Can there be any doubt that the mix of family, friends, and food is one of life’s greatest pleasures? One look at the pictures accompanying this article should be proof. Those smiles are deeply felt. Joined in common cause, these families and friends celebrate their Filipino community while preparing their culture’s foods.

“Backstage” is where all the most intimate and exciting photographs can be taken. That’s mostly what you see here. That’s where huge woks and enormous vats of hot oil, open flame grills and all-day barbeque smokers, contribute their heat to the intensity of the festival food preparations. Elbow to elbow everyone works to prepare for Philfest 2010.

Philfest (www.pcfitampa.org/philfest/philfest.html)–the annual Tampa Bay Filipino festival–is held at the 5-acre outdoor facility, called “The Village.” It is part of the Philippine Cultural Foundation (http://www.pcfitampa.org/home.html) Philippine Cultural Enrichment Complex and adjacent to its Bayanihan Arts & Events Center (www.bayanihanartscenter.org/bac_2006_home.htm). The Arts & Events Center houses a 9,900 sq. ft. convention, exhibit, and event hall, called the Grand Sampaguita Hall.

The Philfest grounds have had recent improvements, particularly concrete walkways that make experiencing the festival more enjoyable. The backdrop of the performance stage is an immense mural by Jonathan Jennings (see photo at end of article) that captures the essence of the land and peoples of the Philippines. That stage was the setting for numerous performing acts throughout the festival. Packing every remaining square inch of the site were dozens of booths offering Philippine crafts, souvenirs, and food!

Many non-Filipinos are unfamiliar with Filipino cuisine simply because there’s not that many Filipino themed restaurants in the mainland USA. Notice, the word, “mainland,” in that sentence. In Hawaii, Filipino restaurants abound because of the history of immigrants to the islands working on the plantations.

Here are a few websites that have information on Filipino immigration to Hawaii, in particular, and the U.S. states, in general (note: Canada, also, has a large Filipino immigrant population):

• Asian Nation (www.asian-nation.org/filipino.shtml)
• The Philippine History Site (opmanong.ssc.hawaii.edu/filipino/)
• Filipino American History (www.csuchico.edu/ncpaso/filipino.htm)
• Filipino American (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_American)

One more list: some good websites with information about, and recipes for, Filipino cuisine. Give them a try. Filipino cuisine is rich and flavorful. Asian, but with a unique quality, and definitely the food of an island nation.

• Philippine cuisine (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_cuisine)
• Pinoy Recipe (www.pinoyrecipe.net)
• Pinoy cook (pinoycook.net)
• Filipino Food Lovers (www.filipino-food-lovers.com)
• Filipino Mix–Recipes ( www.pinoymix.com/recipes/)

Throughout this article and the website links, you’ll see the word, “Pinoy.” This means Filipino. It also means Filipino male (female is pinay).

Every Asian culture’s eggroll is different. There’s a distinctly Vietnamese eggroll, a Chinese eggroll, and a Thai eggroll; there is also a Filipino eggroll, called a “lumpia,” which is long and narrow with a unique taste, quite different from other Asian eggrolls. If you ever get a chance to sample one, don’t hesitate; you’ll be very surprised at how tasty and savory it is.

used by permission of the artist, Jonathan Jennings

• Art Around the Clock,
• Best Books & Rich Treasures,
• A Book Legacy,
• Books To The Ceiling,
• Camelot Books,
• Arthur H. Minters Bookseller,
• Miracle Estate Sales,
• Vivian Moore Bookseller,
• Old Tampa Book Company,
• Griffin Bookbinding, and Griffon’s Medieval Manuscripts, Inc., both of which were part of the Inkwatu post, Wilson’s Bookworld, and of course
• Lighthouse Books, covered in Inkwatu’s Lighthouse Books. I’m not sure of Mr. Michael Slicker’s responsibilities with the St. Pete Antiquarian Book Fair, but I suspect he’s very active in the organization.

Check out the entire list of participating booksellers at the webpage given above (floridabooksellers.com/bookfair.html) to find small, independent bookstores near you. Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble are fine and have their purpose, but these people need our support for it is they who find, restore, and preserve the gems that we can buy from them. As you look through the list of dealers, you’ll notice the abbreviation, ABAA. That stands for Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (www.abaa.org).

