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To produce the story, New York Times writer Francis Lam was taken through the whole process of making the Pinoy meatloaf — even the part that didn’t involve the kitchen.
His host was Emma Phojanakong, a Filipina orphan who moved to the US when she was 21 to work as a nurse. Instead of bringing Lam to the market, she brings him to Johnny Air Mart, a shipping service slash convenience store in the east side of Manhattan. Fortunately, she got what she was looking for: a bottle of calamansi juice. From there, they proceeded to the kitchen where he showed the writer how to prepare her embutido, which Lam describes as having “a certain homely elegance.”
When he finally got the chance to taste, Lam, who was dubious at first, realized that the dish actually worked. “The soft sausages help keep the meatloaf tender; there’s a distinct sweetness from the relish and raisins, an underlying smokiness from the ham and the rich magic of the mixed-in cheese. The more I ate, though, the more I thought about how strangely ‘normal’ this dish is,” he writes.
In case you’re wondering, the calamansi was used as a condiment. It was mixed with soy sauce.
(Header photo: nytimes.com)
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