A yeast-raised pastry bread that is soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, pandesal is topped with breadcrumbs and originated in the Philippines.
“It’s sweet, but also savory in some ways,” said Sophia Perez, staff in the San Diego City College Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Connections Center.
“A lot of people have it with coffee, so it’s great to have in the morning.”
Pandesal has a fluffy interior that can be cut open and filled with butter, cheese, jam, and other fillings to give it more variation.
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In celebration of Filipino History Month, the AANHPI Connections Center hosted the Kape at Pandesal event for students to learn about Filipino culture and taste pandesal.
“We thought it would be a great way to connect to students and faculty by sharing some bread and (being) able to talk about culture,” Perez said.
Sammitta Em, an AANHPI Connections Center member, said students should feel included when it comes to all cultures.
“There are students who need a space to remind them of their culture,” Em said. “We celebrate each other, and not only do we do Filipino stuff, but other AAPI stuff as well.”
The AANHPI Connections Center aims to foster connection and create hope for students to be part of a greater community with this event, according to Em.
“I think we are hope,” Em said. “I hope for the center to be a space where students can belong here, can have a place to go, can celebrate culture and expand their network.”
For more information on events celebrating Filipino History Month, see the San Diego City AANHPI Instagram page.
This story was edited by Nadia Lavin and David J. Bohnet. Multimedia journalist Samira Hassan contributed to this report.