12th to 16th Century Illuminated Manuscripts, 19th & 20th Century English & American Literature, African American, African Diaspora History, Agriculture, American Historical, American Literature, American Revolution, Americana, Americana (South), Lesbian/Gay, Anthropology, Antiquarian Theology, Antique and collectible maps and atlases, Antiques, Appraisals, Architecture and photography, Art and Print Reference, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Art of the South, Art, Autographed books, Autographed Children’s Books, Autographs, Automotive, Aviation, Baseball, Bierce, Big Little Books, Bindings, Biography, Boy & Girl Scouts, Caldecott & Newbery Award Winners, Calligraphy, Canadiana, Cartographic Reference, Catalogues, Chess, Children’s Literature, Children’s Books, Children’s Series, Children’s Illustrated, Church History, Civil War, Civil War & Presidential Autographs & Documents, Classic Fiction, Collectible Paperbacks, Colonial Americas, Cook Books, Counter Culture, Designer Binding, Detective Fiction, Disney and Modern Firsts, Documents & Prints, Early Printed Books, Economics, Engineering, English & American Literature, Ephemera, Exploration & Voyages, Family Bibles Restored, Fantasy and Mysteries, Fine & Leather Bindings, Fine Art Books, Fine Hand Bookbinding, Fine Prints, Firearms, First Editions, Fishing, Florida fiction, Florida History, Florida Non-Fiction, Floridiana, Genealogy, Golf, Graphics, H. L. Mencken, Hemingway, History, Horror, Horse & Dog Sporting, Horticulture, Hunting, Illustrated & Color Plate Books, Judacia, Law, Leather Sets, Literary First Editions, Literature (Modern), Literature in Translation, Literature of the South, Little House Books, Manuscripts, Maps, Maritime History, Mathematics, Medicine, Methodism, Michael Hague, Military History, Miniature Books, Modern Illustrated, Modern Original, Mystery, Native American, Natural History, Natural Science, Nautical, New England History, Out of Print Scholarly, Outlaw, Periodicals on Art, Philosophy, Photographica, Photography, Photo-plays, Poetry, Polar, Pop Ups, Postcards, Press Books, Psychology & Medical, Railroads, Rare & Unusual, Religion, Science Fiction, Science, Sets, Signed & Inscribed Books, Slipcases, Small Press, Southern, Southern Americana, Southern Authors, Southern Fiction, Southern History, Southern Literature, Southern Regional, Sports, Steinbeck, Suspense, Tasha Tudor, Technical, Tennesseana, Tennis, Reformation, Theology, Tolkien, Transportation, Travel and Exploration, Typography, U.S. Coastal History, Visionary, Voyages, Western Americana, Whaling, Women Writers, Yachting, and Zane Grey.

Amazing, isn’t it. My own loves are in there: children’s series (stuff like the Wizard of Oz, The Bobbsey Twins, The Hardy Boys, Doctor Dolittle, and World War II Flying Ace novels) and ephemera. Ephemera, literally, means “things that transient,” in this context, posters, illustrations, postcards, tickets, sheet music…things that are very much a product of their time. The Inkwatu post, Vintage Sheet Music Covers, has images of some in my collection and Music From Another Era has some from my sister’s collection (that link opens to her own website). The Inkwatu post, Vintage Florida Postcards presents part of the postcard collection of a good friend, Fran Sims.

If you have the chance and this kind of thing interests you, take in the last day of the Book Fair on the 14th. If you have to miss it this year, there’ll be another next year about this time of the year. And…be sure and support your local, independent bookseller throughout the year!

Every week/weekend in Tampa Bay has a lot of activities, but this weekend has more than most that fit my tastes. One you don’t want to miss is the enormous Jade Buddha for Universal Peace at the Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Town and Country (that area of Tampa on the west end of Hillsborough Avenue).

All of the pictures in this post, and the video at the end, are of my visit there yesterday. I went with a friend and we both enjoyed ourselves. It’s like stepping out of the stream of obligations and stresses, just for a little. I recommend going early in the week because the Buddha will only be there through March 14th.

