Pinay-American Blog

Adobong "MANAK"

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 @ 11:58 AM

I seen this video lot of times. Its about a white dude who likes to cook adobong manok, so he made a video on how to cook the dish and he posted it in YouTube. It is informative and funny in a way. H speaks tagalog on the video, he even have tagalog words that is deep that even in tagalog dictionary or online cannot be found. I even thinking if he is half Filipino or he have a Pinay girlfriend or wife. As it turns out, Travis Kraft is 100% white… yup, a six-footer, blue-eyed, full-blooded American born in Iowa and raised in North Dakota who was a wrestler in high school, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications and Film from Eastern Michigan University, and is now a model/actor living in Hollywood, California.

More than that, Travis, who has visited the Philippines a couple of times and has done billboard work for Jockey and Rexona, is a lover of many things Pinoy – the food, the culture, the islands, the people, and, yes, for all of you women out there enjoying the single life, the girls.
So how did he get the idea for the You Tube video?

"I was in the Philippines meeting with an executive at GMA-7 when I saw a poster for their program, Mobile Kusina," Travis relates to the Asian Journal. "I told them I could be a guest at the program and they can ask me to cook an American delicacy since I am a trained cook. Nothing came out of it as the executive probably thought I was pulling her leg."

He continues: "Back in Los Angeles, I wanted to brush up on my filmmaking skills and on one Thanksgiving, I thought I’d do a cooking show in Filipino. I didn’t even know what I was going to cook that day. It just came to me. I shot the video myself, edited it in 30 minutes, and put it up on You Tube and a couple of other sites."

By his reckoning, the video has had more than a million views in total, including ones that have been taken down due to copyright infringement.
Still, he’s awed by the way people, particularly Pinoys, have taken to the video.

"I didn’t even tell anybody about the video," he reveals. "Somehow people began finding it and shared it with their friends. I never thought it would get to be this big thing."

Travis says most of the reaction to the video is positive, with some even containing marriage proposals. But he also gets the occasional negative hit where viewers think he’s disrespectful to Filipino culture or that he’s a racist.

"I am neither (racist nor disrespectful)," he proudly states. "I have always been fascinated with Far Eastern cultures since I was young. I went to Asia after graduation, and I stayed in the Philippines the longest. I have a lot of extended family in my adoptive mother’s country. I am genuinely impressed with Filipino culture and I hope I can promote Filipino culture to friends and other people."

And how did he learn to speak Filipino?

"I bought some language book tapes from Borders," he confesses. "I studied Tagalog for about six to seven months. When I was in the Philippines, I would go to places where people spoke the language so I would be forced to do so. I know I don’t have it down yet, and I have a funny accent, but it’s okay."

After the simple You Tube video, Travis’ next project Pinoy project is Salo Salo, a bigger budget DVD that is currently in postproduction and may become available by the end of July.

Travis promises that Salo Salo is funnier and is a unique take on an instructional cooking video. He is co-producing the video with Madley Katarungan, Manuel Santiago and Lance Keefer. His costars include Tim Javines, Christine Calacsan, Romeo Cristal, Yce Tan, Joyce Kao, Miki Hayashi and Aaron Robinson. The DVD is the first project of his company, Pool Boy Films.

"This is the first time that I am making use of my degree," the easygoing actor/model says. "I had worked on a Cheetah Girls video before for Disney, but in this project I wore so many hats. After this gets out, I will go back to making the smaller, You Tube-kind videos. And somewhere down the line, I’d like to shoot a movie and do some TV work."

For now, Travis is firmly planted in Los Angeles as he tries to keep his Hollywood career going. Currently, he is in meetings with a major studio for a movie role. His resume includes the commercial for FX’s Dirt starring Courteney Cox-Arquette, and a shoot with Lindsay Lohan for Harper’s Bazaar where he donned superhero costumes.

He’s also planning to go back to the Philippines (where he is actually known for his print and commercial work), and may visit Samar and Leyte, aside from the usual places he frequents. Travis says he misses the Philippines.

And what does he like the most about the Philippines?

"What I like about the Philippines is the people," he says, "not just the food, the places, and the hospitality. Also, it’s such a beautiful place. I like it that Filipinos are proud of their friendliness. You know, they will give the shirt off their backs… that’s the kind of people Filipinos are." AJ

Labels: YouTube Vidz, Yumm Ohh Foods

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