Editors Alyssa Paredes and Marvin Joseph F. Montefrio launched their book Halo-Halo Ecologies: The Emergent Environments behind Filipino Food through a virtual event organized in partnership with Mama Sita’s Foundation and the University of Hawai‘i Press last 4 October.
Joining the editors were contributing authors Ma. Katrina Beatrice David Jacinto, Orven Mallari, Anthony D. Medrano, Dana Collins, Adrian De Leon, Nicolo Paolo P. Ludovice, Inigo Acosta, Jose Kervin Cesar B. Calabias, Jessie Varquez, Maria Carinnes Alejandria, Anacorita O. Abasolo, Ezekiel Sales, Cla D. Ruzol, Thea Kersti C. Tandog, Mary Jill Ira A. Banta, and Tami Alvarez. The panel featured Ms. Felice Sta. Maria, chef Giney Villar, and Paolo Paculan, with Dr. Pia Arboleda moderating the session.
Described as a multi-layered gastro-ecological discourse on Filipino food, Halo-Halo Ecologies uses the country’s iconic dessert as a metaphor to explore the complex intersections of cultural identity, environmental systems, and food practices. The anthology sets a new foundation for Philippine, Filipino/Filipinx, and food studies — inviting readers to “reimagine what, how, and why we eat.”
The essays examine how food systems reflect deeper socio-political and ecological realities — from the fast food and sari-sari store economies linked to scavenging and agroecological practices, to the plight of farmers affected by agrochemicals, and the resilience of coastal and upland communities confronting environmental degradation. The collection also highlights the experiences of overseas Filipinos and the “invisibilized ecologies” of migration and labor.
Sta. Maria praised the anthology for illuminating food’s deep entanglement with culture, politics, and ecology. She urged for “more critical and nuanced approaches to culinary writing,” noting that “literary terms and political terms together with ecological terms can add clarity to today’s food writers’ opinions.” The book, she added, reframes food systems as tools not only for nourishment but for liberation.
Villar underscored the work’s affirmation of Filipino solidarity and resilience, saying that “society instills their resistance to social disposability… no one is disposable.” She lauded the editors’ openness to alternative formats — such as comics, podcasts, and curricula — that could bring the book’s ideas to wider audiences. “If food is a conveyor of culture,” she asked, “what kind of culture are we fostering?”
Meanwhile, Paculan compared Halo-Halo Ecologies to José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, calling both “time capsules” that give voice to life at the margins. Just as Noli exposed social ills, this anthology, he said, amplifies the stories of marginalized communities and reveals the ecological and social crises shaping the Filipino experience.
Ultimately, Halo-Halo Ecologies: The Emergent Environments behind Filipino Food offers an insightful lens into how Filipino food embodies the nation’s intertwined cultural, social, and environmental struggles. It invites readers to participate in creating more sustainable and just food systems.