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Bon Appetit's ‘Ode to Halo-Halo’ gets seal of disapproval from Pinoy netizens

By AYA TANTIANGCO, GMA News

Gentrified excuse for a halo-halo, an insult to halo-halo, and just plain "gross" — these are some of the disapproving remarks on social media for Bon Appetit international magazine's feature "Ode to Halo-Halo."

The food magazine first shared the recipe in July and it currently holds a one-star rating from users.

The reason? If social media is to be believed, it's the gummy bears...and probably the lack of everything that Filipinos love in a halo-halo.

Bon Appetit has swapped ube for vanilla ice cream and blueberries and blackberries for the leche flan, sweet beans, coconut, sago, and gulaman. They also suggested the use of popcorn for the dessert.

A user on Facebook left this scathing comment on the article, shared on the social media platform in August: "While experimenting with fused flavors is great for making new concoctions, please REMOVE ALL "HALO HALO" references in this "recipe." Call it what you will except that! You can't just mix whatever's in your pantry and call it Halo Halo, which is an authentic Filipino dessert. It is revolting, insulting and ridiculing the culture of the Philippines, especially for foreigners who have never tasted or seen Halo Halo. The only ingredients that are true to classic "Halo Halo" in this weird mix are crushed ice and condensed milk. Please check your facts going forward, or explain that you have deviated from the authentic version."

Another user had this to say: "Food adaptation happens. Recipes aren't static. But then #columbusing also happens and now (after the fact) Bon Appetit has thankfully been called out for the pho faux pas. This recipe isn't in the spirit of halo halo. It's just a mish-mash of ice and berries with a Filipino word slapped on it. Gummi bears? Please."

For the benefit of the people hearing it for the first time, "Columbising" is inspired by Christopher Columbus "discovering" America and is used to refer to instances when Americans claim to discover an idea, even though the idea already exists.

The backlash against Bon Appetit picked up steam again this week, with Food Beast, Next Shark, and bloggers uniting against what they call the "desecration of a culturally iconic dish"

 

This halo-halo misstep dug up Bon Appetit's pho faux pas in September, when they faced backlash over a video prescribing a "right way to eat pho.'

The Vietnamese community criticized the comparison they made with ramen and eyes rolled over their advise to avoid putting condiments in the broth.

Bon Appetit is not alone in getting flak for putting odd things in their recipes. Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver was also flooded with negative responses when he added chorizo and chicken thighs in his version of Paella. — VVP, GMA News

Tags: bonappetit, food
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