Missing Person Project Update: Finding Thu Thi Vo

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February 13, 2014Missing Person Project Update: Finding Thu Thi Vo

The outpouring of ideas and reactions to the story about Thu Thi Vo (Covey) was tremendous. There were comments on VWK as well as email messages that people sent. We mounted a virtual group effort to help Thu Thi’s brother reunite with her, and I wanted to update you on what has been going on.

Wendy did some research and located a Karen Covey via Facebook. The woman looked like she could be of partial Asian descent but a little young for someone who may have been born in the late 1960s. I reached out to Karen in late January and never heard back. 

Then I received a message from Justin. His wife, a reader of VWK, prompted him to look into the matter. Justin found a Social Security Death Index record of a person named “Thu Thi Vo” who passed away in 2007. She was 81 years old. She last lived in San Bernardino, which is east of Los Angeles (not far from San Diego).

Her brother Minh Hung Vo thought that his sister would be in her 70s by now so this woman may not have been her. That said, sometimes people alter their age when they enter the US so this woman could have been her. Justin and I hoped not as no one wants to be the bearer of bad news.

I have forwarded the information to my contact in Vietnam to convey to Minh and await a response.  It’s hard to determine whether or not the brother could match the information – aside from the birthday – with his missing sister. A number of you had found a Thu Thi Vo with an address in San Bernardino. That is the person that Justin likely found via the Social Security Death Index. (Can I pause here to tell you incredibly awesome and smart you all are?)

I had no idea about the SSDI and found a portal via Ancestry.com. I’ve never looked up death information before as my family’s ancestral line in America runs rather short; we all got here in 1975 or so.

1960s/70s photos from Thu Thi Vo Covey, 2014 photo of her brother Minh Hung Vo

Giovanna and Tuyet took up finding “Thu Thi Covey”.  Giovanna reported that initially it was easy to find someone by that name on PeopleFinder.com. However when she went back to pay for the full search, the name didn’t turn up as many leads. Strange. (I regretted not getting more information from the brother when I met him in Vietnam.)

A resident of San Diego, Tuyet volunteered to do the groundwork. Tuyet went all out and followed every lead possible, looking up addresses, visiting the San Diego office of records, etc. She tried the surname of Carman too. She turned up no related records. Giovanna, Tuyet and I huddled on this for a good week and unfortunately, there were only dead ends.

As a ray of hope, Hector related his personal experience via a comment on the original post:

this story really hits home with me and my family. my mother came to the US and when the north took over, my grandmother burned all information she had in regards to my mother and my aunt who also came to the US. in 1987 a woman who had immigrated to New Mexico went back to Vietnam, and my grandmother approached her and asked her if she could help find my mom. the woman agreed to ask anyone she knew, but was not very hopeful. my grandmother sent a picture with her of my mom, and the woman went back to New Mexico. This woman's husband was a US vet. at this time my mom,s childhood friend had planned to come to Arizona to visit my mom, her husband decided to visit one of his old army buddies on the way. his buddy lived in New Mexico. when the two ladies met, the woman from new mexico told my mom's friend about my grandmother's story, and figured she would show her the picture. my mother's friend took one look at the picture and told the woman that she knew the girl in the picture and was in fact on her way to visit her. my mom's friend came to Arizona, and told my mom the whole story, and was able to get back in touch with my grandmother. this connection was done before the internet, before cell phones, and all the tech that we have today. it makes me happy to see everyone trying to help out.

So at this juncture, all we can say is that Thu Thi Vo likely changed her name a few times, and perhaps may have passed away. People who have been separated by war and upheaval have found ways to reconnect with one another. Over the years, my parents have reunited with relatives and friends that they thought they’d lost contact with.

It is sad that Minh Hung hasn’t been able to find his sister. We’ve tried the best that we can, and I greatly appreciate your collective thoughtfulness in this project. If there’s a sudden development in the future, I will definitely let you know.

Thanks again.

