to restaurant rows to mall food courts in America, Asian cuisine has always attracted the curious palates of the Western world.

But in a health-obsessed, culinary-correct American society, people are always on the lookout for food ingredients and additives that they are made to believe to be detrimental to their diet or allergic well-being. Like MSG. Monosodium Glutamate.

So in catering to Western whims, many Asian restaurants are fooling themselves for the sake of better business and patronage by eliminating MSG from their menu offerings. “No MSG” is a message that has kept these restaurants competitive as far as the eating out crowd is concerned.

However, there is no scientific evidence that MSG is bad for anyone’s diet or health, except for a few who may have allergic reactions, just like some people may have allergic reactions to peanuts or gluten.

For lack of space, we can’t go into the details except to refer our readers to the website of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which states in no uncertain terms that MSG is generally recognized as safe or GRAS (not grass, not gross). Here’s what FDA says about MSG.

A survey conducted by The Adobo Chronicles showed that majority of the Asian restaurant owners expressed remorse, not for having served menu items with MSG in the past, but for eliminating the additive in their cooking just so they don’t lose their Western customers.

Meanwhile, Asian households have been reported to be stocking up on their MSG. “Please pass the Ajinomoto,” said Manny D., a FIlipino food enthusiast we interviewed.