02 July 2015 - Berlin-based Filipino culinary performance artist Joseph Michael Patricio or  “Pepe Dayaw” performed before a sold out show in Markthalle Neun, one of Berlin´s most prominent market and food halls. “Dayaw: Cooking Filipino Contemporary” was part of the Berlin Food Art Week (http://www.foodartweek.com/), and a first for Filipino cuisine in Berlin.

The Pop-up restaurant featured eight dishes infused with tropical island flavors and using seasonal German regional ingredients.  Traditional dishes were presented with funky flair:

• Kare-kare: Rice crepes with sautéed seasonal vegetables complented by peanut with rice flour and shrimp paste.
• Kinilaw: Raw sea bass, avocado in vinegar, caramelized coco cream topped with deep-fried watermelon skin.
• Fishball: Fried balls of smoked forellen served on a stick dipped in home-made banana ketchup with smoked paprika.
• Gazpacho: Watermelon, strawberries, and spreewald gherkin with a spicy ginger soy twist.
• Sinigang: Slow-cooked broth of pork bone marrow, rhubarb, tomatoes and colatura di alici.
• Adobo, kanin, kamatis at atsara: Pork belly and chicken stew, tomato chutney, kohl rabi, and radish pickle.
• Champorado: Sticky rice cooked in kakao butter topped with crispy anchovy tempura
• Puto Bumbong: Tapioca and purple yam bursting into a sensual surprise.

The concept of “Bayanihan”, or the spirit of communal unity and cooperation, infused the whole evening.  A team of artists, cooks, and organizers volunteered their time to help Pepe make the entire production a resounding success. Performances by Mishka Adams, Dan Timm, Isa Tabasoares, Rosa Cordillera, and Los Pitutos added nostalgia and merriment to the evening. 

The Filipino word Dayaw means to come together in celebration.  The whole experience was an immersion, a celebration of the collaborative and communal aspects of cooking and eating. Dayaw is a meal and performance designed by Pepe Dayaw, curated by Kathrin Kuna in partnership with Markthalle Neun, and done in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Berlin and the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in Germany. END