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Comments Missing Person Project Update: Finding Thu Thi Vo

The outpouring of ideas and reactions to the story about Thu Thi Vo (Covey) was tremendous. There were comments on VWK as well as email messages that people sent. We mounted a virtual group effort to help Thu Thi’s brother reunite with her, and I wanted to update you on what has been going on.

Wendy did some research and located a Karen Covey via Facebook. The woman looked like she could be of partial Asian descent but a little young for someone who may have been born in the late 1960s. I reached out to Karen in late January and never heard back. 

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A short personal update...

This just a short update on what is going on with my health and things.

The good news is that I am feeling a bit better on an everyday basis. The really bad, painful infection I had has finally (mostly) cleared up, so I’m not reliant on heavy duty painkillers anymore. The bad news is that, my actual health condition is a bit worse than the infection. Which means that I’m going to have to start a course of radiation therapy again. But not to worry anyone too much…since I am now getting regular checkups (unlike the last time when you know, I stupidly tried to tough it out until I was almost bleeding to death(!!)) I am not going to have to get surgery or things like that. I guess I will have to face the ongoing fatigue issues, but well…I what to expect, and have strategies to deal with it.

In the meantime, if you want to see short posts from me and you are on Facebook, please consider Liking my Facebook JustBento/JustHungry page, which has been growing steadily since early this year (when I finally started paying attention to it. ^^;) I am continuing to translate a few Cookpad recipes every day (previously) - if you want to find ones I’ve done, look for ‘translated by makikowi’ at the bottom of the recipes. I also have a new series in store for JustHungry starting next week, which I hope you’ll enjoy. And for you bento fans, yes JustBento is coming back in full force soon - it’s not dead by any means! You may see some other writing for me somewhere very soon too. ^_^ Stay tuned!

And…thank you so much for your continuing patience and support as I battle my health issues.

(Cross posted to both JustBento and JustHungry.)

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Buyee.jp, a new Japanese buying and bidding service, plus an update on ordering products from Japan

I got a mailing about a new service in Japan that I thought would be of interest to those of you who like Japanese things. Buyee is a “buying service for Yahoo! Japan Auctions and online Japanese stores”. It’s operated by Tenso, a shipment forwarding service that I list here and have used myself several times. Tenso seems to have a formal affilication with Rakuten, the largest e-commerce operator in Japan, and I’ve always found them to be very reliable.

The way Buyee works seems to be quite straightforward. You enter the URL of the Yahoo! Japan Auctions item (or other item on another site) that you want to bid on or buy, and then follow the bidding via Buyee (if it’s an auction). If you’re the winning bidder, you pay Buyee for the item who then pays the seller. Buyee takes a 10% commission against the purchase price, plus a 200 yen per package Buying Fee. Add the shipping cost via EMS or UPS, and you get the product delivered to you. All the fees and so on are explained in Japanese, English and Mandarin on their site. This is great for buying things from places like Yahoo! Japan Auctions, since most sellers there only accept funds from Japanese banks or credit cards. (Most individual sellers do not accept credit cards, only bank transfers.)

There are companies that already offer similar services, but having the Tenso people behind this one may add an extra level of confidence.

I’ve written before on this site about ordering and buying things from Japan, but the last time was back in November 2007, so I thought I’d give a short update about what I do.

I’ve been going to Japan a lot more frequently recently (except during my recent illness), but I never seem to have enough luggage space to bring home everything I want. I can, and do, ask my mother to ship me some things on occasion (as well as abuse her, and my stepfather’s, luggage allowance when they come here for a visit). But she’s not getting any younger, so I feel guilty about asking her to schlep packages to the post office on my behalf. So more often than not I order things from Japan without relying on her.

For books and magazines and most media such as DVDs, I usually use Amazon Japan. almost exclusively. Their delivery is fast and reliable, their selection is vast, and since I have an Amazon account on .com (US) and .fr (France) anyway, it’s just convenient. Ordering a book from Yes Asia is ok if you can be patient, but it takes weeks for the order to arrive and the final price is not such a great deal in my experience, although it’s cheaper if you are ordering just one book at a a time, as I described in my old post.

