~manila, you're not that ugly

Coming soon in theatres worldwide is Fast Food Nation by Richard Linklater, who created some of the first talky movies I thoroughly enjoyed: Before Sunrise and the experimental animation, Waking Life, and who actually said, “My plan B has always been to make a film about people who talk a lot.”

In any case this newest project is based on a book that goes deep into the world of fast food (as opposed to slow or soul food?), exploring the nitty gritty of its underbelly: what goes on behind closed doors, how raw products turn into burgers and fries, and the dirty magic that makes sure it happens.

Recently read an article on Askmen.com that spilled some of these industry secrets: The flavor in the fries is not potato — it’s meat; There are animal by-products in the milkshakes; There may be beef in your chicken; The guy who made your burger may not have washed his hands after using the bathroom; Fast-food meals contain common food allergy ingredients, but they don’t tell you which ones; Fries are not made from 100% potato.

Personally I’m not a fan of fast food (i.e. I don’t crave for it), but without intending to, I’ve used McDonald’s menus as a recent cultural gauge of sorts:

Beer on the Madrid menu shows the Spanish outlook on alcohol (it’s certainly a staple!) but the variety of salads and yogurts also implies a preference for “healthy” fast food.

The Malaysian menu is more or less the same as ours, with a Cheeseburger De Luxe similar to Jollibee’s TLC. One noticeable addition to the menu: Beef and Egg Burger that looks like it has mayonnaise.

In Malaysian KFC, mayonnaise is used in place of sour cream as dip for potato wedges. Reminds me of that same switch to mayo for the Chicken Baked Roll in Pricesmart outlets, a cost cutback which annoys me to no end.

Recently visited relatives in Sabah, Malaysia. Was a quiet holiday, a food fest more than anything else (hurrah for teh tarik or “pulled tea”, nasi lemak, mee goreng mamak, and all the different kinds of roti!). Few observations:

1. Race over class. Unlike Manila, where the haves battle it out with the have-nots, the people of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Kuala Lumpur or KL is another matter, they say) are loving, non-judgmental, and accepting of people regardless of socio-economic class. My tita told me that rich and poor eat side by side in restaurants and visit the same hawker stalls in the street. No one looks you up and down when you enter a bar or pub (where Tiger beer is king) ; no one judges you immediately based on your car or clothes or language of choice (English, barok or not, etc.) . Small talk is not made by namedropping one’s school or family.

Sabahans (the people of Sabah) are more particular about race, with most news reports citing a person’s race as key identifier (ex. A filipino man was caught on an illegal boat…A local Chinese woman won the Idol search…). Despite this, there is still a sense of racial harmony–Chinese, Malays, Indians all mingling and interacting without apparent bias.

2. Press freedom and bilingual dailies. Friends and I were recently debating whether having “the press with the highest freedom in Asia” is something to be proud of…we have yet to maximize this privilege. I’m sure my old Comm teachers would stone me to death for saying this, but I’d consider media regulation if it meant more full stomachs and economic empowerment for Filipinos.

Malaysia is known to censor the media, and looking through a few dailies did leave me wanting for more diverse and meaty news, but interesting to note is that most of its major papers come out in both English and Malay. Reminds me of a comment a French friend made when I took her to Philippine Independence Day celebrations in Madrid: “Everything (speeches, laws, etc.) is in English? How do the common people understand?”