Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot of the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait checks out the Filipino-made and -produced food products during the opening of the 2019 ASEAN Food Festival at Lulu Hypermarket Al Rai in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait on 17 July 2019. The ASEAN Food Festival, which features fresh and processed food products from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, will run in all Lulu Hypermarket branches in Kuwait until 27 July 2019. (Kuwait PE photos)

20 July 2019 – Fresh and processed food products from the Philippines take center stage as Lulu Hypermarket, the largest surpermarket chain in the Middle East, hosts the ASEAN Food Festival at its Al Rai Branch in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait.

Philippine Embassy in Kuwait Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot attended the opening of the ASEAN Food Festival on 17 July 2019, which also featured a Southeast Asian dance and music show by a group of Filipino performers and artists.

“With a huge Filipino community here in Kuwait, Philippine products have become a staple of Kuwaiti stores and supermarkets. I am grateful to Lulu Hypermarket for prominently showcasing food products from the Philippines at the ASEAN Food Festival, which says a lot about our nation’s strong presence in Kuwait,” Charge d’Affaires Lomondot said.

Fresh Philippine produce such as calamansi, saba banana, and guyabano make up the festival’s fresh produce section. Popular Filipino brands of soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce (patis), as well as well-loved Philippine snacks such as cornick (corn nuts) and crackers, were also featured in the food festival.

Lulu Hypermarket also set up food sampling counters where guests got a taste of Southeast Asian fare. Filipino delicacies such as pancit bihon (stir-fried rice noodles), chicken embutido (chicken meatloaf), and biko (sweet rice cake) were served during the event, to the delight of the ASEAN ambassadors in attendance as well as Filipino shoppers and well-wishers.

A cultural show featuring the music and dances of Southeast Asia followed the launch of the ASEAN Food Festival. The Filipino community’s One Group Dancers wowed the ASEAN ambassadors with their interpretation of Aeta, Javanese, Laotian, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese dances, while the Filipino singing trio Infinity Singers made the Filipinos in the audience sing with their renditions of “Pinoy Ako” and “Shine Pilipinas.”

The ASEAN Food Festival will run in all Lulu Hypermarket outlets in Kuwait until 27 July 2019.

Lulu Hypermarket is one of the supermarket chains in Kuwait that import and sell food and other household products from the Philippines, catering to the 220,000-strong Filipino community in the Gulf state. END

Filipino singing trio Infinity Singers make the Filipinos in the audience sing with their renditions of “Pinoy Ako” and “Shine Pilipinas” during the launch of the 2019 ASEAN Food Festival at Lulu Hypermarket Al Rai in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait on 17 July 2019. (Kuwait PE photo)