Filipino Culture = Halo-Halo? | Jules Guiang

We sit down with Jules Guiang — journalist, public servant, and third-generation food entrepreneur behind Urban Chick. We talk about the power of food memories, the unique fusion of Filipino cuisine, and how one street in Manila became a battleground for small restaurants rebuilding after the pandemic. Plus, we swap stories about Filipino spaghetti, sambal diplomacy, and the surprising identity of the Philippines as a ‘halo-halo’ culture.Timestamps0:00 - Intro01:53 - Who is Jules Guiang? Urban Chick in Quezon City, growing up in Manila and family’s F&B business05:45 - The Filipino Spaghetti and banana ketchup08:56 - The Maginhawa Food Community (MFC)11:44 - Filipino dishes beyond adobo — from spicy Bicol Express to Pampanga’s Sisig14:45 - How religious traditions influence Filipino food: eating fish and mungo during Lent; sticky rice cakes food stalls outside churches21:23 - Representation of Filipino food abroad26:37 - Filipino food: fusion vs authenticity; Filipino culture is Halo-Halo29:53 - Sambal Survey32:58 - Looking ahead: Urban Chick and Maginhawa food districtFOLLOW JULEShttps://www.instagram.com/julesguiang/https://www.instagram.com/maginhawa.fc/FOLLOW US⁠⁠@abangbrian⁠⁠⁠⁠@hungryimmigrant⁠