By: Richard Gabrintina
In a two-room apartment near downtown Norfolk, soft rhythmic guitar strums danced playfully alongside the sounds of pans clanking against a bustled countertop. Joao Gilberto played from the speakers as Jimel Iglesia stretched her arms to offer a hug and flashed a bright smile.
Iglesia is the Sandok Sentient. Self-described as “a self-taught chef, recipe developer, and holistic health coach,” her mission is to invite others with her on a transformative journey toward a total state of balance—mind, body and soul. Her unique methodology incorporates an intimate approach of self-wellness comprised of cuisine and self-care. Sandok Sentient is a celebration of the self and the appreciation of life.
“Sandok refers to the Tagalog term for any serving utensil, the act of just serving food, and then sentient refers to my passion for being kind to all things that are able to feel and perceive,” Iglesia said.
Iglesia began her plant-based lifestyle in 2016 and hasn’t looked back—the decision resulting from the combination of her passion for all sentient beings and her love for culture and cuisine. For her, intersecting Filipino cuisine and plant-based foods is a way to perfect her craft and brings immense joy from creating recipes that aren’t typically vegan. For Filipino-Americans, it’s uncommon to embrace both the culture and cuisine of the Philippines and a commitment to a plant-based lifestyle.
“At first I was scared because I was really excited to start a plant-based lifestyle because just practicing my ethics really meant a lot to me,” Iglesia explained. "I really wanted to put myself forward to be able to make a change. But, I was scared because you guys know that Filipino food has a whole bunch of meat in it, and is meat-based, or has a lot of patis [fish sauce] in it. So, it’s like how am I going to enjoy dinuguan or kare-kare the same again?”
In 2017, Rappler reported that the average Filipinx consumes about 64 pounds of meat annually—pork being the most produced meat, followed by chicken, chicken eggs, cattle and carabao.
“It’s definitely a cultural barrier because first-generation Filipinos or my parents, whenever I brought up why I was vegan, it was something that didn’t click to them or bring any interest to them,” said Iglesia.
A 2018 CNN Philippines article covered the topic of veganism, referencing Huffington Post’s inclusion of the Philippines in its list of “The 13 Worst Countries to Visit as a Vegan.” While there is an increasing shift toward adopting veganism, the general perception still remains—it’s a lifestyle reserved for the wealthy and it lacks nutritious value:
Aside from access, veganism is still viewed as a lifestyle only possible for the rich, given the costlier plant-based and gourmet alternatives to your everyday food choices. Veganism has also been criticized by its opponents as a nutrient-deficient diet, stating that the consumption of meat and animal by-products is necessary in order to receive all the necessary nutrients.
In America, there isn’t much visibility for Filipinos who are vegan or follow a plant-based lifestyle. Aside from Sandok Sentient, there is another that combines veganism and traditional Filipino cooking.
“I found one other person,” Iglesia said as she smiled. “Her name is RG [Enriquez]. She’s Astig Vegan on YouTube, and she inspired me to go forward. She was able to show me that it’s able to be done.”
Overall, there is still a lack of representation within the vegan community. Communities of color are often excluded from the mainstream, a topic covered in a Thrillist’s 2018 article, “The Vegan Race Wars: How the Mainstream Ignores Vegans of Color.” Author Khushbu Shah wrote that despite celebrities of color bringing attention to veganism there is still exclusion:
Even with that much star power, mainstream veganism still manages to elbow out vegans of color as it's convenient. In the most striking example, foods most associated with vegan meals -- crumbly blocks of tofu, fluffy quinoa, pots of chia pudding, "wraps" made from collard greens instead of tortillas, pulled-pork sandwiches made from jackfruit -- originated in communities of color who have been eating these items for hundreds of years before they were plucked and reclothed as "superfoods" or clever meat alternatives, stripping of them of their identities.
Iglesia commented on the challenges faced as person of color (POC) in the plant-based and vegan community and reinforced what many people of color face.
“It’s actually a really complex issue, and it’s hard to really make a stand or get through their bias because a lot of vegans are white,” said Iglesia. “A lot of them just typically believe in compassion over culture.”
She expanded and explained that there is rich, culinary history for Filipinos—one that has the possibility of being misunderstood or overlooked. To her, there is heart to the history, and without that knowledge it becomes lost.
“[I’m] not saying that they don’t have a culture to reside to, but it’s something that’s at the heart of other communities that they don’t understand,” Iglesia explained. “A lot of our cuisine, for people of color, [has] evolved through being able to survive [and] adapt, and it’s through resilience and so much heart and passion.”
