Is America RUINING Filipino Ube?!

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]How America is ruining ube.

[00:00:02]>> Americans love ube.

[00:00:04]>> Oh, no, no, no. Not that. They don't even know what that is. Americans want that trendy purple sugary stuff. Ube, which was named the flavor of 2024.

[00:00:15]>> You know what's crazy, too, is like they already made of ube flavor in Starbucks.

[00:00:19]I liked it, but it wasn't the same as in the Philippines. It's like it was just genuine ube in the Philippines, but like there in America or in Starbucks, like they're not really grasping the idea.

[00:00:30]It's kind of just that popular flavor that they do with a lot of different things.

[00:00:33]>> But despite its entry into American retailers and its global rise in popularity, agricultural production of ube in the Philippines, where it's actually from, is decreasing by more than 50%. America is a culture vulture.

[00:00:46]They can steal the cultural products of a people and sell it back to them without any care of its origins. So, do Americans really love ube? Or have they simply not tried real ube from Filipinos? Will the world see less ube from the Philippines? And does it really matter for us to see our culture in mainstream America if it doesn't actually celebrate us at its core? I'm Leo and this is oneown where we redefine Filipino.

[00:01:13]>> No mention of the Philippines.

[00:01:15]>> So, how is ube experience in America?

[00:01:18]The reality is that most ube products available in the US are far removed from genuine Filipino ingredients. Yeah. And that's mostly because you can't source freshly harvested ube in North America.

[00:01:30]So the next best thing we have is frozen ube sourced from ethnic groceries, which a lot of Filipino owned businesses do often source and use. But the easier alternative is to use artificial flavoring and coloring from companies like McCormick. Yo, of course, America using artificial flavoring and coloring.

[00:01:51]Who would have guessed? Red 40 and blue 45 set hut playing football in our food, bro. It's crazy what they be putting in food now, man. Especially in America.

[00:02:02]It's insane. So, there's no surprise to this, too. Like, they always use the fake. Even look at matcha. Like, if you go to Japan, the same concept of matcha here, like sugary, disgusting, like too sweet. And people are like, "I'm on my matcha game, brother. You just drank Coca-Cola."

[00:02:21]Like, that's the same thing. You just drank Coca-Cola with grass flavor. But like, you go to Japan, which I've been to Japan as well, you try genuine matcha there, it's I I like it, by the way.

[00:02:32]Some people may not, and I understand why because it is really earthy flavor.

[00:02:36]Not even remotely close to what they be saying is matcha classified here in America. It's crazy what they do. It's just like diabetic versions of everything or just like artificial versions and >> imitate ube flavor but mislead Americans to believe that this is real ube.

[00:02:54]>> The filling is not bad.

[00:02:55]>> Has a hint of a butter popcorn but sweet.

[00:02:58]>> This is where it gets awkward. Those moments when we see ube marketed by Starbucks or Jack in the Box or even chance upon an ube product at a Trader Joe's like ube ice cream or pancake mix.

[00:03:09]Now, we don't live in a perfect world and America doesn't have direct and unlimited access to ube. Artificial or natural flavoring is a common practice in the food industry related to availability of ingredients, shelf life, and cost. And as a business owner, it makes sense that this has to be a choice that one will ultimately make. But if you choose to use ube and market it to a demographic of both Filipinos and non-filipinos, there should be an accountability to learn and share a part of that history. And don't give us the excuse that that's not possible because you wouldn't have chosen ube if you didn't think it would sell. And in America, Asian-Americans have the highest median household income across race and ethnicity with Filipinos ranking top three. But beyond that money, it's important to understand what ube means to us Filipinos. While global interest in ube is soaring, our local farmers aren't reaping the benefits of this increased demand. And just like in America, we're actually seeing that a lot of ube in the market is not actual ube. Even in the Philippines, historically, the Philippines was a major player in rice production with other countries coming to study our techniques. Yet over time, countries like Thailand have overtaken us in rice exports. A similar scenario is unfolding with Kalamani, where Vietnam is now cultivating this Filipino citrus and may soon outpace us in exports. The situation >> it's what I eat with my seig.

[00:04:34]No, >> with ube is equally concerning. In some regions of the Philippines, ube production has decreased by up to 50%.

[00:04:42]This decline is happening precisely when international demand for ube flavored products is at an all-time high.

[00:04:49]Consider the IDA communities, indigenous peoples who have been cultivating ube for generations.

[00:04:54]>> Yeah.

[00:04:54]>> Ube farming is not just their livelihood, it's a crucial part of their cultural practices.

[00:04:59]>> Yeah. It's like their DNA at that point.

[00:05:01]It's something that's like lived through generations similar to other farming like when it comes to like cattle or corn even in America in certain areas.

[00:05:09]Like if you look at Wagu in Japan, it's like a cultural thing where like generation passed down of taking care of a cow so specifically and so like you know you have to be very good at it.

[00:05:21]Similar to Filipinos being able to do it for generations, it's lessening. It's just one of those things that is like it's just not the same when you look at it from a generational perspective. Like it's within their DNA, man.

[00:05:34]>> You know what I mean?