The only disadvantage of using Amazon Japan is that they use DHL for their overseas deliveries, at least in Europe. (They may use UPS in the US - you’d have to check that.) Now, in my opinion of all the courier services DHL is the worst. Their drivers often get ‘lost’, they never carry change for customs, and on and on. But to be fair all my packages have arrived in a more or less timely manner.

I’ve also started buying some ebooks, mostly via eBook Japan. Of all the ebook options that are finally appearing in Japan such as Amazon Kindle and Kobo, in my experience eBook Japan is the most hassle - as in, digital rights and copyright mess - free. I’ve been able to order things to download using a U.S. credit card as well as a French credit card so far to my iPad to read in their app.

(Speaking of copyright mess, as far as I can discern the Japan version of the Amazon Kindle can only be used in Japan. You can’t even download books to a legitimately bought-in-Japan Kindle if you’re overseas. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s my understanding from reading up on it. But buying paper books to be shipped overseas is not a problem. Publishers and sellers really have to sort this ridiculous situation out if they want customers to buy more eBooks versus pirating them.)

A lot of Japanese merchants still don’t ship outside of Japan, although an increasing number of Rakuten merchants do. When I can’t get something shipped directly I use Tenso. I find their handling fees to be pretty reasonable. They do exclusively use EMS for shipping, and EMS is really expensive (but so is DHL). One of the biggest obstacles to shopping for things in Japan is the expensive shipping. On the other hand EMS is very reliable and fast and trackable.

If you are shopping for bento related things, don’t assume that the prices you pay at Rakuten merchants and so on will be cheaper than what you’d pay if you shopped from English-speaking sites. For instance Bento&co’s prices are quite in line with any other bento box merchant - and if you have a problem you can deal with them in English (or French) without a struggle over language, which is a big plus.

Incidentally, there are an increasing number of merchants who ship Japanese goods overseas, but unfortunately their sites are in Japanese only since they are aiming their services at the Japanese expat community. For instance I’ve ordered some delicious ramen packs from Ramen-tsu dot com, but their site is all-Japanese. If you can navigate the language though I highly recommend that ramen - it’s better than just about any ramen I’ve had at ramen shops outside of Japan, and the price-per-serving is not too outrageous either.

(Disclaimer: JustHungry is not affiliated most of the merchants mentioned, including Buyee or Tenso. JustHungry is an Amazon, Rakuten and Bento&co affiliate, but we are also happy repeat customers ourselves.)

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Cookbook Update: All Done & Available for Preorder... The Adobo Road Cookbook!

Cookbook Update: All Done & Available for Preorder... The Adobo Road Cookbook! - Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinkswindow.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init( { apiKey: 'a279adbe87e2b3c505e777af99a5260d', xfbml: true } );};( function() { var e = document.createElement( 'script' ); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById( 'fb-root' ).appendChild( e );} )();Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary HijinksLumpia FillingAbout Burnt LumpiaFilipino Food Recipe ArchiveLinks Get My FeedWelcomeRecent PostsCookbook Update: All Done & Available for Preorder... The Adobo Road Cookbook!FOOD Magazine December 2012Chicken PipianBistek & Pancit: Together At LastOven-Roasted Pinakbet with BaconCookbook Update: A Title Change, and a Quick Peek InsideHomemade TofuHomemade Limoncello w/ Calamansi Limes (Calamancello)Pork and Rhubarb SinigangChicken Adobo and 40 Cloves of GarlicCategoriesAdobo RecipesAdobo Road CookbookBeefBeer, Liquor, & WineBL OriginalsBL Restaurant ReviewsBooksCookbooksDessertsFruits and VeggiesGiveawaysHolidaysHow to Make LumpiaKalamansiKinilawLasang PinoyMy Cookbook!On The GrillOtherPancit (Filipino Noodles)PorkPoultryRiceSeafoodThe BL FamThe Manila MachineTravelUbe RecipesVinegar (Suka) « FOOD Magazine December 2012 |Main

December 05, 2012Cookbook Update: All Done & Available for Preorder... The Adobo Road Cookbook!

