American Defense of PH Food vs ‘I’d Rather Go Hungry’ Girl Goes Viral

American traveler-blogger Nathan Allen has something to say to another traveler/blogger Agness Walewinder, a 23-year-old Polish university graduate, who posted an article on her blogsite eTramping entitled, “I’d Rather Go Hungry Than Eat Filipino (Street) Food Again.” Allen told Walewinder: “Admitting that you didn’t try traditional dishes and ALSO saying that you’d “rather go HUNGRY than eat Filipino food again” doesn’t seem fair, does it? Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme? I’d call it borderline unethical.” If Walewinder’s blog angered Allen, it’s not hard to imagine what it did to a lot of Filipinos. The avalanche of negative comments and reaction blogs that circulated tell it all. Consider the first lines of Walewinder’s blog (take particular note of the highlighted parts): “You will love Filipino food for sure!” “There is nothing better than seafood in the Philippines” “Filipinos are proud of their very own local dishes”… Sorry guys for disappointing you, but it is not true in our opinion. Unfortunately, with tears in my eyes and broken heart, we must add Filipino cuisine to our ‘I would rather go hungry than eat this food again’ list.” Walewinder then enumerated their expectations against reality and supported their experiences with photos. There were a few commendations in her blog regarding a number of Filipino food like binignit (Visayan vegetable soup made by Visayans with slices of sabá bananas, taro, and sweet potato), bihon (rice noodles fried with soy sauce some citrus) and lomi (Filipino-Chinese dish made with a variety of thick fresh egg noodles). However, in the majority of her blog she expressed disappointment, and in conclusion she wrote: “Based on our experience, Filipino food did not live up to our expectations at all.” She went as far as titling her blog: “I Would Rather Go Hungry Than Eat Filipino Street Food Again!” (yes, in bold letters) Those who reacted against Walewinder’s blog was not limited to Filipinos, however. One of the foreigners who “defended” the Filipino cuisine was Allen, who spent an entire year exploring and documenting the culture of the Philippines. “I have learned firsthand that this country is truly one of the world’s treasures,” Allen wrote in his reaction blog entitled, ”A Letter To ‘I’d Rather Go Hungry Than Eat Filipino Food Again’ Girl.”