[00:05:34]>> Yeah. These communities see little to no economic benefit from the trend.

[00:05:39]>> Well, let's take a look at the history of America taking from communities of color. Hip hop serves as a prime example. Originating in the Bronx, it was created and nurtured by black and Latino communities as an expression of their experiences and struggles. Yo, even with music too, like it's funny he's bringing this up. Like me being Brazilian, right? If you look at funk as a thing in Brazil, they took it and then they kind of made this this kind of like I'm not saying they really I'm not really angry about it, but it's just one of those things where it's like, yeah, it's dope to hear, but like, you know, they it's the same thing in American culture. They took that funk and they kind of made it into this kind of like hip-hoppy style or like with a bass boost and like they completely take it, mold it into something else. And as cool as it is, it always reminds me of those like, damn, they did this with hip-hop, too. They did this with that. And I'm not saying that they necessarily took it because then we can go down that Eminem route where like Eminem's like, "Bro, I don't give a damn." Because he still added so much to the culture. Like Eminem, he he elevated the rap game, right? Whatever. But it's that kind of concept where it's like, we going to talk about it though. You know what I mean? cuz there is a lot that they did take whether it be from Brazilian culture like myself that Americans have take like taken or Latino and and blacks as well that they took in hip-hop and now ube with this like however as it gained popularity hip-hop culture was commodified for mass consumption and stripped of its original context and meaning America has also done this to Asian ingredients most famously known by matcha matcha represents centuries A Japanese tradition originally reserved for the noble class in Japan, matcha was a delicacy steeped in ritual and meaning. However, as it gained popularity in the west, we've seen major coffee chains and food companies profiting immensely from the trend. All the while, the deep cultural roots and traditional preparation methods were often ignored. While we want ube to make it big in America, it's already at risk with many Americans expecting that anything purple hue they're consuming for the first time Yep.

[00:07:43]>> is the real representation of ube.

[00:07:45]>> Yeah, cuz then people are like, "Yo, ube is gross." And I'm like, "Bro, you just tried like one person, you try something that's like so artificially made that it isn't even classified as ube. You you saying you don't like ube?" It's the same thing with people saying like, "I don't like matcha." It's like, "Well, you just drink Coca-Cola basically again." and it's like a sweet grass like but it's not like that in Japan. Same with ube in America is not like that in the Philippines. It's like try the real thing, see the flavor, add little things to it if you want, but like don't say you don't like it when you didn't even try the real version of it. You know, >> maybe America has only really caught on to ube in the past decade, but it's been thousands of years that this has been ours, and it will continue to fall on us to educate the world on the communities that this comes from and why it matters.

[00:08:32]We have an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure its Filipino roots remain front and center. One of the companies innovating within the Filipino flavor space is Deer Floor, a Filipino owned brand dedicated to amplifying the rich history of Filipino ingredients like ube while creatively introducing them to new audiences.

[00:08:52]Personally, I use the ube boba gummies to help me sleep since I recently got back from the Philippines and I'm adjusting to jet lag. But more importantly, the gummy helped me sleep and wake up without feeling groggy the next morning. To learn more about Deer Floor, visit the website here. And a huge thanks to them for partnering with One Down to dive deeper onto the history of ube. The rising interest in ube should be a win-win situation. Our farmers who have cultivated this crop for generations deserve to benefit from its newly found popularity. Filipino communities, both in the Philippines and abroad, should see their cultural heritage celebrated authentically.

[00:09:31]Corporations capitalizing on the ube trend have a unique chance to collaborate with Filipino communities.

[00:09:37]By working together, we can help grow its production and educate consumers about ube's rich history.

[00:09:44]>> It's a symbol of togetherness, commonly served during birthdays and fiestas, as it has always embodied nostalgia for the Filipino culture. Ube is not supposed to be the end of the conversation when it comes to Filipino culture. It's the gateway to so much more of our cuisine.

[00:10:00]It's not enough to just be known as Filipino. It's an open invitation to everything we as a people want to share and give to the world one flavor at a time.

[00:10:11]>> Wow.

[00:10:12]>> Thanks for watching.

[00:10:13]>> Fire video. Absolutely loved it.

[00:10:15]Fantastic. And everything he said I absolutely agree with for sure. I think it's one of the most beautiful things.

[00:10:20]It's it's just kind of caring about the roots of what you're eating, the roots of what is being made. It's similar to Indian food. Sometimes they break it down in a in a bad way in America, but it's not really like that. And then if you really try genuine Indian food or genuine chai or you know, same thing with Filipino stuff, like when you try genuine like seasig and the way that they go about lech, it's like it adds so much depth and like there's so much culture within why they made it that way with the resources that they were given, the cars that they were dealt in that said country. It elevates the food, man.

[00:10:57]And it really does. It's like that story to every bite that you eat. It's incredible. Loved it. Thank you guys for linking this over. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I love you guys. Till next time.

[00:11:08]>> Peace.

[00:11:10]How good you been living. Wait, how good you been living. I've been living too good for you. I've been living too. Did what I did and I do it again. Every move that I make, I ain't feeling repentant.

[00:11:20]Nobody believes to believe it's a friend. And you question your moves like you really in your huh?