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If you haven’t heard of Eggslut, do a quick Google search and I’m sure you’d want to have that here in the Philippines.

Eggslut started out as a food truck in Los Angeles. They started serving different kinds of egg sandwiches, the “Slut” being the most unique one as it contains a coddled egg on top of a smooth potato puree, topped with gray salt and chives, and served inside a brioche or a baguette. Think Korean egg drop sandwiches but slightly different.

And after food writer Ruth Reichl wrote about how the Slut was an enticing dish, their fame began to skyrocket. Soon, they were one of the hottest food trucks in LA, and would eventually cater to celebrities and open a brick and mortar restaurant. This would also pave the way for their team to achieve other forms of success outside the restaurant itself. 

For its founder, Alvin Cailan, it marked the beginning of an affluent career in the dining scene that included founding other famous restaurants as well as working with some of the country’s top restaurateurs and chefs.

Before Eggslut, Alvin Cailan has had numerous attempts at making it big in the dining scene. He’s had a few successful but short-lived endeavors in the past, but it was this simple yet complex-sounding sandwich that really helped him put his foot in the door of culinary fame. It’s also the product of his mixed identity as not being Filipino enough and not quite American either.

In his book, “Amboy: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream”, he and his co-author Alexandra Cuervo, go through different recipes that played a significant role in Cailan’s journey as a chef.

And through stories of food, they take us through what it was like to grow up surrounded and consumed by a passion for food while battling against the conventional Filipino-American dream for success and white picket fences.

Here are a few takeaways from that book.

Rice is life, but sometimes it’s the sauces and sabaw that make the food

When we imagine Filipino food, there’s always a bowl of rice somewhere in that picture. And while it’s true that rice is a huge part of Filipino cuisine, it took Cailan and Cuervo spelling out the role of sauces and sabaw in our food for me to actually realize that they might just be as important as rice if not more.

What is Kare-kare without the velvety peanut-based sabaw that covers the tripe and veggies? Is Sinigang really sinigang without the broth? Forget about dinuguan if you’re not gonna lather it in dugo.

Sabaw isn’t uniquely Filipino, but the way Cailan and Cuervo wrote about them in such detail makes you appreciate the effort it takes to create something so flavorful. It also speaks about how our culture is based on accommodating other people’s preferences and how allowing our guests to customize the flavors on their bowls is an important part of the dining experience.

Inspiration comes from those around you

I grew up in a family full of good cooks. Even my titos and titas are amazing homecooks, and my cousins take cooking seriously too. So when Cailan spoke about how his family shared a passion for preparing good food, I really connected with that.

Cailan wrote about preparing pancit together with the cousins and his lola. He wrote about the many dishes his father used to cook for them. He also wrote about how his own auntie had a catering business, and working for her really opened his eyes to  all kinds of possibilities.

But it wasn’t just his family that helped inspire him. Some of his friends also dabbled in cooking, and one of his first jobs was also in a retreat house for nuns where he worked with an undocumented Filipino who taught him how to use ketchup for Filipino spaghetti.

All of those rich relationships he connected with food. When you try some of the recipes in the book, know that you’re also sharing a core memory with Cailan.

Dreams only come true when you do something about them

When you read through “Amboy: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream”, you’ll get a taste of how confusing Cailan’s past was. At one point he was a gangster, then later on a contractor. He was a baller, but also a businessman. He made good money, and he threw that away for a dream.

He was obsessed with food, so even though he was making a decent change renovating office spaces, he would spend all of his spare time he could learning more about food. Eventually, he wanted to become more than a homecook and worked hard to be a chef.

And it would take him more wrong turns and a few hits on the chin before he started  creating success for him and his team.

Don’t be afraid to experiment

Fusion cuisine can be an acquired taste sometimes. It’s hard to break away from what you’re used to, and some would even argue that experimentation destroys the Filipino-ness of a dish. But Cailan shows us through his book that experimentation and unimpeded creativity should be welcomed.

After all, there’s no real rule telling you how to enjoy food (unless it’s health related).

Cailan recreates several Filipino dishes and adds a western twist to them. He uses rice vinegar and actual tomatoes for Filipino spaghetti. I was tempted to yell “Blasphemy!” the first time I read about this, but now I’m just filled with curiosity. He also made cheeseburger lumpia, skirt steak for bistek, munggo with shiitake broth, and so much more.

After all, Cailan isn’t just Filipino. He’s American too.

Life is an accumulation of past experiences

There was no singular point in Cailan’s life that led him to be the famous Eggslut creator. Instead, it was an accumulation of experiences from his childhood that helped him become who he is today. 

From exposure to unique Filipino food at a young age, his fascination over dilis, his Auntie Cita turning him into a cook, and even his drunken feasts with his friends over pandesal and whatever filling they can find – all of these became the foundations for success that would come later in life. – Rappler.com