The British invasion of Old Manila

Quite recently, Mary Ann and I had a sampling of chef Adrian Mellor’s English Food Festival at Old Manila of the Peninsula Manila. While enjoying the dishes prepared by the British-born chef, I could not help but think how different it would have been for us Filipinos had the British won over the Spaniards in colonizing our country.

Let’s go back in time some 242 years ago. In 1762, the British naval force succeeded in occupying Manila, forcing the Spanish authorities to retreat up north to Bacolor, Pampanga, making it the country’s temporary capital. There, the Spaniards continued influencing our forebears with their cuisine, passing on to the Pampangueños, who were natural cooks and foodies, the turrones, pastillas de leche, sans rival, ensaymadas, paella, caldereta, pastel de lengua, etc. Pampanga, being a sugar-producing province, mastered the Spanish desserts in no time and were completely hooked on Spanish cuisine. My cabalen forebears must have heard that their compatriots back in Manila were starving not for lack of food, but for the dreariness and blandness that the Brits had to offer in terms of cuisine, and the scuttlebutt that their beloved fiestas and siestas had been banned. They must have panicked with fear of having to eat steak and kidney pie over the savory empanada. "Give us chorizos, or give us death" must have been their battlecry. For what would life be without good food, fiestas and, of course, siestas?

The Spanish governor general Simon de Anda organized an army of Filipino volunteers (mostly Pampangos), and launched attacks on the Brits in Manila, finally successfully driving them away in 1764.

The above story is, of course, half history and half my culinary imagination. The British two-year rule of Manila was not long enough to influence our national cuisine, culture, religion, and our history as a nation in general. It is no surprise that most Filipinos are not even aware of the Brits being once our masters, much less of the Dutch attempt to invade us in 1646, or even much earlier in our history, of the Chinese pirate Limahong’s attack in 1574. Both attempts to wrest the power from the lean Spanish army were repelled successfully because of the help of, who else, but the Pampango contingents!

The What Ifs

What if the Brits succeeded in overthrowing the Spaniards instead? We would be speaking English with a British twang, we’ll have Joneses and Smiths in our neighborhood instead of the Cruzes, Santoses and Reyeses. We would call our mommies mummies, trucks lorries, elevators lifts and apartments flats, among other things. There’ll be no CR (comfort room) but WC (water closet) or just plain loo or john. I imagine we would have a more structured form of government like the British legacy in Hong Kong and Singapore. The Americans might not have annexed us; they didn’t touch any colony held by their mother country England. Oh yes, this would have been a big change: We would be Anglicans instead of Catholics. But then, this is all speculation on my part.

As such, we Filipinos are not big fans of English food. In fact, I can bravely surmise we are not even familiar with the English cuisine, save for its traditional pot roast with potatoes, which we got by way of the Americans. The Brits may have a notorious reputation for bland boiled meat dinners, but they are equally known for their great flair for pomp and pageantry. What we also know of them is their greatest exports to the world: The royal family (the late Princess Diana, whom the world can’t seem to have enough of, their crown jewels, their palaces, gardens and countryside), the Beatles, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck.

But looking closely at their cuisine, they have proven to be exceptionally good with their condiments. Their English mustard is bolder and, in my and my wife’s opinion, surpasses the French mustard. Their horseradish, when spread on a perfectly done prime rib, is worth all the aches and pains on my joints the morning after. I use Worcestershire sauce in marinating my meat before grilling.

Perhaps the most popular influence they have on world cuisine is their roast beef which is often mistaken for an American dish. It is actually the British national culinary pride, which they call "joint" and is served with roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding (not a dessert), two vegetables, strong horseradish, gravy and mustard during Sunday lunch.

Another thing that’s very much English and is now enjoyed all over the world is their ceremonial high tea, served in shining silver tea pots, rich fabric and antique porcelain with mountains of clotted cream and jams on scones. This is not surprising as England is famous for its English tea and dairy produce. I remember an Australian chef who whispered to me that he would rather use the English clotted cream than its Australian version in his cooking. Dairy creams, butter and blue cheese, like Stilton and Cheshire, are popular in England and the world over.

For our dinner that night, we started with an appetizer called English Breakfast. It had slices of blood sausage, bits of fried bacon, assorted greens, topped with what looked like a mound of clotted cream. As we dug in, we realized it was actually a perfectly done poached egg. Then we had soup, which was a spicy smoked haddock and saffron with cream served in small cups to be sipped, not spooned. The main dish was baked fillet of snapper with savoy cabbage and Madeira sauce, which was honestly quite bland for my taste buds, living up to the English reputation. Having just gone through the Lenten season, the last thing I needed was another fish dish. Mary Ann, who is allergic to fish fillet, couldn’t be an impartial judge either. But, thank God, the desserts saved the night! It was a summer pudding with clotted cream that was all red and purple, due to the generous use of fresh assorted berries, resembling a Christmas decor. It was so good and with the clotted cream, it was unforgettable. Another dessert came, a bread and butter pudding with custard which was equally good. Indeed, the British make wonderful pastries and sweets.

Have a taste of what the royalties eat in their palaces and gardens. The Peninsula’s Tasting England Food Festival is ongoing until this Saturday, April 24, at its fine dining outlet Old Manila. The menu is quite extensive with meat, poultry and seafood choices. Versatile chef Mellor, who was the resident chef of Les Amis – without a doubt Singapore’s most acclaimed international restaurant – before his stint in Manila, will personally prepare all the dishes.

And why stop at tasting? Why not actually learn how to cook the dishes for your entire family to enjoy at home? The cooking class will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Saturday, April 24, being part of the Peninsula Academy Culinary Program. You got the best teacher in town. For cooking class and restaurant reservations, call Old Manila or Restaurant Reservations at 887-2888.