I’d been told about the event by another friend who had read Jessica Balanza’s article in the Tampa Tribune. The address of this article has changed twice, so I want to quote some important information in case it disappears completely; she says:

Valued at $5 million, the precious stone has been making its way around the world to allow people to take in the size and rarity of the statue. The tour began in 2009 and is expected to last several years before the statue makes its way back to its permanent home at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia.

The Buddha, which arrived Tuesday after a stop in Orlando, will be unveiled at an 11 a.m. Saturday ceremony. Other days during the stop the public can arrive as early as 5 a.m. to check out the statue. The Buddha will then head to Sugar Land, Texas, before making its way back to the Sunshine State for an April 9-18 stop in Miami.

There is detailed information about the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, its tour, and its permanent home in Australia at jadebuddha.org.au/en/.

The people at Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang, the Town and Country Buddhist monastery that is hosting the Tampa exhibition of the Jade Buddha, are very kind, very welcoming. If you’ve never been to something like this, please don’t hesitate to go. You’ll feel comfortable–everyone there speaks English as well as Vietnamese. The Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang website, www.phapvienminhdangquang.com is only in Vietnamese, but if you use a browser such as Google’s Chrome or a translation page such as Yahoo’s Babelfish (babelfish.yahoo.com/), you can get enough English words and sentences to guess at what’s intended. (Accurate computer translation of any language has a long, long, long way to go!!!)

There is plenty of parking at Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang which is at 5607 Town N. Country Blvd., Tampa, FL 33615; 813-317-4160; map. The people of Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang are serving food, both free and for a small donation, in case you get hungry. It was the best soup I’ve ever had–no exaggeration!

Also this week (Friday, the 12th through Sunday the 14th) is the 29th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair at the St. Pete Coliseum. See floridabooksellers.com/bookfair.html for all the details.

Friday, March 26th, through Sunday, March 28, there’s another “annual”: the 15th annual Philfest (www.pcfitampa.org/philfest/philfest.html and www.pcfitampa.org/philfest/philfest2010/philfest2010.html) by the Philippine Cultural Foundation (www.pcfitampa.org/. Philfest will be at the Bayanihan Arts & Events Center (www.bayanihanartscenter.org) at 14301 Nine Eagles Drive, Tampa, FL 33626; 813-925-1232; map. I’ll be there, reporting for Asia Trend Magazine (www.asiatrendmagazine.com) and Inkwatu.

Please take a second to watch the video below which is just a slow pan around the grounds of Tampa’s Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang Buddhist monastery and the Jade Buddha exhibition. Also, please check out this blog post, Illuminating the World in Peace, by friends, Say and Bee Lee, on their visit to the Jade Buddha exhibit. Their post has even more photos of more statues, some that I missed completely.

The tagline of Inkwatu is “Delights, Near and Far.” Many of these delights are independently owned food establishments (restaurants or markets) with tasty food, pleasing ambiance, friendly staff, ethnic authenticity, inventive dishes, and reasonable prices. Some of these delights are activities, events, locations, artists, buildings, aspects of nature, books, and non-food businesses that grab me, that contribute to a sense of well-being, that make living fun.

One of those delights is seeing local entrepreneurs with great ideas become successful. One instance is Ester Venouziou, founder of LocalShops1.com. She began LocalShops1.com (in her own words), because “Many small businesses don’t have the time or money to invest in a quality Web site or a huge marketing campaign. So we wanted to create a place where they all could be listed, for free. We want to show the world the creativity, beauty and uniqueness that Indies have!”

She continues, ” I grew up in Brazil, and some of my favorite memories have to do with shopping, mostly with my grandmother and my sister, on Saturday mornings. We’d go to the produce market, chat with the vendors as we picked up fruits and veggies. Then it was off to a meat market, or to the fish guy. Along the way we stopped at the newsstand, where my grandmother picked up the daily paper. Eventually we’d end up at my parents’ shop, a fabric store named after my mom.”

Ester’s concept—creating an interactive community of local shoppers and shops—is well thought out. As she points out, “On a typical November day, the Tampa Independence Business Alliance reports, if all taxable purchases in Hillsborough County were made at locally owned independent businesses instead of national chains, it would make a $28 million dollar difference to the local economy. Economics aside, supporting the independents helps link us to the past, and ensures our communities retain charm and character in the future.”

