My biggest adventure yet!

This year I am embarking on my biggest adventure yet – I’m moving to the Philippines for a year! Right now, I live in San Francisco with my husband and I visit my family in Hayward on most weekends. Ironically, going to the Philippines will feel both like going back to my roots and stepping out of my comfort zone. I have never lived in my homeland as an adult (I was born and raised there until I was 15). I will terribly miss my parents, my sisters, nephews, nieces, and my friends. Good thing my husband will be with me most of the time. And thank god for Facetime. You better believe I will use FaceTime to my fullest advantage!

So why am I moving back to the Philippines? I’m going there for a special project and to further study Filipino food so I can successfully veganize it. So far, I know only of my beloved family recipes – my mom’s Nilaga soup, Tita Nita’s Ginataang Langka, mommy Idad’s Laing. Although these family recipes hold a special place in my heart, there’s still so much to learn about Filipino food. After all, the Philippines has more than 7,000 islands!

I plan to travel and explore places like Cebu, Pampanga, Ilocos, Davao, and many more. While traveling and learning, I hope to share my discoveries with you through the Astig Vegan blog, YouTube, social media, and my newest platform, email newsletter. You probably noticed a pop-up window appeared when reading this post. When you subscribe to my newsletter, you will learn about my upcoming events and helpful cooking tips, as well as insightful articles, product recommendations, and wellness advice from other sources that have tremendously helped me and hopefully you’ll find valuable too.

I hope you join me in my journey learning about the diverse dishes of Filipino cuisine as well as the colorful people who make them. Honestly, I can’t tell exactly where this winding road may lead -but that’s the fun part of it! Rest assured I will share each lesson with you every step of the way.  See you soon Pilipinas, and kain na, let’s eat!