Legend of Fuyao premiered in China in June and generated nearly 14 billion clicks in less than two months, making the online fantasy series a summer blockbuster hit.

Strict copyright enforcement and protection can reduce piracy, encourage writers and boost the online literature industry

Frankincense is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to alleviate pain and reduce swelling. But the aromatic resin’s inclusion in TCM’s materia medica does not only affirm its capacity to activate the vital life force known as qi.

Nation’s need for everything from green technologies to household appliances shapes the sector’s direction.

Change in consumer preference sees fall in China’s consumption of the precious metal. For the new generation of Chinese jewelry consumers, all that glitters is not necessarily gold.

Amid rising affluence, China and Southeast Asia are strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture via M&As, land concessions and food security.

Puerto Princesa City—I went all the way to Palawan just to renew my passport. Anyone who had a hard time getting a passport here in Manila would probably understand why I had to resort to this. The extra expense and the inconvenience annoyed me. That was my initial reaction. But I refused to let this inconvenience control my mood. So, instead of whining about this “injustice,” I reframed my mindset, and transformed this “enforced” vacation into an opportunity to visit Bahay Kalipay.

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Since March is Women’s Month, I thought it would be fitting to feature Filipinas who are promoting sustainable farming and dining.  For this week, I interviewed Sarah Queblatin, founder of Green Releaf Initiative, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that uses holistic systems like permaculture and ecovillage design to help local communities that are in transition.

I spent one weekend observing (aspiring and existing) farmers testing a soil’s suitability for planting cacao trees. Observing farmers using test tubes, litmus paper, sample soil and a soil-testing kit from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management reminded me of my high-school chemistry class and the fact that there’s a lot more involved in food production than picking up that bag of organic lettuce in the weekend market.

In December 2017, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) issued a directive allowing the commercial sale of food derived from genetically modified (GM) rice line known as GR2E. FSANZ said food derived from GR2E is considered to be safe for human consumption. It also requires manufacturers to label their products as “genetically modified,” in line with Australia and New Zealand’s guidelines on food labeling and to give consumers an informed choice.

Call me dilawan, but I still believe in celebrating the 1986 Edsa Revolution if only because it shows how Filipinos have the capacity to demand for change and oust a despotic leader. I have other reasons, too, but that is more suitable for another (and more political) column. What I want to focus on is the need for another revolution—a food revolution that can change our eating habits and how we view individual diet, health and the environme

I first learned about Peranakan cuisine while living in Singapore more than a decade ago, and where I had my first taste of mee siam. It reminded me of palabok as it has vermicelli noodles soaked in a shrimp-based gravy, topped with tofu and shrimp. But mee siam was a bit sweet, spicy and soupy. Later, when I visited Penang for a personal food trip, I managed to have for a tour guide a true-blue Peranakan who introduced me to other Peranakan delights as assam laksa.

My answer is “yes.” This, even if I’m happily (and guiltlessly) snacking on Greek yogurt and cheese and pepperoni pizza while writing this column. But I will qualify that answer by saying that one doesn’t have to be vegan/vegetarian to enjoy a more environment-friendly diet.  What we can do instead is to eat more vegetables—preferably seasonal, local and organic vegetables—and reduce meat and dairy consumption.

Back when I was busy pounding the agri-commodities beat, one of the things that I obsessively monitored was the National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice inventory. This is not a “sexy” topic for any business reporter. Why bother with rice stocks, when it’s more exciting to cover, say, a corporate takeover that can shock and awe the stock market?

Food is memory. That’s why we consider as our comfort food is usually the food that we ate when we were growing up. We wanted to savor again the happiness and contentment that we felt while eating this comfort food with our family and old friends.  Researchers said we are also biologically wired to have a sense of food nostalgia as flavor and aroma are processed by our olfactory bulb, which is linked to the hippocampus and amygdala—the part of the brain associated with memory and experiences.

DEALING with controversies can be stressful and migraine inducing. Still, I welcome heated discussions over certain topics if only because it will give light and popularize what was once obscure but nonetheless important issues. Take for instance the recent decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke the incorporation papers of online media site Rappler.

“Food is the one central thing about human experience that can open up both our senses and our conscience to our place in the world.”— Alice Waters Instead of writing down resolutions for the new year, I prefer to set intentions of the year and move forward for there. For this year, my intentions will be the same as 2017’s: Trust my intuition and manifest abundance. These intentions will continue to guide my actions this 2018, hence my continued advocacy for sustainable farming and dining.

Food is political. What we choose to eat reflects our world view—how we view our bodies (“Nakakataba kaya ito?”), what we think is right or wrong (i.e., kosher and halal food), who we want to share it with, what values we treasure, how we were brought up. I also view food choices as a conscious decision to support a particular farming system.

It might not be a highly publicized event but Manila hosted last week an important international conference that will have a huge impact on that grilled tuna you will be eating for this year’s Christmas party—the annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

Canned tuna is my definition of fast food—cheap, no fuss, delicious and hearty. I always have several canned tuna in my pantry as I usually open a can when I’m either too tired to cook anything more elaborate or too broke to go to a nearby restaurant. With a bit of oil and onions, I can sauté a can of tuna and give myself a tuna-mustard sandwich spread, a more filling salad of tuna and greens or plain ulam for leftover rice.