Well, it's finally done. My debut cookbook entitled The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey—From Food Blog, To Food Truck, and Beyond is done and now available for preorder!

After developing over 100 recipes (99 made the cut), shooting hundreds of photos, writing text, editing, layout, and more editing, everything for my cookbook is finally finished. The above photo shows the final cover for my cookbook and features some spicy Adobo chicken wings (some sort of adobo had to be on the cover, no?).

Aside from a big Pinoy handful of adobo recipes, my cookbook features quite the selection of Filipino eats from appetizers, to main dishes, to Filipino bar food and cocktails, and desserts. Among all of these recipes are plenty of traditional Filipino dishes, as well as a few "new-school" takes on some classics—this book has plenty of delicious Filipino food for everyone.

And if you couldn't tell from the subtitle, this book is really a collection of new recipes sprouted from this long-lived food blog, my short-lived food truck, and everything before, during, and since. After all the dust has settled, I'm really happy with what my publisher and I produced, and I know all of you will be just as happy to cook from it too, I hope.

As of last week, I gave a final once-over to what was the final draft of my cookbook, gulped loudly, and then sent my editor over at Tuttle my final OK on everything. And by "final OK" I mean "there's no turning back now, this sucker is going to print, and if I missed anything after a gajillion edits, I am straight S.O.L.!"

As I type this, dozens, hundreds, nay, perhaps even thousands(!) of copies of my debut cookbook are being printed somewhere in Singapore.

I know, I can't believe it either. In fact, I'll remain overly dubious of this whole enterprise until I'm actually holding a copy of my cookbook in my hands—which, by all accounts, should be sometime in the Spring of 2013.

The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey—From Food Blog, To Food Truck, and Beyond will be available in Asia (including the Philippines) in February/March 2013, and it will be available here in the United States in April/May of 2013.

The Adobo Road Cookbook is now available for preorder on Amazon, as well as from Barnes and Noble!!! Here's a snippet from the book description:

"The road to great Filipino food begins and ends at home. But the journey along the way introduces a combination of flavors and textures from around the world. In The Adobo Road Cookbook, Marvin Gapultos demonstrates that delicious Filipino food can be prepared anywhere—from Manila to Los Angeles and everywhere in between."

So go on and order someone a copy for Christmas (no, it won't be delivered by Christmas, but it's the thought that counts, right?)!

Mabuhay!

Posted by Burnt Lumpia at 12:19 PM | Permalink

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Congrats, Marvin! So glad to see where this awesome blogging journey has taken you. Enjoy the calm after the storm of editing -- you deserve it! Oh, and merry Christmas, happy New Year, etc. ;-)

Posted by:Lorena |December 05, 2012 at 03:16 PM

Huge congrats, Marvin! Time to pre-order my copy! :D

Posted by:Row |December 05, 2012 at 08:06 PM

Congratulations.

Can't wait to get my hands on one here in Spain. Perhaps your publisher would like to send me a copy to review!!!!!!

Best of luck.

Posted by:Debs @ The Spanish Wok |December 06, 2012 at 01:00 AM

Congrats~!! I'm so excited for you!...and for me coz I just ordered my copy! Hope to meet you someday so I can have you autograph it lol ingatz!

Posted by:sallyroses |December 06, 2012 at 04:55 AM

Congratulations! Pre-Order already placed. I look forward to trying your recipes out.

Posted by:MitchO |December 06, 2012 at 05:07 AM

CONGRATULATIONS, Marvin!! Looking forward to getting the book!

Posted by:Jun Belen |December 06, 2012 at 09:01 AM

Congrats, Marvin! Can't wait! FWIW, I pre-ordered on Amazon in October! :)

Posted by:Arnold Gatilao |December 06, 2012 at 10:10 AM

Congrats Marvin. I know firsthand how hard it is getting a cookbook out there, especially on Filipino food, but how amazing does it all feel?!

