Aurora Almendral

When we interviewed her in September 2020, she was hoping the pandemic would end soon so tourists could return to Thailand. But the COVID crisis has only worsened in the country.

Each year, 1.2 million Filipina girls between the ages of 10 and 19 have a child. The government is trying to change things. But the pandemic has made matters worse.

Thailand's lockdown has kept the number of cases low. But the economic toll has led to a mental health crisis.

Noche buena, the Christmas Eve feast in fervently Catholic Philippines, is deeply steeped in tradition. One of the mainstays of this decadent meal, usually eaten after midnight mass, is rellenong manok (rel-ye-nong ma-nok). It's a hybrid name: In Spanish, relleno means stuffed, and in Tagalog, manok means chicken.

Rellenong ...

In an open dump, in a village outside of Tacloban in the central Philippines, we're sloshing through rainwater and leachate — that's the goo that comes out of rotting trash — while Tim Walsh surveys the site.

"Just walk on the dry bit," he says. "I've got used to the ...

Thanksgiving is the ultimate harvest holiday, and no one knows that better than the tens of thousands of farm workers who grow and harvest New York’s produce.The reality of agriculture is that a hefty percentage of the people who plant and harvest New York’s local food are immigrant workers, many of whom put themselves in danger to cross the border into the United States to work the land.

Arverne, a quiet, predominantly black neighborhood just east of Rockaway Beach in Queens, hasn’t seen much help in wake of Sandy. The mud and straw that was stirred up by the floods has dried into dust covering the streets and sidewalks. Aluminum siding has been peeled off the sides of some of the houses, and cars have been strewn around the street by the floodwaters. Debris and water-logged furniture are piled on the side of the road. 

The line of customers, almost all of them Filipino immigrants, snaked out the door at the Jollibee fast food restaurant in Jersey City, New Jersey.  It was opening day, and everyone was there for a taste of home.

Jollibee is a Filipino fast food chain that’s so beloved by Filipino immigrants that its list of overseas locations reads like a map of the Filipino diaspora. There are Jollibees in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Dubai, where large numbers of Filipinos work as drivers, nurses, hotel staff and engineers. In Hong Kong Jollibee serves up its burgers and fries for homesick domestic workers picnicking in the parks on Sundays.

What is the power of Maggi, and why does it dominate immigrant kitchens? Listen to the latest Food In Two Worlds podcast to learn how this iconic seasoning is viewed in Nigeria, Burundi, the Philippines and Austria.