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A Bahay Kubo in Ireland


	Bahay Kubo in...Dublin?

by Lory Crowder

For the New Year, I traveled to Ireland for a well-needed vacation with my boyfriend David, a native of Dublin. I had my own stereotypes and discriminating ideas about the country, but soon found myself re-evaluating them. While we were there, we discovered that there was a Filipino restaurant right in Dublin!

The Emerald Isle, also known as Ireland, is known for its world famous Guinness beer, the innumerable pubs, and of course, the clouded skies that often sprinkle rain almost every other day. I was lucky to see any rays of sun for the first couple days, but it would not be the same without the rain. I did not think for one moment think that I would be dining at a Filipino restaurant in Ireland. I was a little hesitant going on this trip because I would be, as I usually have been, the only Filipina or person of color. I was also concerned that because I don’t drink, I would find it difficult spending as much time as the Irish do in pubs, though later, I found a substitute for Shirley Temples known as “Club Orange” (orange soda) to satisfy me. I soon discovered that there were Asians working as waitresses in pubs, and I even spotted a few Filipinos while I was shopping.


	Behind the scenes at Bahay Kubo

I now have a new affinity for pubs, because unlike bars in the U.S., the bars in Ireland are considered a meeting place to congregate rather than a place to get trashed and to get hit on. The atmosphere was welcoming, there were no televisions to distract people, and I even had the opportunity to see my boyfriend and his friends carrying on and singing Irish songs.

David and I decided to bring his parents out to the Filipino restaurant because they had never eaten at such a place, never mind had any knowledge that there was one in Dublin. We looked in the yellow pages under “Asian restaurants,” and the first listing we came across was Bahay Kubo. I would not have thought for a minute that there would be such a restaurant, but as I talked to his father who told me that in the last few years as many as 4,000 Filipino overseas contract workers have slowly been migrating to Dublin, working in the local hospitals, as well as pubs and other eating establishments.

This was the first time his parents had tried Filipino food and luckily the restaurant had lived up to their expectations. I ordered the fried lumpia as an appetizer, and of course my own personal favorite, chicken adobo, which was somewhat different. I later found out that the chef was from the Mindanao region; so many of the dishes had some different variations. I had a brief moment to exchange some words with Genero Paredes, the owner and chef of the restaurant, as well as his wife Cathy who is originally from Dublin. They had been considering opening a Filipino restaurant for years. Mr. Paredes worked as a cook in a Thai restaurant for the last few years. On December 29, 2001 they finally made their dreams come true, and Bahay Kubo was introduced to the people of Dublin. Since then the restaurant has had 11 newspaper reviews all of which have been very enthusiastic. They were also featured on the internet: http://www.adlib.ie/detailnew.asp?ID=1763, and for the most part have been booked throughout the weekend. Mrs. Paredes also said that there have been a fair number of Filipinos and Irish who visit and the clientele has been growing.

Incidentally, the remainder of my time in Ireland was splendid. I discovered that the Irish are very amiable and good-natured very much like Filipinos. It was a bit strange to eat at Filipino food in Ireland, but then again I felt some comfort seeing other Filipinos in a foreign country. I know that if I am ever in Ireland again that I can always visit Bahay Kubo and get a taste of some good home cooking from the motherland.


	Lory & Friends with Bahay Kubo owner Genero Paredes

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