Manila: What’s some of the first family’s favourite fares prepared in the White House kitchen?
Well, if you take it straight from the horse's mouth -- it’s adobo and lumpia, two of the more popular Filipino dishes.
US President Barack Obama gave a rare insight into what’s cooking -- quite literally -- in the centre of the world’s dominant military power.
In a state dinner speech in Manila on Monday night marked by an affirmation of America’s “ironclad” commitment to defend the Philippines as a treaty partner, he also shared his family's delight in the occasional adobo (vinegar-braised meat) and lumpia (spring roll) prepared by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, a Filipino-American.
While Obama’s six-and-a-half minute speech tackled serious issues and platitudes about the values of freedom, it was also marked by light-hearted moments to highlight “shared” American values with the Philippines.
“There is our mutual obsession with basketball," he said. "There is our mutual admiration for Manny Pacquiao, even if sometimes his fight against Americans doesn't turn out the way we'd like. There is our shared pride in the millions of Filipino-Americans who contribute to our nation every single day."
That’s when he segued into mentioning Comerford, who cooks for the first family in the most exclusive address in the world: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Comerford studied food technology at the University of the Philippines-Diliman before she moved to the US and trained at top hotels in America and Europe. It was First Lady Laura Bush who appointed Comerford as White House executive chef in 2005.
The Obamas could have appointed a new executive chef when they moved into the White House in 2009, but they retained Comerford, who was born and raised in Manila's Sampaloc, and is believed to be drawing a salary of between $80,000 to $100,000 each year in her current post.
At the state dinner, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III conferred Obama the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Rajah or Grand Collar, the highest recognition of diplomatic merit of the Philippines. The last US president conferred with the distinction was Dwight Eisenhower.
Obama admired the “spirit” of sacrifice that the Aquino family had given to the Philippines, adding: “There’s no greater nobility than to give yourself to your country, so the country might be free. Noynoy, you bear the scars of those who would have taken this nation backwards.”
He was referring to the bullet still lodged in President Aquino’s spine, an evidence of a right-wing military coup plot at the presidential palace when his mother Corazon was still president.
During his speech, attended by who’s who in the Philippines, Obama hailed the Filipino spirit in what they’ve overcome: “Colonialism, occupation, invasion, dictatorship. Yours is a fierce independence, won through sacrifice and renewed with each generation.”
Unknown to many, however, adobo has Hispanic origins while lumpiapastries probably came from “Hokkien lunpia”, similar to fresh “popiah” or fried spring rolls popular all across Southeast Asia.
