Europeans thrive in the diversity of their culture and thus have so much more to offer among themselves and to the world in the fields of music and the arts, poetry and literature, theater and cinema, fashion and textile design, dance, cuisine, painting, film, photography, languages, name it.

This summer, "Viva Europa" — the European Union's exciting, rich, distinctive and dynamic cultural showcase — went the rounds of Metro Manila venues opening last Saturday, April 21, with day-long festivities at the Instituto Cervantes, Spain's cultural arm, highlighted by the popular "Bersong EuroPinoy " (Filipino-European Poetry Recital).

Organizers noted that this year's recital paid homage to Philippine poet Sid Hildawa who died in 2008 and Wizlawa Szyumborska of Poland, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1996, who died in February this year.

Viva Europa opened around the week of the universally-accepted death day, April 23, 1616, of two of Europe's and the world's greatest literary writers of all time: Miguel de Cervantes (Don Quixote de la Mancha)and William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) of Spain and England respectively, both EU member-States.

With this coincidence, and the much later death on the same date in 1850 of the American Henry Wordsworth Longfellow (The Arrow and the Song), the UNESCO was prompted to declare April 23 as "World Book and Copyright Day."

The EU poets whose creative works were recited by their respective diplomats were Maurice Careme of Belgium (The Cat and the Sun), Karel Hynek Macha of Czech Republic (May), Heinrich Heine of Germany (Belsazar), Antonio Machado of Spain (Self-Portrait), Primo Levi of Italy (If this is a Man), Mario Azzopardi of Malta (The God of Petards), and Hans Andreus of the Netherlands (Anders/Voor de dag).

Honored poets from the Philippines were Hildawa (Sick Leave), and those who read their own works: Alice Sun-Cua (Measured Space), John Iremil Teodoro (Sa Isang Harding Restawran sa Lungsod Baguio), Carlomar Arcangel (Nang Makita ko ang Iyong Libingan sa Malaka), and Mookie Katigbak Lacuesta (Naming Stars). Philippine participation in the recital aims at showcasing not only Tagalog poems but also those in the vernacular, including Ilokano and Cebuano.

Logically, the festivities at the Instituto Cervantes was on the theme, "Dia el Libro," when hundreds of literary works of selected Spanish-language writers - Cervantes himself, Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Francisco de Quevedo, Tirso de Molina, even the Spanish version of the UK-based Booker Prize finalist, Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop" - were giveaways to winners in the day's various competitions like speed-drawing, spot photography, chain of poetry-reading and to the first-300 early arrivals.

In the "Book Day" celebrations unique to Spain, the early arrivals received long-stemmed fresh red roses. It symbolizes literary sophistication.

Roses were also given for every purchase of books, whether Spanish-language or not, from the various bookstores and individuals that participated at the Institute's book sale—such as National Museum (P900 for reprints of Jose Rizal's final manuscripts of the "Noli" ands "Fili"), National Bookstore and Powerbooks, Goodwill, Ortigas Foundation, Anvil Publishing, La Solidaridad, and Benito Legarda.

In a demonstration of the Filipino's fascination with multilingualism, a rendition called "Chain of Poetry" allowed guests to recite poems of their choice that were delivered not only in English, Spanish and Filipino, but also in French, Japanese, and German.

One that stood out was the pairing of Ateneo de Manila University professor of philosophy John Carlo Uy and his student Nicole Villamor, who recited respectively the Chilean Pablo Neruda's "Muere Lentamente" in the original Spanish and then French.

Last year, the recital of European poetry by European diplomats and known Filipino writers was acknowledged by the National Commission on the Filipino Language for having put Filipino poetry parallel with the European poems and received the "Gawad Jaime C. De Veyra – Natatanging Parangal."

The citation also appreciated Berso's "continued support and contribution to the awareness and growth of the Filipino language and literature, culture, and the arts."*PNA

For an archipelagic country like ours which has over 7,000 islands, there are just a handful of national dishes found in the Philippines' common menu. These include adobo, lumpia, sinigang, bistek and lechon among others. In most cases, however, these are the same dishes which are being served to our guests on fiestas particularly during the months of April and May.

Paella, surely one of the most beloved of all Spanish dishes, is one of these fiesta fares. I get to eat this lovely dish since I was a kid. Eventually, I have come to realize that paellas are as varied as the cooks who make them. Of course, there are constants included in any interpretation of the paella: good broth, short grain rice, Spanish smoked paprika, and a paella pan - although a 13-inch skillet will work, too. Saffron, though traditional is not a crucial part of any paella.

Seafood paella (paella de marisco) is one of the three widely- known types of paella. The two others are paella valenciana and mixed paella (or paella mixta). Seafood paella, unlike the other versions replaces meat and snails with seafood like monkfish, squid, mussels. Tilapia and Sherry wine are perfect substitutes for Monkfish and white wine, respectively, and your paella remains as great.

Seafood paella is a great recipe for any gathering. It does not require long cooking and would be a great main course for any fiesta or for one of those special dinner parties with family and friends on these hot summer nights.

Vamos a comer.

Seafood Paella

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup regular-milled rice
• 1 cup glutinous "pilit" rice
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 1 medium white onions, chopped
• 1 piece red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 piece green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 200g pork, diced
• 2 pieces chicken breast, diced
• ¼ kilo mussels
• 2 pieces alimasag
• 250g shrimps
• ¼ kilo squid
• 200g crabmeat
• ¼ cup green peas
• 3 cups broth (mixture of shrimps, chicken, alimasag)
• ¼ cup white wine
• 2t saffron thread
• 4T olive oil
• Salt, pepper, MSG as needed
• 2 pieces hard boiled eggs
• Parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. In a casserole, cook pork, chicken, alimasag, mussels and shrimps in a scant of water. Separate chicken, pork, shrimps, mussles and alimasag from its broth. Reserve broth.
2. Using olive oil, brown chicken and pork. Add red bell peppers, garlic, onions, squid, crabmeat and green peas. Splash with white wine and cook further.
3. Add the regular-milled and glutinous rice and mix thoroughly. Pour tomato sauce and blend.
4. For easier cooking, transfer the mixture into a rice cooker. Pour enough broth mixture to cook the rice. Add saffron threads. Season with salt, pepper, and MSG.
5. Once rice is cooked, transfer into a paellera or wok. Cover half of the mixture with aluminium foil and cook further to form a crust at the bottom. Mix chicken, shrimps, squid, crabmeat, mussels and alimasag into the mixture. Make sure to leave some for garnish.
6. Just before serving, garnish with sliced hard-boiled eggs and some parsley. Enjoy!*

SIDEBAR

Cooking 101

Fil of Lapaz asks: "I recently watched a culinary show on TV and heard a chef say "Cok it flambé." What is a flambé?"

Vic answers: "Flambé means serving food flaming. This is usually done in posh hotels and restaurants. An experienced chef will ignite your dish right before your eyes while ready for serving. Liquor like brandy or rum is added to the dish and ignited immediately to produce a flambé.

If you have questions, please send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . See ya!*