Victor's Notes
I was in this tiny hole in the wall restaurant somewhere in Vigan, watching the townsfolk go by, listening to Mo, Mojo and Grace Lee via my trusty Nokia cellphone, enjoying the dry breeze that reluctantly fanned around me and about to eat my early morning bagnet, when I heard Mo talking about eating spicy tofu in China.
While the talk show/radio hosts almost retched in their seats reliving their experience eating this delicacy in China, my mouth watered and my eyes teared up. Spicy tofu! Oh my. I love spicy tofu, olive leaves, pickled chinese feet,fish innards, name it and I love it.
To the french I'm called an epicure, or in more mundane terms, I'm just a foodie - a person devoted to the sensuous enjoyment of good food and drink.
I plan my vacations like a German general planning a blitzkrieg and I go where the best food is prepared anywhere in the world. Of course, I'm conscious of my ever slimming recession-hit wallet.Since it's summer here in the Philippines, I take advantage of the weekends where I can hie off to a province of choice in the Philippines and go on a food trip.I'm always amazed at how each province can boast of such a rich array of gastronomical delights.
For instance, wherever I land, my rule of thumb is to walk around in the morning and ask the locals where I could eat a good breakfast. Unfailingly, the local townsfolk point me towards a place where mouth-watering food is prepared. Here in Vigan, I asked for bagnet (deep fried pork), and the pork just melted in my mouth. (By the way, swine flu cannot be transmitted by eating pork, so enjoy!!). I wanted to eat the famous Vigan longganisa which was suffused with garlic, but I stopped myself since in a few hours, I'll be eating warek warek, pipian (an interesting chicken stew cooked in kamias,epizote leaves and ground rice), salapusop, sinanglaw, kappukan, kilawen a kalding. How about eating the poki-poki (a funny eggplant dish with scrambled eggs,onions and tomatoes)?
Two weeks ago, I was in Bicol, and as usual, I almost died and transported myself to foodie heaven. I ate an array of different kinds of creamy to die for dishes-laing (spicy and creamy dish of taro leaves, pork, and chili peppers cooked in coconut milk); bicol express (pork with coconut cream and lots of green finger chilis); kinunot, an unusual dish prepared with pagi or stingray meat and kalunggay or malunggay (but I discourage this because stingray is an endangered species).
I've been to food trips around the world, and I could say that the Philippines could compete too in regional food variety and epicurean delight.
"Some more poki-poki, Sir?" a lissome young lady asked innocently.
"What? Oh sure, sure." My poki-poki dish was empty, and in need of replenishment. My metaphorical dishes are always empty, to be honest. I'm on to my next food trip to fill up my plate of adventure. Now, I've heard of Mindanao's rich cuisine which influenced by the exotic taste bud of the Malays using spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, chillies, lemon grass roasted coconut. Try to say the spices aloud, and even the words uttered sound delicious.
I snap out from my food mind tripping when I heard Mo Twister interview Chef Ming Tsai, the famous chef of Blue Ginger,as special guest of an inter-school culinary competition at the Rockwell Tent on April 28 and 29. Hmmm. . It would be a treat to see this famous chef create a unique dish if he had a cookfest demonstration open to the public. Hope to see you there.
Goodtimes!!
(Picture of the crispy pork belly courtesy of kai hendry via flickr)