Posted by:Adrian (What the Heck is Filipino Food) |December 06, 2012 at 05:47 PM

spreading the word bro --- congratulations - can't wait to order a bunch of copies

Posted by:roland |December 06, 2012 at 07:57 PM

Congratulations and thank you for your very hard work to represent!!

Posted by:Gina D |December 06, 2012 at 09:34 PM

Congratulations! :) I'm sure writing the book's an accomplishment to tell great-great-grandchildren; mini-Marvins of the future!

Picky me, however, wants to make only *one* complaint: why, oh why, do we need three repetitions of the word "food" in just the title?

There! *breathe* I am done :)

Posted by:anotherwise |December 09, 2012 at 01:50 AM

Congratulations, Marv! Can't believe 6 years of following your blog will have passed by the time I get your book in the mail (just pre-ordered). I'm monstrously excited to read and try out your recipes in the cookbook! I hope you'll please, please, please sign my copy when the hubs, new baby and I move back to LA from Spain in 2014 :) Best wishes, and wishing you all the best with this project!

Posted by:Krizia |December 09, 2012 at 04:56 AM

Thanks very much Lorena. Believe me, I am enjoying the calm now:)

I appreciate it Row!

Thanks Debs.

Thank you sallyroses.

I know you'll enjoy the recipes, MitchO.

Thanks so much Jun!

I appreciate the early support Arnold!

It feels good Adrian, thanks.

Thank you roland. Get the word out!

Thanks for the help Gina!

Point taken, anotherwise. The title was originally supposed to be just "The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey". But the publisher insisted on adding the rest. With that said, I like the title and feel it encompasses what's in the book and what its about.

Thanks so much for your long-time support Krizia! And wtf? You're in spain now? I'm jealous, they've got great food there!

Posted by:BurntLumpia |December 10, 2012 at 07:57 AM

Congratulations on such a great accomplishment, Marvin! I pre-ordered a couple of copies and am looking forward to their arrival. Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Posted by:Dee |December 12, 2012 at 11:16 AM

Just ordered mine! Then I'm going to order a bunch for every Pinoy and Pinoy-friendly person I know!!! Congratulations, Marvin!

Posted by:Alisa Abrenica |December 12, 2012 at 05:01 PM

Cheers for that! :) Love to try out new dishes everytime and this perfectly suites my menu plan for the week. :)

Posted by:Jeane M. |December 19, 2012 at 02:49 AM

for the love of Filipino food! Great job Marvin! :)

Posted by:Gio of The Hungry Giant |January 01, 2013 at 05:27 AM

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Cookbook Update: A Title Change, and a Quick Peek Inside

Cookbook Update: A Title Change, and a Quick Peek Inside - Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinkswindow.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init( { apiKey: 'a279adbe87e2b3c505e777af99a5260d', xfbml: true } );};( function() { var e = document.createElement( 'script' ); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById( 'fb-root' ).appendChild( e );} )();Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary HijinksLumpia FillingAbout Burnt LumpiaFilipino Food Recipe ArchiveLinks Get My FeedWelcomeRecent PostsOven-Roasted Pinakbet with BaconCookbook Update: A Title Change, and a Quick Peek InsideHomemade TofuHomemade Limoncello w/ Calamansi Limes (Calamancello)Pork and Rhubarb SinigangChicken Adobo and 40 Cloves of GarlicCookbook Update: Manuscript & Photos DoneHome-Cured Corned BeefA Journey with LinamnamCookbook Recipe Testers Wanted!CategoriesAdobo RecipesAdobo Road CookbookBeefBeer, Liquor, & WineBL OriginalsBL Restaurant ReviewsBooksCookbooksDessertsFruits and VeggiesGiveawaysHolidaysHow to Make LumpiaKalamansiKinilawLasang PinoyMy Cookbook!On The GrillOtherPancit (Filipino Noodles)PorkPoultryRiceSeafoodThe BL FamThe Manila MachineTravelUbe RecipesVinegar (Suka) « Homemade Tofu |Main| Oven-Roasted Pinakbet with Bacon »

August 22, 2012Cookbook Update: A Title Change, and a Quick Peek Inside

Since turning in my cookbook manuscript to my editor a few months back, things, for the most part, have been relatively quiet. As a first-time author, I'm learning that there's a lot of waiting involved in the publishing process.

