Documentaries about food have been always a joy to watch (at least when someone is not on a diet) and “Ulam Main Dish” is no exception. However, Alexandra Cuerdo takes it a step further, by inducing the film with a number of social comments, mostly regarding the identity of the second generation Filipinos that are the protagonists of the film, and food as a cultural factor.
“Ulam Main Dish” screened at the 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase
The documentary is comprised mostly of interviews with a number of Filipino chefs across the US, narrating their life story and the path that led them to own their own restaurants. Their stories have many similarities. Firstly, their ties to the Philippines are very thin for most of them. Secondly, their parents, who have migrated to the US the previous decades, wanted them to become doctors or lawyers. Lastly, they share the same passion, that led them into taking the lowest of jobs in various restaurants (dishwashers mostly), then as assistants to various European and American restaurants, and finally to their own establishment. At the same time, she presents the hardships of running and maintaining a restaurant in two of the biggest and most competitive markets in the world: Los Angeles and New York.
What becomes evident is that all of them, apart from wishing to gain money (and fame), have a clear goal, of promoting Philippino culture to the US, which remains unknown for the most part, through the culinary.
As the documentary progresses, Alvin Cailan, one of the chefs, takes over the narrative, as he proves charismatic in giving speeches, as all the above elements are eloquently presented through his words. The second individual who anchors the narrative is Nicole Ponseca, whose story of romance with her partner in her restaurant is one of the most delightful parts of the documentary. All of the stories, however, are quite interesting, as is their presentation.
Alexandra Cuerdo directs a documentary that also functions as a promotion clip for all the chefs and their restaurants, but she does so in artful fashion, although the commercial part is not missing. In that setting, she presents images of the “plates” and sequences of their preparation (where fermentation and vinegar are the most important factors), which are bound to raise some appetites. This part benefits the most from John Floresca's cinematography, who presents all aspects of the documentary, and particularly the food, in the most impressive way. Tayler Braasch's editing is on the same level, as he switches from interviewee to interviewee a number of times, retaining in that fashion, the entertainment aspect of the documentary, while allowing it to flow in a very nice pace. The only fault I found in the production department is the music, which never actually ceases, and since it includes a sole track (or some variations of it) becomes a bit tedious after a fashion. The second track, however, which also features in the ending, compensates to a point.
“Ulam Main Dish” is a very interesting spectacle that succeeds in three axes: Promoting the chefs who are also the protagonists, introducing Philippino culture through the culinary, and more than anything, raising appetites. Personally, I can't wait to taste the Amboy Chicken Inasal & Amboy Sausage
