SO I had the pleasure of dining with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines. For an hour, chowing down on a menu she chose, seated just half a metre from her.

PICTURE: MAKANSUTRA

I have to state at the onset that it is a rare honour to have a head of state grace the opening of our Makansutra Asian Food Village in Manila.

It had been planned months ahead.

When it started, the idea of having her over as guest of honour to cut the ribbon was... the audacity of hope.

Then, after a few calls and nudges to well-connected contacts and the influential, the date was set - 3 Jul.

There was a flurry of calls and e-mails to clarify the message the president would be sending by gracing such an occasion.

Malacanang Palace minders settled for the fact that it would be an all-Pinoy team in the kitchen and it would reflect a 'transfer of knowledge' and a cultural exchange of sorts, as an all-Singapore-style open food court was rare in the Philippines.

Palace security combed our eatery and an 'itinerary' was agreed upon, bearing in mind safety and the need for a few necessary photo-op stops at the roti prata and chicken rice stations.

But it was not to be. Not yet.

They called to postpone the event a day before as she went on a self-imposed H1N1 quarantine after returning from a trip to Brazil.

It was reset for 7 Jul.

She arrived 30 minutes late, which was unusual for her, but a shower had slowed the peak-hour traffic. Then, there was all the usual fanfare associated with such events.

The mayor of Manila, Mr Alfredo Lim, along with an entourage of Senators and Congress members, including Secretary of Tourism Joseph Durano, was at hand to receive her.

I was, of course, hidden somewhere between them and managed a cheerful 'Welcome to Makansutra, Madam President' when she hopped off her shiny limousine. (And in my mind, 'all this just to open our eatery, wah!' - connections go a long way).

Accommodating

She was extremely friendly, stopping for every request for photos with people who had gathered to view the fuss.

Fifteen minutes later, after the ritual ribboncutting, the roar of the lion dance, a walk-through of the performance kitchens with stops to take in the teh tarek and a glimpse of the soon-to-be-open Makansutra Asian Food Museum next door, she settled for dinner on the elevated deck floor, on a seat next to me, as arranged by the Palace protocol team.

She was friendly, chatty and curious. Though she has a smallish frame, just over five feet tall (about 1.5m), her confidence gives her a big presence.

She asked: 'So what is Singapore food all about?'

I went on about our multicultural heritage, flavours blah blah and noted that I was boring all at the table (some were already beginning to marvel at the strange tin can chandelier hanging above), until I touched on our national dish - Hainanese chicken rice.

'Oh, so it was a migrant Hainanese who created this dish in Singapore. No wonder the version they served me in China was strangely different. So it is a Singapore dish,' she said.

I went on to explain how chilli never featured in Hainan, but was specially created with calamansi for our version.

She asked about the dips while attempting to dunk the chicken in all of them, the ginger, dark soy and the chilli, and stopped when I showed her what many folks in Singapore do with the thick dark soy sauce.

And with an amused and enlightened response, all on the table drizzled the dark soy on the chicken rice.

Then I asked her and Mr Durano what the national dish of the Philippines was. There was silence, his eyes blinking as if to compute an agreeable answer.

'Lechon' (roasted pig), was his view. 'But only on festivals,' said the President.

'I feel it should be common pork adobo but there are folks in the provinces who've never heard of it,' she said.

Pork adobo is commonly found at many food stalls in and around Manila and many adore it.

We spoke on a range of topics, like travelling, jet lag, and I realised her favourite cuisine is Spanish, particularly paella - a tomato-flavoured seafood risotto.

She recommended places in Manila. After a dessert of sliced banana tempura with kaya dip, it was time to go.

She made her polite pleasantries, waded her way through another group of camera-toting fans enroute to her car and left.

Madam President, it was truly an honour. I will always remember the occasion.

 Back to Columnists