But just last week, during a most furious stretch of thumb-twiddling, my editor sent me a first draft layout of my book! A first draft layout is pretty much what it sounds like: a draft version of my entire cookbook that shows how my text and photos will be arranged (i.e. the overall design and aesthetic of what the completed book will look like once it's finished).

I must say, after spending the better part of a year writing and photographing in a vacuum, it felt so good to finally see how my words and pictures are being put together by the great design team at Tuttle. I can't even express how cool everything looks and how excited I am to be working on this project. It's really starting to look like my book is coming to life. Huzzah!

But before I share a very quick peek at the shape my book is taking, I also want to mention that there's been a change of title for my cookbook as well. Wha?!!

If anyone remembers as far back as last year, I tentatively titled my book "The New Filipino American Cookbook". Admittedly, I never was too keen on this very generic title (even though I'm the one who came up with it).

So, a few weeks back, the publishing team at Tuttle and I decided to change the title of my cookbook to, drumroll please...

"The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey".

Much more snazzy, no?

Yes. Yes it is.

And if that title sounds a bit familiar to some of you, that may be because it was borrowed from this article (about me) that was written by Amy Scattergood of LA Weekly sometime last year. The fine folks at Tuttle liked the article title so much, that we decided that it was a very appropriate title for my cookbook. Not only are the recipes in the book taken from my own personal journey in Filipino food, but they will also provide another sort of journey for readers and home cooks alike. And luckily for me, Amy gave her blessing to use the title (thanks again, Amy!).

Now that you've seen the new title for my upcoming cookbook, how's about a quick peek at the layout?

The Title Page

Me and some Mystery Ladies in the Intro

A Sample Chapter About Something Called "Adobo"

Ok, that's all you get for now. Just a whiff. I don't want to spoil anything too soon, but trust me, there's a lot more from where all that came from. And I do want to mention that there is a completed draft for the book cover as well, but I didn't want to share that just yet either. Another thing I'm learning is that everything is always in flux, and there are always changes.

And there will be changes. After receiving the draft, I sent back a long list of suggestions to my editor about the layout. After the layout has been decided and set, then we can get down to editing the text. That's right, the text hasn't even been edited yet!

So even though there's been lots of progress made since my last update, there are still miles and miles to go before the book is actually finished and released in Spring 2013. But don't worry, I'll keep you posted...

Posted by Burnt Lumpia at 08:40 AM | Permalink

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Bravo Marvin. Congratulations on your journey, and I can't wait to have your book of wonderful Filipino recipes!

Posted by:Stuart |August 22, 2012 at 09:13 AM

Congrats!!! When will it be available to preorder??

Posted by:Josie |August 22, 2012 at 09:54 AM

Long road, but it's happening! Congrats!

Posted by:Gayle |August 22, 2012 at 10:03 AM

Congrats, Marvin, and glad to see it's all coming together. Can't wait to preorder this bad boy! :)

Posted by:Arnold Gatilao |August 22, 2012 at 11:14 AM

I love the title. Very eye catching and makes you want to look at it. I was hoping to have adobo pix w/ the title. The pix you have looks like somekind of shrimp/soup dish? Anyway, sooo very proud of my nephew. Can't wait to buy the book-with autograph of course! From your loving, favorite aunt in Sacramento.

Posted by:benie felix |August 22, 2012 at 11:42 AM

kudos! look forward to reading this.

Posted by:rick |August 22, 2012 at 11:43 AM

Congrats, Marvin! I can't wait to see this hit the shelves and follow you down the 'adobo road.' Good luck with the rest of the book publishing process!

