I read an intriguing description of pansit luglug in the Oxford Companion to Food today, part of the short article “Noodles of the Phillipines”:
This [noodles in a shrimp-based sauce] may then be garnished with flaked smoked fish, crumbled pork crackling, sliced kamias, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and calamansi halves, then garnished with fish sauce.
And it made me wonder — why have I never been to a Filipino restaurant? According to the 2000 Census the U.S. Asian population is 19.9% Filipino — there are more Filipinos in the U.S. then there are Koreans, or Japanese, or Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis put together. So why I have I never even heard of a place where I can get pansit luglug?
Obviously, Filipino restaurants exist — Google turns up a handful in Chicago, and there are plenty in LA. But I want a superficially convincing sociological explanation for their rarity. Readers?
There’s one place in Berkeley — http://www.yelp.com/biz/jayakarta-berkeley . There was another at the edge of the UC Berkeley campus, but it seems to have closed. Why so few? Beats me!
There’s a Thai/Filipino place in Pittsburgh with two locations. http://www.mysweetbasil.com/.
My favorite is in Aurora, CO called Manila Express. They can be found at http://www.manila-express.net
If you notice this reply, you might be interested at my stab at answering the question here http://clubtroppo.com.au/2011/01/12/why-are-there-so-few-filipino-restaurants/ in the Australian context (the main difference with the US is the fact the US was a colonial power and that might change the migration stream).
[...] ago I wondered where all the Filipino restaurants were. Now there’s one in Madison! Mabuhay, at 1272 South Park in the same strip mall with the [...]