Bamon's Kitchen

Portland’s Filipino Restaurants Are Fundraising for the Lapu Lapu Car Attack Victims | Eater Portland

"Participating in the May 5 fundraising meryenda to support families of victims of the Lapu Lapu attack and contributing Filipino dishes to a shared menu that includes items such as pandesal, calamansi cream puffs, empanadas and longanisa. Co-owner Geri Leung explains the choice of the event’s format and name: the word meryenda is “a nostalgic piece of our culture that we think resonates personally with a lot of Filipinos everywhere,” and “The heart of it is sharing a meal with friends and family and catching up.” Leung also says, “Our personal motivation is to help in the best way we know how, which is to dedicate our time and resources to provide food. We think it’s our natural response when we see our community hurting,” and recalls a personal connection to Vancouver: “Vancouver was a place we’d frequent often as they had more Filipino stores and restaurants than our college town. We have a personal tie to the city and have friends there.”" - Harry Cheadle