Despite the challenges and criticisms, Iglesia believes that Filipino people have the capacity to adopt a plant-based lifestyle with inspiration.
“I feel like every Filipino has been endowed talent and adaptability,” Iglesia said. “As long as they can see recipes or anything that’s available to them on the internet or be inspired by a restaurant that makes plant-based food, go through that. Go and ask. Don’t be afraid to ask. Go ahead, jump in.”
A concern one might have is the potential sacrifice in quality of the food when translating into a plant-based lifestyle. Iglesia expanded on how there is a loss, but it is a necessary sacrifice.
“It’s still something that aches my heart deeply sometimes,” Iglesia said. “I’ve got to make do [and] make sacrifices. Say for example [the] adobo [I made] today—adobo initially was a food that evolved from adaptability and the resilience of our own country. Cooking meats in vinegar was a way of preservation or say sisig. Sisig is a super popular food right now, but that came to be because it came from different parts of the pig—from the jowls, from the ear, from even, you know, the intestines. That came from making do with what you have, so by making the foods plant-based, sometimes I’m taking the heart out of it or taking out the deep meaning in our food, and it’s so prevalent in our cuisine.”
When translating Filipino cuisine to adhere to a plant-based lifestyle, the question of accessibility may come up. Iglesia, however, offered a solution—effort.
“If you’re willing to go out to many different grocery stores to get what you need, it’s there for you,” she said. “If you have one grocery store, and you don’t have that time and you don’t want to put in that effort, then yes it’s hard.”
Another challenge some may face is attempting to replicate the unique textures and flavors lost when converting recipes. She explained the ingredients in traditional Filipino cuisines are contributing factors and can’t be completely replicated.
“I feel like a lot of gastronomy and science is going to have to go into it,” Iglesia explained. “There are flavors you can’t really replicate with—daily ingredients that you can have in your own kitchen such as tofu or tempeh. A lot of Filipino food has gelatinous factors to it, like the pigs’ feet or using the bone marrow or a lot of our food gets the flavor from the fat.”
Iglesia feels that her journey can become an addition to the historical narrative of Filipino cuisine. Her concern, however, was the question of how to make people listen and care. The solution? Iglesia created her Sandok Sentient platform and recently published her e-book, A Taste into the Filipino Experience: Plant Based Edition.
“I was inspired to move forward and practice my ethics from AstigVegan,” she said. “I wanted to commit to the change—do anything I can to inspire others to move forward or find other things to be inspired about and also because I love to cook and it’s my passion.”
In spite of the obstacles, she embraced the positive aspects of the challenging process. Her project was a result of the love of her home country and the recognition of her roots. The proudest moment, she said, was “imagining that [she’s] possibly [her] ancestors’ wildest dreams.”
In general, Iglesia feels that there’s a lack of representation of Filipino food. In Virginia Beach, where she’s lived the majority of her life, she cites family-owned restaurants like FeLynn’s or Ihaw-Ihaw. Those restaurants, however, are traditional and typically cater to local Filipinos in what is known as “carinderia-style.”
“If you go to the Philippines, it’s a type of way where it’s kind of like buffet-style [where] they serve their food,” Iglesia explained. “Someone’s behind the counter serving you what you want on your plate, and then you just go ahead and buy it. A lot of it isn’t based on any aesthetic or marketing, and it’s basically something that’s just to the liking of local Filipinos. I feel like really to make it here in America, you really have to sometimes have that aesthetic or play the game to make yourself move forward.”
At the end of the interview with Iglesia, she described the ideas she aims to convey through her work. Her recently published e-book stands as more than being a collection of veganized Filipino recipes. It also serves as an invitation to educate oneself about the unique history and culture behind the cuisine of the Philippines that has simmered for over centuries.
“First and foremost if you’re going to do it, I want you to understand our roots,” Iglesia said, shifting to a serious tone. “The root of our culture. I want you to understand our narrative, our journey, how our ancestors came to be, how the blood of our ancestors flows through our blood, and I want you to hone in on that. I want you to respect that, and then when you’re able to do that go ahead and practice your ethics—do everything you want to do for other sentient beings and jump into the unknown because it’s a very fun adventure and it’s definitely flavorful.”
The launch of her website and the publication of her e-book are only the beginning steps. Iglesia suggested that there will be more to follow with her work.
“As cliche as it sounds, I do want to grow. I want, based on Sandok, I just want to be able to create a bigger platform so that more people can be aware of not only my craft but also the cuisine of the Philippines.”
