The Philippine-South Korea Trade Agreement: Bae Yong Joon for Ensaimadas

Television dramas from South Korea are a hit everywhere! From Japan to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, North and Latin Americas, and even in the Middle East, Africa and Europe! Dubbed in the local languages of the importing country, Korean dramas have become so popular it now has legions of fans addicted to these series reflecting the Korean culture and society, loaded with fast-paced writing, beautiful sceneries, latest fashion and whose lead characters are always played by good-looking actors with perfect set of teeth and skin.

Hallyu and Bae Yong-Joon

The Korean Wave or 'Hallyu' as they call it here in Korea, is the term used to describe the popularity and influence of Korean entertainment and entertainers overseas: Korean pop music and singers, movies, television dramas, Korean actors and even products.

One of the most popular Korean dramas that ever hit the Philippines was Winter Sonata, whose lead actor, Bae Yong-Joon, has achieved god-like status in Japan, where women of 'a certain age' (you know what I mean) worship him like, well, a god! They call him Yon-sama, a name that denotes the highest respect. He was the face of Faceshop, which I think, made Faceshop one of the biggest brands of Korean cosmetics that time.

The success of these Korean dramas usually results in a windfall for its lead actors who are offered lucrative endorsement contracts for products marketed in Korea or in another country where he or she has won fans through the drama.

In Seoul, even if you're not a fan, you would still know if the current TV drama is a hit because the lead actor's face is all over the city. Lee Min-Ho, who played Gu Jun-Pyo in Boys Over Flowers, was on posters plastered at donut shops. Other successful actors would be seen on TV selling products ranging from coffee, clothes, make-up, cell phones, apartment units and, of all things, insurance.

K-Pop Music

And aside from the dramas, Korean pop music also has its own following, although it's mostly for the younger generation represented by grade schoolers, teenagers, and fans in their 20's, who I'm sure can always pronounce the tricky Korean names of the individual members of the girl and boy bands. Some solo artists though have unique names: Rain (or Bi in Korean), Se7en (yes, the number) and BoA (not the reptile); and members of boys bands as Big Bang (not the theory) such as G-Dragon and T.O.P., which are easier to remember. I guess since the real Korean names of these entertainers are very common in Korea, they opted for foreign-sounding ones in order to stand out.

And when it comes to naming a group, the talent management companies have to come up with unusual names like Mblaq, SS501, Super Junior, Big Bang, FT Island, CNBlue, TVXQ for boy bands; and Girls Generation, Wonder Girls, Jewelry, Secret, 2NE1 (Sandara Park's group), and T-ara for girl groups, to name just a few, because with so many bands (one debuts almost every other week!), the fans should be able to remember the ones with unique names; although I'm not too sure as to the logic behind the naming of the two boy groups, 2AM and 2PM. I guess they were created within 12 hours of each other.

And when they have cute names, these members should also look pretty and handsome because that's what the screaming fans like. With these boy groups trying to outdo each other in terms of costumes, hairstyle and make-up, they almost look androgynous; while the girls compete as to who has the biggest hair, thickest make-up, shortest skirts, sexiest choreography and catchiest tune. And with some groups having eight or more members, they look like cheering squads on stage, instead of singers. And did you ever notice that all members of these girls bands seem to look the same? In addition to their vocal coaches, costume designers, choreographers and make-up artists, they also have their cosmetic and dental surgeons to thank for.

And speaking of k-pop music, who can forget that song, Nobody, Nobody from Wonder Girls, which was played everywhere? One time, I was on a bus in Seoul when that song played over the bus' radio when I noticed a girl in her high school uniform on the front of the bus moving to the tune while seated with her hands dancing to the choreography. The song was almost over when she realized she missed her stop! She frantically pushed the 'Stop' button and loudly asked the driver to let her off. She did get off, but didn't finish her performance.

Let's go back to the dramas.

Korean drama fans

And just like most of the drama fans in the Philippines, the ones in Korea never forget theTV time slots of their favorite dramas. They either watch it at home, in their cars, at restaurants, at the gym while on the treadmill or at their mobile phones while on the bus or in the subway on their way home.

And for the international fans who can afford, they travel to South Korea to visit locations where the dramas were filmed. Nami-seom (Winter Sonata), Hongdae (Coffee Prince), Namsan Park (Lovers in Paris), and of course, Changdeokgung (Jewel in the Palace) are just a few locations where fans head to. And most of them also visit Namdaemun Market where they buy their Korean drama souvenirs to bring home.

