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Pinoy envoy to win over residents with its cuisine

Abu Dhabi - When the community celebrates its Independence Day in June, a Filipino food conference will be held to give residents a taste of different dishes.

Culinary diplomacy is on the Philippines embassy's menu as food is set to play a crucial role in promoting Filipino identity in the UAE and boosting bilateral relations. The embassy has major events planned throughout the year to promote its culture in the country, a top envoy said.
As a start, the embassy is trying to win people's hearts and minds through good food.
When the community celebrates its Independence Day in June, a Filipino food conference will be held to give residents a taste of different dishes. 
"We will now be active in promoting our culture. This will be our first attempt to do it in a big way. The food conference in June will be a 'things-of-the-Philippines' kind of festival where, for a month, we will work with restaurants and establishments dealing with food," Ambassador of the Philippines to the UAE Hjayceelyn Quintana said.
She noted that the 'Year of Tolerance' is the perfect opportunity for the Filipino community to get involved. "I have encouraged our groups to come up with cultural events and promote our identity, inclusiveness and acceptance of our culture. We are filling up the entire calendar with events. We are also gearing up for Dubai Expo 2020 and I am reaching out to Filipinos and preparing them for works."
Rice to shape relations
As the UAE plans its diversification of food security options, in the last week of March, Minister of State for Food Security Mariam bint Al Mehairi visited the Philippines and toured its International Rice Research Institute in Laguna.
"Rice is one of the main food items in the UAE's food basket and we continue our search of finding different rice sources, as well as technologies to grow rice for food security," Mariam had tweeted, noting that the Philippines is one of the top 10 largest producers of rice in the world.
During her visit to the research institute, she tweeted: "Lots of tests are being done on thousands of rice seed varieties and all are being exposed to vigorous field and lab tests to be able to find the most climate-resilient, high-yielding varieties for the rice farmers."
And Quintana said both the countries are exploring ways of cooperation in food security. "I was there assisting the minister in the Philippines. The minister is trying to study our rice production technology. She was able to conduct an in-depth study of our agricultural technology."
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com