Resa: Filipino food is very easy to define, but very difficult to pinpoint. The food geographically is kind of located in that perfect area where, during the spice trade, precolonial times, it was a perfect landing spot for Chinese traders, Arab traders, and Malayan traders. There was a lot of cultural interaction and exchange happening. Our food exhibits a lot of influence from all of those cultures. Then you have 500 years of Spanish colonialism and then you have 50-ish years of American colonialism. If you look at the LALO menu, you can see influences from all over the world. On top of that, you have Filipinos living in the diaspora. Filipino American food feels like its own kind of thing. Especially on the East Coast, it's really hard for us to get specifically produce, but also even animal products that are integral to the cuisine.