The Philippine-South Korea Free Trade

But one fan in Manila, Cielo, who happened to be a good friend, could not get enough of her idol, Bae Yong-Joon, that she had to ask me to buy his poster and have it sent to Manila in return for a dozen Mary Grace ensaimadas, which she learned was my favorite. I told her the ensaimadas were enticing, but buying the poster would involve a certain amount of embarrassment for me since I was a guy and was worried how the shopkeeper at Namdaemun Market would think of me as I buy another guy's poster. She immediately doubled the quantity of the ensaimadas! And in return, I bravely bought the poster and had it flown to Manila!

With this, I realized that all these years the trade between the Philippines and South Korea actually does not just involve tourism, agricultural products, manpower, cars, electronics, minerals and English lessons. With the involvement of Hallyu, new trading partnerships are created! Though not between huge corporations, it's still a trade! 

While Cielo was ecstatic with her Bae Yong-Joon poster, I enjoyed the Mary Grace ensaimadas, which she sent through a friend flying to Seoul.

There may have been other countless trading partnerships between the Philippines and South Korea involving k-pop boy and girl bands, and some Philippine delicacies. The two countries have been friends since 1949, and that friendship, strengthened by economic, cultural and social exchanges throughout the decades, has been even made stronger by Hallyu, Bae Yong-Joon, and some yummy ensaimadas.

(This article was first published by AIM Leader Magazine in January 2011.)

Eat, Pray, Fly: Mary Grace Cafe @ NAIA3

Who wouldn't be thrilled that, an hour before your flight out of Manila, you could still have a cup of hot chocolate paired with one of the best ensaimadas?

On the day I flew out to Seoul three months ago via the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, my friend Cielo treated me to a lunch of Vigan longganisa with sunny side-up eggs, and a plateful of stories...at Mary Grace Café right inside the airport!

                (Mary Grace cafe's interiors don't 
              make you feel you're in an airport)


On Level 4 of the Terminal, passengers in the café, who were also flying out to another city, were having ensaimadas, pastas and other Mary Grace goodies that I was sure were so much better than any in-flight meal!

That afternoon, as my plane to Seoul was taking off from the NAIA runway, I was busy burping from the Vigan longganisa and apple pie! And I was probably the only passenger on that flight who was actually carrying in my tummy an excess baggage of Mary Grace café favorites! Ha-ha-ha! 

I am now back home in the islands and have been craving for those yummy ensaimadas again. So, when my brother was flying back from Manila via the same terminal, he was able to bring a few boxes of ensaimadas home for me. Thanks to Cielo and her son, Lawrence, who helped me reserve some ensaimadas. I was worried that, since my brother's flight was at night, by the time he got to the airport, those always sold-out ensaimadas weren't available anymore at the airport's Mary Grace café.

And when those Mary Grace ensaimadas finally arrived home, they were paired with my mom's special tablea tsokolate! 

A bite of the soft, buttery ensaimada in the palate drowned by the warm tablea tsokolate, so rich and flavored with a mother's love is always a special holiday experience. 

       (My mom's tablea tsokolate and Mary Grace               ensaimadas sitting on our breakfast table!)

And while I am enjoying my Christmas holidays with these goodies, I hope you make time before your departure or after your arrival at NAIA's Terminal 3 so you can enjoy those yummy Mary Grace ensaimadas and other goodies as well!

Either way, welcome home, or have a safe flight!

Meetups @Greenbelt: Lunch With Humans, Coffee With Apes

According to scientists, marine turtles go back to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs. Although I am not a marine turtle, I recently crossed the sea to go back to the same playground, not to lay eggs, but to play some more! Ha-ha-ha!

All those years of working in Makati City, my friends and I turned the commercial area into our playground of sorts, just play, not lay eggs! Ha-ha-ha! Although I don't miss the stress, I miss all the fun! And of course, my friends, too!

So, on my short stopover in Makati before I flew back to the Seoul, I had to squeeze in a brunch at my favorite restaurant in the Greenbelt area, Cafe Mary Grace, where I chatted with friends Cielo and Marlu in preparation for their next trip to Korea. This time, just like the UN Forces during the Korean War, the Korea Drama Queens plan to start from the Busan Perimeter and work their way up to Seoul. 

At Cafe Mary Grace, I just had to enjoy again their brunch of Vigan longganisa, which was the kind of taste I needed to savor before I left the country. It would have been nice if Mary Grace herself was there at her cafe; I could thank her again for the box of soft cheese rolls she brought for me in Seoul last spring.

And to walk off our brunch, Marlu accompanied me around Greenbelt as I looked for some footwear to bring back to Korea. (Some shoe brands are actually cheaper in Manila than in Seoul; that's why I get my formal footwear here). Ironically, Marlu ended up looking for shoes herself due to a footwear malfunction. And as we were moving from one shoe store to another, we bumped into Marlu's friend, Jessica Zafra, whose hospital stint went viral a few weeks back. Jessica told us she was already well; she was her witty self again during the chat.

