In an effort to prescribe fewer medicines, I encourage folks to eat more fish and local foods like mangoes and guavas that are loaded with lots of natural medicinal value. Unfortunately, in this era of fast-foods and microwave popcorn, some people don’t know how to cook.
In my continuing effort to develop new strategies to promote good eating, I was lucky enough to attend the Guam Humanities Council’s interpretive cooking event held this past Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Guam. Featuring the talents of celebrated Native American chefs Lois Ellen Frank, PhD, and Walter Whitewater, a wondrous meal of local foods was prepared and presented by a team of local chefs and Guam Community College culinary arts students from Simon Sanchez High School.
Combining all that is good and nutritious about our island, Chef Josef Budde of the Hyatt Regency created an amazing salad that was alive with the vitality of Guamanian sunshine. Fresh from the soil, island-grown hydroponic lettuce, local pechay, red Guam tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn were served with grilled eggplant and embellished with a refreshing sour sop dressing. I thought President Obama himself would wish to eat grilled eggplant that delicious.
Chef Peter Duenas of Meskla then dazzled the crowd with a presentation of local citrus fruits and organic cilantro balanced with roasted freshwater prawns dusted with donne’ sale. As current president of the Micronesian Chef’s Association, Duenas took special time to celebrate the students from Simon Sanchez who worked tirelessly with all the chefs to prepare the meal.
My personal favorite was a platter of two soups presented side-by-side and representing the Guam meets Southwest America theme of the evening. The Marianas-inspired pacific fish soup was prepared by Chef Paul Koerner from the Guam Community College. Koerner took local fish stock and fresh coconut milk and magically infused it with hearty vegetables and organic quinoa to create a soup that made me weep.
Chefs Frank and Whitewater then took Southwest Indian yellow corn and made a spicy soup that they complimented with sweet bread made from organic blue corn flour from New Mexico.
The main course was also prepared by Chefs Whitewater and Frank and featured seared local onaga served with fresh papaya salsa spiced with donne’, calamansi and local honey. Alongside this beautiful fish were bright green kangkong and a breadfruit mash seasoned with local green onions and Pohnpei pepper.
Finally, for dessert, icy Ahu Sorbet was made with fresh coconut juice and tender manha coconut meat sweetened with local sugar cane. This masterful dish was prepared by Chef Geoffrey Perez from the famed Proa Restaurant in Tumon.
During the keynote speech of the evening, Chef Frank discussed the cultural and culinary context of this special meal. Dr. Frank is a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based native foods historian and photographer who has documented the cuisine and culture of Southwest Native American tribes over the past 18 years. During her speech, Dr. Frank examined the ways contemporary Native American chefs use indigenous ingredients in their cooking and how this is a representation of their own identities. She rejoiced in the fact that the new generation of Guam chefs are now doing the same wonderful thing.
Throughout its history, Guam has experienced great change that has altered much of its cultural and natural landscape. Great forces such as typhoons and earthquakes shaped the way people lived off the land and sea. Cultural interchange between the Chamorro, Spanish and American periods created the social context within which local food was prepared and consumed.
I congratulate the Guam Humanities Council for finding such a delicious way to teach our community important lessons about food, health, and culture. By fostering community engagement and dialogue; inspiring critical thinking; and celebrating cultural diversity, the Guam Humanities Council is helping to make Guam a happier and healthier place to live.
DR. VINCE AKIMOTO
Upper Tumon, Guam