Posted by:Lorena |August 22, 2012 at 12:49 PM

woot woot... way to go. i can't wait to find my way to adobo road.
kudos!
malou

Posted by:Malou | Skip to Malou |August 22, 2012 at 01:21 PM

I love the new title, the draft looks great and I can't freaking wait for it to ship!!!

Posted by:Cheryl |August 22, 2012 at 08:35 PM

I for one can attest, having realeased a Filipino cookbook this year, that it’s seriously hardwork but of course, all very worthwhile. So happy to see a fellow Pinoy also spreading the word about our cusine that ROCKS. I love love love the layout. Can’t wait to grab a copy!

Congrats!!!

Posted by:Adrian (What the Heck is Filipino Food) |August 22, 2012 at 09:52 PM

Beautiful layout, Marvin! Thanks for the sneak peek... can't wait! :D

Posted by:Row |August 23, 2012 at 08:34 PM

:) I hope that they release that in the Philippines immediately after it's published!

Posted by:Clarissa |August 25, 2012 at 04:36 PM

Just my two cents...The photo looks too generic (mind you I don't know much about the book other that what you share here...), was thinking of something more "Filipino". and just as an opinion, the title makes me think of "the Adobo book" which I know has no relation to your book.

But I am still excited for you and for the book to come out. :)

Posted by:Macky |August 27, 2012 at 07:58 AM

I wish you all the best on this "journey", Marvin! Congratulations and I can't wait to get my hands on your cookbook and start cooking from it! Mabuhay !

Posted by:Elizabeth @Mango_Queen |August 29, 2012 at 04:28 PM

Yay!!!

Posted by:bagito |August 29, 2012 at 09:37 PM

I can't wait, Marvin!! I'm so excited for you!

Posted by:Julie |September 01, 2012 at 01:09 AM

How exciting for you! Can't wait until our book comes out! Please do a book tour and come to San Diego! :)

Posted by:caninecologne |September 01, 2012 at 06:55 PM

Oops, I meant "your" (your book)!

Posted by:caninecologne |September 01, 2012 at 06:56 PM

Wow! Congratulations! Wait, no 'burnt lumpia' in the title?

Posted by:greasemonkey |September 10, 2012 at 02:04 PM

Ahhh so cool to finally see it (even in draft form)! Can't wait to get my pinay paws on a copy :D Congrats, Marv! And best of luck in the coming months as you prepare to publish!

Posted by:Krizia |September 13, 2012 at 04:07 AM

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Cookbook Update: Manuscript & Photos Done

Cookbook Update: Manuscript & Photos Done - Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinkswindow.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init( { apiKey: 'a279adbe87e2b3c505e777af99a5260d', xfbml: true } );};( function() { var e = document.createElement( 'script' ); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById( 'fb-root' ).appendChild( e );} )();Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary HijinksLumpia FillingAbout Burnt LumpiaFilipino Food Recipe ArchiveLinks Get My FeedWelcomeRecent PostsCookbook Update: Manuscript & Photos DoneHome-Cured Corned BeefA Journey with LinamnamCookbook Recipe Testers Wanted!Turkey, Sweet Potato, and Cranberry EmpanadasPapaitan: Offal & Bile SoupAn Interview with Claude TayagFresh Mango Pudding From Rasa Malaysia's New CookbookShort Rib and Foie Gras CalderetaSwill to Twenty: Food and Wine FundraiserCategoriesAdobo RecipesBeefBeer, Liquor, & WineBL OriginalsBL Restaurant ReviewsBooksCookbooksDessertsFruits and VeggiesGiveawaysHolidaysHow to Make LumpiaKalamansiKinilawLasang PinoyMy Cookbook!On The GrillOtherPancit (Filipino Noodles)PorkPoultryRiceSeafoodThe BL FamThe Manila MachineTravelUbe RecipesVinegar (Suka) « Home-Cured Corned Beef |Main

April 02, 2012Cookbook Update: Manuscript & Photos Done

Golden. Not Burnt.