Later that afternoon, over pizza, I met up with Amy and Jenelyn, who were my very helpful assistants when I used to live in Tambo, Paranaque. And while still full, I made sure I had a ticket to any interesting movie there was to watch at the Greenbelt Cinemas. 

                                    (My movie ticket)

                 (For a change, Starbucks not from Korea)

And before heading to the theater later that night, I grabbed a cup of coffee jelly frappuccino from that Starbucks at Legaspi St. (I'm not sure if this coffee jelly frappuccino is even part of the menu here in Korea). Since it was Saturday night, it was almost full at Dawn of the Planet of the Apes movie, where Caesar, a chimpanzee and the leader of the apes in the film, seemed smarter and had more integrity than the current brood of Philippine senators, congressmen and government officials. Ha-ha-ha!  

I was glad I watched that movie. For 130 minutes (and while I was sipping my frappuccino), the apes made me realize that, while we humans walk upright and don't have to swing between branches, we're not exactly better than other animals. The biggest threat to our own existence is, ironically, ourselves.  

And while wandering around the commercial area made me felt at home once again, I never expected to bump into a couple of college classmates, who were also based overseas. I guess they were in the area to also meet up with friends. Human friends. Ha-ha-ha! But unlike me, they said they didn't have time for coffee with apes.

            (A visit to the commercial area is never complete 
                 without visiting the Greenbelt Chapel)

So, thanks to my human friends for a fun time @Greenbelt, and thanks to the apes for the reminder that humans, even with their superior intelligence, are not the most trustworthy politicians. :-) 

It's More Pan In The Philippines!

Yes, it is absolutely more 'pan' (bread) in the Philippines, so to speak!

Most Filipinos have sweet tooth. And I am one of them. Like everyone else, I grew up enjoying different kinds of breads, cakes, and other sweet pastries and delicacies. 

             (As usual, my domestic in-flight snacks of 
                 'salab' and mamon from El Ideal)

That's why when I fly home, I make sure I get to enjoy all of them, plus a few other favorites. I really don't mind gaining more weight. After all, it's only my luggage that gets weighed in at the airline's check-in counter, and not me. Ha-ha-ha!

                   (Brunch at Bizu in Greenbelt 3! Thanks, Tina!)

                              (Macaroons from Bizu!)

And while I usually enjoyed chocolate cakes, brazo de mercedes, ensaimadas, fruit cakes and other sugary recipes on land, I also bring my own snacks on my flights back to Manila and then to Seoul, to make sure my enjoyment continues...up there at 30,000 feet, or higher!

                                    (Puto kutsinta and 
                     ready-to-fly-to-Korea ube halaya!)

                               (Dolor's sapin-sapin and 
        Cafe Mary Grace's chorizo and green olive pasta!)

My check-in luggage would always be full with sweets, aside from my clothes and toiletries. Perhaps, if the Customs would x-ray my suitcase, they'd always find that half of it is garments, and the other half is...diabetes. Ha-ha-ha! But I can only bring so much, which would only last for a couple of weeks. 

(Checking in my luggage with all my brazo de mercedes and              sweets; my weight allowance was 30 kilos.)

        (A sunny afternoon flying out from Manila to Seoul)

        (The best in-flight snacks ever: turon, sapin-sapin and             Jamaican beef patty. And soda with ice, of course!)

But thanks to thoughtful friends, I am able to enjoy these goodies in Seoul a few times in a year. And just last week, I enjoyed the best cheese rolls in the Philippines again! Thanks to Cielo and Mary Grace for bringing me some Mary Grace cheese rolls, suman and banana chips. A shout-out also to Marlu for the Salazar hopia, which I'm digesting as I upload this blog. Ha-ha-ha!

                     (And maybe Salazar hopia and 
                      Bizu macaroons before landing.)

(And I won this pouch during CebuPac's in-flight game!)

Just like the cool spring weather in Korea, these delights are always welcome any day...and night! I sometimes microwave a piece of the ube-pinipig suman for midnight snacks! The cheese rolls were reserved for breakfast and a pack of the Salazar hopia was for afternoon snacks.

               (Mary Grace cheese rolls arriving in Seoul!)

          (Mary Grace cheese rolls as breakfast in Korea)

Although there are also a lot of sweet delicacies and fancy pastries here in Seoul, having these goodies I enjoyed growing up is an entirely different thing on its own. The local desserts and snacks here just can't compare.

From ensaimadas to otap to piaya to panara; let's throw in bibingka, barquillos and empanada, puto manapla and hopia...I could go on and on, but I'm salivating now! I have to stop! Ha-ha-ha!