The depth and importance of this idea wasn’t lost on local movers and shakers: LocalShops1.com recently won a $250,000 media package sponsored by Humana &. Fifth Third Federal Bank, Tampa Tribune, WFLA news Channel 8, tbo.com, 820 AM newstalk, 1040 ESPN Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Business Journal, and Tampa Bay magazine. What a tremendous achievement for only having been in operation one year.

Ester—she’s very much a “first name” personality–creates this community through a number of different avenues:

• a magazine (online copy of first issue) managed by Marisa Barbosa,
• expert branding and ads by Malcolm Out Loud,
• a gang of coordinators who are a big part of LocalShops1.com‘s success: Latoya Brown, Gulfport/Beaches/south Pinellas county coordinator; Pat Largo, Pasco county coordinator; Brenda Smoak, Manatee/Sarasota counties coordinator; Jennifer Steele, St. Petersburg/North Pinellas coordinator,
• on facebook: www.facebook.com/localshops1com,
• on twitter: www.twitter.com/LocalShops1com,
• various events such as parties, clothing swaps, etc., and
• where it all comes together, the website: LocalShops1.com.

I have a shopper’s membership with LocalShops1.com. I encourage you to get one, too. It’s free. The website is your key to checking out LocalShops1.com. When you go there, you’ll notice that the front page lists the latest news regarding local shopping including the coming LocalShops1 social gatherings which are key to the success and uniqueness of what Ester has created. Examples are (at the time of the writing of this post) a party at Bradenton Beach and a Clothes Swap in Dunedin as well as a contest with a $50 prize.

On the website, you’ll find a list of more than 800 businesses listed, making it Tampa Bay’s largest network of local, independent businesses and independent-minded shoppers. I say “more than” because the list expands, daily. An important website page is the 1CardOffers page which lists a number of outstanding offers by businesses. This is a page you’ll want to print out and keep in your car. You’ll also want to print out the Sales page which lists current sales, in addition to the above promotions, from the business members. Be sure to check the News page for all the latest on local shopping events.

I want to say it again because it’s so important: memberships for shoppers and basic listings for businesses are FREE!.

There are also expanded plans for businesses starting at 55 cents a day. You can contact LocalShops1.com by email, phone (727.637.5586), or mail (P.O. Box 530144, St. Petersburg, FL 33747). Ester says, “we’re always looking for journalism, marketing and web interns to join our staff; as well as smart, happy, not-pushy experienced salespeople.” Whether as an intern, a volunteer, a business, or a shopper, LocalShops1.com is a phenomenon–you definitely want to be a part of it.

OPEN HEARTH BBQ AT JAZZY’S

There is a gold standard for barbecues: Leatha’s, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (6374 U S Hwy 98; 601-271-6003). I had the privilege of tasting that standard when my Mississippi Cuzn Don treated me and part of his family to supper there. I got to experience, first hand, the prodigious memory of Miss Leatha’s daughter’s memory. She can take an order for a table of a dozen or more and repeat it back, properly assigned to each customer, in complete detail without writing it down, after only hearing it once.

JAZZY’S BARBECUED RIBS

But, the food at Leatha’s, is of course, why everybody goes there. It’s tops. As I understand the story, her old restaurant was destroyed by some natural disaster–flood I think–and a group of businessmen bought her a new place just so the city of Hattiesburg would not be deprived of her cooking. It’s that good.

JAZZY’S BARBECUED CHICKEN

Well…I thought Leatha’s was the gold standard until I ate at Jazzy’s in Tampa. A motorcyclist friend habituates Jazzy’s (5703 W. Waters Ave., Tampa, FL 33634-1216; 813-243-8872) whenever he and his buddies go riding out in west Tampa. He took his wife and I to eat there not too long ago and I am grateful. I now know the gold standard for barbeque is in my own backyard: Jazzy’s BBQ — Taste and See! — It’s all good!

JAZZY’S BARBECUED HOMEMADE SAUSAGE

You can tell you’re at a REAL barbeque when you drive into Jazzy’s parking lot because beside the building is an enormous pile of chopped firewood. When you step inside, you’re greeted by the maestro of the kitchen wielding a cleaver, artfully chopping ribs and chicken he’s just taken off the open hearth grill behind the counter where you place your order. In addition to the ribs and chicken and various side dishes, they also have their own homemade smoked sausage which I just had to have (I’m a rabid “sausageanista.”) It was perfect: tasty, soft inside with a crispy, natural casing. And the sauce…oh my.

