Ravenous’s one-year anniversary subscriber drive officially ended midnight on Tuesday. And as your numbers gal, I’m happy to share that we gained 275 new paid subscribers during our Feed the Bird campaign! To our new friends: Welcome to the conspiracy — we’re so glad you’re here. We’re thrilled to report that the additional revenue will allow us to soon open Ravenous to freelance pitches. More on that in the coming weeks as we clean up some final details.
Thank you to everyone who sent in testimonials, participated in our giveaways (y'all are a hoot — these responses were chaotic), and spread the word about the work we’re doing at Ravenous. We could not have done this without you. So please celebrate by taking yourself out to dinner, drinks, or getting a sweet treat (please not Crumbl).
As for myself, I’ll be celebrating by heading to the theater to watch the new Forgotten Island animated flick which follows two best friends, Jo and Raissa, as they find themselves trapped on a magical island, fighting mystical creatures from Filipino folklore. My cousin recently sent me a video clip, featuring a very familiar Filipino party scene where Jo piles her plate with pancit, barbecue, lumpia, and lechon kawali. At the gathering, friends, cousins, titos, titas, lolos, lolas, and neighbors hold plates of food, catch up on local gossip, and parents raving about their child’s successes. Of course, this is happening while a karaoke singer belts out a love ballad in the background.
“Did they take this scene straight from my own college graduation party?” I thought. I’ve seen this scene many times before throughout my life, but this was the first time I’ve seen it depicted by a major animated studio and soon-to-be on the big screen. Growing up in New Jersey in the ‘90s and early 2000s, I had never seen a Filipino main character. And here I am at the age of 33, watching this magical video clip and reliving all those childhood memories of gathering with my huge Filipino family for every birthday, anniversary, and holiday. The bedlam, karaoke, and food from the video clip brought up all those wonderful emotions of belonging.
Karaoke while going out to dinner is fairly common at Filipino joints. My family would frequently celebrate at Bamboo Grill in Bergenfield, New Jersey with over 20 family members. A great thing about many Filipino restaurants is that they seat very large groups. While we shovel food into our mouths we pass a microphone around for some background love song belting. We sing the words on the large projected screen within perfect view of every guest in the restaurant. Recently, Lasang Pinoy in Rogers, Arkansas, a Filipino restaurant that offers a karaoke experience, made this year’s New York Times 2026 Restaurant List. It’s exciting to see more and more Filipino restaurants getting recognized on a national level.
The Forgotten Island clip opens with a scene of a whole roasted lechon centerpiece sitting under a framed image of Jesus Christ. (Sidenote: At my parent’s house, we didn’t have a photo of Jesus in our dining room. What we did have was a statue of baby Jesus. This confused my non-Catholic husband who thought for years that it was a random Eastern European baby joining us for meals). A whole lechon is the ultimate sign of a good party. It’s the pièce de résistance. It’s brought out on very special occasions and meant to be shared with a crowd. The elders would fight over the ears, which they argued was the best part of the hog. For me, the pork belly, a perfect balance of meaty, fatty, and crispy, was the most delectable slice. Jo made a good call by topping her plate with all those delicious lechon kawali nuggets.
It’s so nice to feel seen in a major animated movie. I’m a mom of biracial kids, and while my 3-year-old twins don’t have the attention span for a two-hour long movie, it’ll be nice to share this with them when they’re old enough. I can’t wait for the conversations I’ll have with them, talking through Filipino mythology, culture, and food. It feels like Forgotten Island is coming at the right time when the world feels uncertain because of the dangers of AI (the creators even included an anti-AI message in the film’s end credits). This is when the power of art to draw from human experiences and moments makes me feel hopeful of humanity.
New on Ravenous This Week
Jaya Saxena
Jaya Saxena
Courtney E. Smith
🐦⬛ Bird Droppings
- Speaking of uncertainty, the rising cost of food prices has forced top Texas smokehouse Butter’s BBQ to cut brisket from its menu. The owner had no choice with the price of brisket eating up over 70% of their grocery bill.
- Is the martini mom the new wine mom? We’re being inundated with martini necklaces, hair clips, and sweatshirts. Halp! 🍸
- Friend of Ravenous, Paolo Bicchieri, wrote about how restaurants are investing in high-quality sound systems. As a diner, I appreciate a curated playlist and quality acoustics.
- BTW, when Courtney isn’t writing about food, she’s producing her podcast 2004: The Year Indie Rock Broke, which released its first episode this week. If you’re a millennial like myself, you’ll love hearing the history of one of the best eras of modern music. Give it a listen.
- Another Friend of Ravenous, Luke Fortney, dives into the seedy world of trinket theft where phalluses, cups, and decorations are stolen from restaurants. This New York Times piece also features a kicker that might be worth the subscription.