With all that variety of baked, steamed or fried goodies, it's indeed more pan in the Philippines!

                   (Mary Grace goodies arrive in Seoul!)

"Let Him Eat Cake!"

Cafe Mary Grace's truffle cake, that is!

Before I flew back to Korea from my Manila vacation, my friend Cielo gave me some 'pabaon'. A pabaon is a Filipino word for provisions that one brings to school, to the office or in my case, to Seoul, Korea!

So, before I checked in at NAIA 3 for my flight bound for the Incheon International Airport, we checked the goodies galore at Cafe Mary Grace at Greenbelt 3 (in Makati City, Philippines) for me to see face-to-face for the last time those glorious cakes which I wouldn't be able to see at any bake shop in Seoul. 


Cielo got me two cakes! One rum butter cake and the other, the truffle cake, which the Cafe Mary Grace staff carefully transferred from its traditional box into a small plastic container which I bought a day before just for this.  I made sure that if I had to put the cake into my handcarry bag, this glorious delight would not transform from its round shape into some form that is not included in the list of three-dimensional shapes we studied in high school geometry.

And the cakes flew to Korea! Economy class! Ha-ha-ha!

                          (These goodies flew to Korea!)


And the days following my (and the cakes') arrival in Korea, I am still enjoying this delight even though I am nowhere near any Cafe Mary Grace. But thanks to the thoughtfulness of a good friend, living away from family and friends in this chilly winter season in Korea is not bad at all, especially when I know that there's always a slice of home awaiting inside my refrigerator. 

So, as I try to enjoy a slice of the truffle cake, I could hear Marie Antoinette call out, "Let him eat cake!" And if she were actually around, I would be able to convince her that the delight one gets from enjoying Mary Grace's truffle cake (or even the rum butter cake!) is one thing she would be willing to lose her head for. 

                 (The divine MG truffle cake well preserved
                        in my plastic container!)

Mary Grace Cafe: Everyone's Reunion Cafe!

On my first visit to Mary Grace cafe in Serendra during my Christmas vacation in the Philippines in December 2010, I met Mary Grace herself! That was the day I brought over Bae Young-Joon to her cafe. Grace was very warm and friendly. I was introduced to her by her sister, Cielo, whom I met in Seoul (and through Facebook!). Cielo and her other 'sisters', Jenny, Itchay and Marlu were in Seoul last year to visit the locations of their favorite Korean dramas. I call them the Seoul Drama Queens.

Going back to the cafe.

There's something about the cafe that makes people want to visit again...and again...and again.

While the interiors look very homey and welcoming, it's the baked goodies that also make people come back for more.  Whenever I fly home (to Victorias), my Mom would always make me a hot cup of tablea tsokolate with pinipig. (I put pinipig into the tsokolate and enjoy it one cutcharita at a time!). 

So, having tsokolate at Mary Grace cafe always makes me feel at home (without my Mom having to use her batirol and batidor! Ha-ha-ha!).

And on these few visits to Mary Grace cafes in Serendra and Greenbelt, I noticed that most of their customers are in groups: families, barkadas and old classmates!

I guess it's a reunion place for me since most of my visits were always to meet up with friends during my vacation!

And on my last visit to the Mary Grace cafe in Greenbelt last weekend (my last lunch in Manila before I flew back to Seoul that afternoon), I noticed a dozen ladies on the next table who were probably high school classmates having a reunion, while we (Cielo, Itchay, Arlene and I) on the next table were also busy catching up and talking about their dramas, Korean and otherwise.

That afternoon, as my Cebu Pacific plane bound for the Incheon International Airport was busy taking off, I was also busy burping from the Chorizo and Green Olive Pasta and Mango Bene (which was always an O-M-G dessert!) I had for lunch.  Luckily, I didn't need to buy myself some inflight meal as I was still full. I just had another 'dessert' on the plane: that very yummy ube jam from another friend, Fay. (I have to ask Fay where she got this treat. It tasted better than the one sold in jars).

I don't know when I'd be flying back home again. Maybe December in time for Christmas? Although I have a feeling it would be difficult to get a table at the cafe, especially during the holiday season, unless you reserve a table.

But with or without reservations, those baked goodies, especially the ensaimadas and the fruit cakes are always welcome!  Throw in the Valencia Hot Chocolate (love the hint of orange flavor!) and you're home!

(The Seoul Drama Queens enjoying dinner)

                           (My note for Mary Grace, which I left on a
                    table at the second floor of the Greenbelt cafe)

I guess, on my next visit, I won't only see ensaimadas and hot tsokolates; I will also see friends (Ha-ha-ha!).

                 (my ube dessert with the prize I won at 
               Cebu Pacific's inflight 'show-me' game)