Just about a year ago, I ended one brief (yet exciting) chapter in my life to focus on something entirely different--writing my first cookbook. Although there were other major factors that pulled me away from the road as well (e.g. family, health, family health, sanity, etc.), I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish a big ol' book of filipino recipes if I didn't devote a huge chunk of my time to it while also considering all the other things going on in my life.

And let me tell you, there's a lot to writing a book of cookery! Especially if there's to be 100 or so recipes in said book of cookery. In addition to developing and writing each recipe, there's the testing and re-testing (and testing again) of each recipe and incorporating some of the feedback from my recipe testers (many thanks to those of you who volunteered!), not to mention writing all the additional text, stories, and anecdotes, and the research that goes along with all of that. And that's only half of the battle!

The other half of that GI Joe equation is in the food photography. Besides all the writing and recipe development, I also took it upon myself to do my own pictures and food styling.

If you've been following this here blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed that food photography ain't my forte (neither be grammar). So with an already full plate of stress and despair, I also managed to pile on more worry with my relative inexperience with a big fancy camera. Now, all 100 recipes had to be individually styled and photographed. And because nothing ever goes as planned with me, that meant thousands and thousands of photos at different angles, in different light, and with different settings--only to whittle that number down to a couple hundred photos. Sheesh.

So you can probably imagine just how difficult these past 12 months have been for me trying to cobble together the cookbook of my dreams. And I loved every minute of it! Even the ones where I was cursing myself and my camera, or cursing myself and my stove, or just cursing myself in general (cookbook writing can be downright introspective and self-deprecating). But I'd do it all again (which I probably, hopefully will, but much much much further down the road...).

But first thing's first. A little over a month ago I finished the manuscript and photographs for my very first Filipino cookbook and submitted everything to my editor at Tuttle Publishing. Soon, I'll be getting some edits back of my draft manuscript for my review, and I'll also probably have to re-shoot some things as well. So even though I'm done with the manuscript and photos, there's still plenty more to do in the months to come before an actual cookbook hits the shelves.

Aside from more editing and photos, there's layout and cover design, color separation and pre-press, many more reviews and edits, printing overseas and shipping to the US, and a whole bunch of other minutiae that I'll probably cover in other posts.

And although I first reported that my book would be out by late 2012, it's more likely to be early 2013. It takes time to craft a quality cookbook, you know? I will keep you posted...

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Comments

Yay! Can't wait to see it!

Posted by:Nolita |April 02, 2012 at 09:28 AM

Congratulations, Marvin! I can't imagine even what a monumental task it has been to write each recipe and photograph it as well. But I'm sure your hard work will be well-rewarded when you see it all come together in a wonderful book. I, for one, can hardly wait for early 2013! 8-)

Posted by:Tracey@Tangled Noodle |April 02, 2012 at 09:29 AM

SO excited for this. We know it's gonna be awesome! I'm sure I'll have to buy several copies for family and friends.

Posted by:Dee |April 02, 2012 at 12:04 PM

OMG I'm screeching, i'm screeching (in excitement). Can't wait! I am counting down for 2013 but hoping it gets done sooner. It will be so great to finally see all your hard work come together in this book. And I can't wait to cook from it!

Posted by:Heather |April 02, 2012 at 12:46 PM

Good luck and congratulations in advance! Is it too much of a stretch to ask for an autographed copy? hahahaha!

Posted by:Gio of The Hungry Giant |April 02, 2012 at 06:21 PM

My Lolo from Ilocos Norte would say- Enduring perseverance is the stuff you are made of. When the physical has long gone but the mind is still so much capable... refreshing oneself, enough for the physical body to be strong again..."when the going get's tough, the tough(lumpia) get's going.....I have been a fan for afew years, this is my first commentary

Posted by:chilli tamale |April 03, 2012 at 03:50 PM

That's awesome you did your own photos for your cookbook! Can't wait to see the finished product!!!

Posted by:caninecologne |April 08, 2012 at 10:59 AM

I am so so so very excited for your book to come out!! Looking forward to it Marvin and a big congratulations once again!

And your photos are fantastic!!

Posted by:joey |April 10, 2012 at 06:46 PM

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