Year of the Monkey: President Obama Sends Best Wishes for the Lunar New Year

Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year across America and around the world. This is a time filled with family, get-togethers, and anticipation for the New Year – a tradition I remember fondly from growing up in Hawaii.

It’s a time that also gives us the opportunity to honor the many contributions of the Americans who celebrate this holiday. Whether they’ve been here for generations or they’re newly arrived, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have helped build our country and make us a beacon to the world.

Their stories are woven into our larger story – the patchwork quilt that is America – and they remind us that our strength comes from giving everyone a chance to contribute and welcoming each other into our communities. That’s why Congress needs to reform our broken immigration system.

In the meantime, we’ll do what we can to make the system work better for families, workers, students, and entrepreneurs. And we’ll keep fighting to give everyone a fair shot in the year ahead.

The Year of the Monkey emphasizes shared values like leadership, innovation, and progress. It’s an opportunity to cherish the rich heritage that connects children with their past, and the traditions they’ll carry into the future. So to everyone celebrating, from my family to yours, I wish you happiness, prosperity, and good health and fortune during the New Year!

BARACK OBAMA President of the United States

 

THANK YOU FROM GRACE VILLAMORA

Oh, wow! Via Times’ reach is impressive.

Thank you for the ink. I hope more Via Times readers SUBSCRIPTION would personally experience dining at Bad Saint in Washington, DC. Uber sarap.

Here’s a third review from Zagat dated January 28, 2016. And, Number 7 of the very best 100 restaurants in 2016 in D. C. GRACE

Yes, another DC restaurant where you have to show up, put your name on a list, and wait. And what do you wait for? Not a table, most likely. (Most of the 24 seats are stools.) Here’s why it’s worth the hassle: because this nouveau Filipino kitchen is cranking out some of the most exhilarating, interesting dishes in all of Washington.

You can smell the garlic and vinegar hitting the wok from down the block. If your experience of Filipino food is limited to tastes of sisig and adobo, you’re in for an awakening. But even if you’re well acquainted with the cuisine, you may be in for one, too.

Witness chef Tom Cunanan’s shrimp-and-sweet-potato fritter, teased into an unruly mass that calls to mind Questlove’s spiky fro—the crunch is glorious. Likewise, he transforms a workmanlike breakfast of meat, egg, and garlicky rice into a composed dinner plate of unexpected intricacy and balance. Note to our fellow over-35s: You might not fit in among all the cool kids here, but co-owner Genevieve Villamora and her staff will see to it that you’re made to feel like family.

Don’t miss: Fried dorade; pork-belly lettuce cups; clams with Chinese sausage; grilled tuna jaw; seared tuna; grilled chicken adobo; bilo bilo, a rice porridge. See what other restaurants made our 100 Very Best Restaurants list. This article appears in our February 2016 issue of Washingtonian.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Ms. Grace Villamora, mother of co-owner of Bad Saints resto, Bibi Villamora, is a Chicago resident, who updates us with the sweeping success, progress, and honor that this Pinoy resto has been reaping in DC.