YOU KNOW IT’S A REAL BARBECUE WHEN THE WOOD IS STACKED OUT BACK

The AOL yellowpages has this review from which I’d like to quote a paragraph about the owner of Jazzy’s:

“Retired NFL player Johnny Ray Smith, a defensive back for the Tampa Bay Bucs 1981-84, opened Jazzy’s in the mid 1990s. It didn’t take long for the restaurant to gain a loyal clientele of area industrial and office workers, as well as people calling in orders from the farthest reaches of Hillsborough County. With just an order counter, some airbrush art and formation of two-seater tables, the 50-capacity Jazzy’s has become a favorite for barbecue lovers all over Tampa Bay. It’s all that wood that goes in the pit. You see those hickory logs piling up outside and smell it smoking juicy meat the moment you step out of your car (a torturous tease when driving by). Everything is homemade at Jazzy’s: Smith makes the sauce on the premises, one sweet and mild, the other hot and peppery, and the desserts are also prepared by Johnny’s wife, co-owner Pam Smith – sumptuous 7-Up pound cake, mini pecan or sweet potato pies.”

ONE OF THE MURALS AT JAZZY’S

This is an extremely comfortable place with a welcoming atmosphere and worth the drive from any point within the greater Tampa Bay area. On Fridays they have some special items they don’t have the rest of the week: mac and cheese, collards and cornbread. Next time, you can bet I’m going on a Friday!

JAZZY’S BBQ — TASTE AND SEE! — IT’S ALL GOOD!

It’s that time of the year in Florida. The hot, humid days of late summer are just beginning to pass away. There’s the occasional cool front that comes through (we never seem to have real cold fronts). And the festivals begin. A couple weeks ago I went to the Geckofest (geckofest.com) in one of my favorite parts of the St. Petersburg area, Gulfport, Florida. There are several other Inkwatu posts on Gulfport you might want to visit: Gulfport fresh market, Gulfport Florida, and Before TV.

The Geckofest is very much a family and kid friendly event with lots of body painting and fake tattoos as well as inflatables. For the adults, many tents where local craftsmen display their work. And, everywhere: music! Bands, solo artists, and even a belly dancing troupe are scattered through the venue. Of course, many food and drink vendors. A worthwhile experience, especially for families as the pictures in this post show.

The Geckofest is hardly the only fall festival in the area, though. For examples, there are the local Okterberfests I reported on last week (see Oktoberfest). This weekend is the Sunshine City Antiques and Collectibles Show at the Coliseum. November 27-29 the Coliseum hosts a Gem, Jewelry and Bead Show, on January 8-10 another Sunshine City Antiques and Collectibles Show, and on January 16-17 a Buckler’s Craft Show. One not to be missed is the The Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association’s 29th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14, 2010 at the Coliseum. For a complete list of shows at the Coliseum see the Coliseum Events page.

Another St. Pete festival not to be missed is the St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS.org) 35th International Folk Festival which has a new date this year: General Public–Saturday November 7, 2009, 10am-10pm and Sunday November 8, 2009, 11am-7pm; School Days–November 5th & 6th, 9am-3pm. Admission is $8.00 children under 12 free w/paid adult.

In progress right now, is the renowned Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival which runs October 8-18, 2009. One of the most venerable of St. Pete’s festivals is the Festival of the States which dates back to 1896; it features many marching bands and floats. Two of the biggest festivals are the Gasparilla Pirate Festival over in Tampa (its art show is a must see) and the Strawberry Festival over in Plant City, just east of Tampa. The list goes on and on, including the St. Petersburg Cajun Zydeko Crawfish Festival, McDill AirFest, the Bay Area Renaissance Festival, and Creative Clay’s Folkfest which just concluded a couple weeks ago. (See Creative Clay Folkfest for a report on last year’s event.)

Here’s some links you’ll want to bookmark to keep track of the latest information on all area festivals:

• St. Petersburg Festivals
• Florida Beaches Events
• Pinellasarts Festival Guide

If you think all we do down here is party at festivals and eat…you might be right!