Make Mondays more interesting

with a bite of meryenda

Welcome to meryenda, a newsletter exploring the complexities of Philippine culture and diasporic food ways. 

The content we aim to share in our infancy can be summarized as follows:

1. Perspectives on Filipino food primarily from historical and anthropological approaches

2. Weaving the intersectionality of Filipino cuisine and culture to themes of identity, advocacy, belonging, and home

3. Unexpected explorations and celebrations of Filipino food and/or ingredients

4. Recipes and food ways surrounding the Filipino diaspora

meryenda is currently run by Jessica Hernandez (she/her) and Cassandra Balbas (she/her). Our lens for the time being emerges as two 2nd-generation Filipino-/Americans residing on opposite coasts of the US. With time, we aim to expand and add more diverse perspectives into the conversation. Any gaps we may currently present are our own.

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In the meantime, tell your friends!

We acknowledge that there are many terms to describe the community: Filipinx/a/o and respect however each individual chooses to identify as.

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meryenda is a passion project run by Jessica Hernandez and Cassandra Balbas.

Jess is a 2nd gen Fil-Am multimedia storyteller with an affinity for culinary preservation and cultural advocacy currently writing from Long Beach, CA. 

Cassandra is a 2nd gen Filipino-/American UX edTech designer and illustrator passionate about empowering and celebrating the Fil-/Am voice in the arts. She is based in Brooklyn, NY.  

The newsletter is free but if you have the means or simply enjoy the content, we ask you to consider a monthly subscription (available soon). Your contribution will allow us to sustainably provide this space so we may collectively understand the Philippines and ourselves just a little bit better.