I am no food expert, but I know good food if I ever taste one – masang pinoy standard! :)
It just occurred to me that I can pass for somebody in her midlife (already!), so while I can, let me remember (ah, with much gusto and longing) thirty-one of my most favorite foods! Try them all!
1. Avocado shake (or mashed, if a blender’s not available. Be very generous on the milk!)
2. Balut! (The best places will be Dumaguete’s boulevard during sunset & UP’s Sunken Garden). But of course, a balut is a balut wherever you go. Absolutely the best.
3. Bayi bayi on your bus trip anywhere in Negros
4. Bicol express … oooosssst… grabe.
5. Bulalo ni Mang Tony sa Dagupan
6. Calasiao Puto at Chokolate-ah…..
7. Camote bread with pesto --- at Bohol bee farm!
8. Coffee, coffee, more coffee (Batangas, Canlaon, Baguio); special mention ---Davao’s Durian (flavored) coffee – of course, who can forget Café de Bohol? Nothing beats the homemade coffee, though! Roasted rice or peanuts in old fashioned claypots!
9. Colette’s buko pie (free plugging to ha)
10. Dinuguan. Try the kind they cook at a bisperas ng kasal in the North. If you see lots of Kamias, that’s the kind you’ll want to feast on. Try also Bar 21’s chicken dinuguan in Bacolod.
11. Empanada at mami ng Batac, Ilocos Norte (must try! Look for Glory’s.)
12. Ensaladang kamatis, mangga, talong, bagoong! (or ginamos in the South). Miss ko na si manang cart sa Kamia dorm ...
13. Inihaw anything fish! Dagupan bangus, nothing can beat. But coming close is inihaw na tahong at hito.
14. Isaw sa UP Diliman. Try mo malapit sa Kalayaan at Ilang-Ilang dorms.
15. Kinilaw na isda ng Iligan, Cagayan, or Davao (each own has its own special ingredient).
Kilawin! (kambing is the best, but do try other variations of meat and fish)
16. Labong at saluyot. Di ba, di ba, devah???? Anybody dare to disagree?
17. Latik (da best pa rin ang homemade, so maghanap na rin kayo ng Auntie Merly nyo like mine).
18.Mang Jimmy’s (Balara) unlimited rice and a variety of all time fave meat meals (aka pulutan for many).
19. Pancit habhab ng Lucban (?) Quezon.
20. Pancit Molo (huwag mag take two ha! maalat na.)
21. Pinakbet!!!! Walang kokontra.
22. Pinapaitang kambing (I used to eat this only when my Lolo cooks! Thank heavens he was able to transfer the family secret to uncle Bert..). Ilocos has a counterpart --- Sinaglao na baka. Sssssssarap talaga.
23. Sinigang na isda! Try malaga at hipon sa Lingayen.
24. Sisig ng Cebu (Golden Cowrie’s)
25. Steamed lapulapu ng Palawan, aw!
26. Talaba --- anywhere! Kabankalan, Hinigaran, Iloilo, and my all time favorite – Pangasinan!
27. Tocino (Pampanga’s pork, and Cebu’s fish)
28. Tupig ng Bayambang
29. Ube Haleya
30. Batutay (stuffed frog) ng Bulacan
It just occurred to me that I can pass for somebody in her midlife (already!), so while I can, let me remember (ah, with much gusto and longing) thirty-one of my most favorite foods! Try them all!
1. Avocado shake (or mashed, if a blender’s not available. Be very generous on the milk!)
2. Balut! (The best places will be Dumaguete’s boulevard during sunset & UP’s Sunken Garden). But of course, a balut is a balut wherever you go. Absolutely the best.
3. Bayi bayi on your bus trip anywhere in Negros
4. Bicol express … oooosssst… grabe.
5. Bulalo ni Mang Tony sa Dagupan
6. Calasiao Puto at Chokolate-ah…..
7. Camote bread with pesto --- at Bohol bee farm!
8. Coffee, coffee, more coffee (Batangas, Canlaon, Baguio); special mention ---Davao’s Durian (flavored) coffee – of course, who can forget Café de Bohol? Nothing beats the homemade coffee, though! Roasted rice or peanuts in old fashioned claypots!
9. Colette’s buko pie (free plugging to ha)
10. Dinuguan. Try the kind they cook at a bisperas ng kasal in the North. If you see lots of Kamias, that’s the kind you’ll want to feast on. Try also Bar 21’s chicken dinuguan in Bacolod.
11. Empanada at mami ng Batac, Ilocos Norte (must try! Look for Glory’s.)
12. Ensaladang kamatis, mangga, talong, bagoong! (or ginamos in the South). Miss ko na si manang cart sa Kamia dorm ...
13. Inihaw anything fish! Dagupan bangus, nothing can beat. But coming close is inihaw na tahong at hito.
14. Isaw sa UP Diliman. Try mo malapit sa Kalayaan at Ilang-Ilang dorms.
15. Kinilaw na isda ng Iligan, Cagayan, or Davao (each own has its own special ingredient).
Kilawin! (kambing is the best, but do try other variations of meat and fish)
16. Labong at saluyot. Di ba, di ba, devah???? Anybody dare to disagree?
17. Latik (da best pa rin ang homemade, so maghanap na rin kayo ng Auntie Merly nyo like mine).
18.Mang Jimmy’s (Balara) unlimited rice and a variety of all time fave meat meals (aka pulutan for many).
19. Pancit habhab ng Lucban (?) Quezon.
20. Pancit Molo (huwag mag take two ha! maalat na.)
21. Pinakbet!!!! Walang kokontra.
22. Pinapaitang kambing (I used to eat this only when my Lolo cooks! Thank heavens he was able to transfer the family secret to uncle Bert..). Ilocos has a counterpart --- Sinaglao na baka. Sssssssarap talaga.
23. Sinigang na isda! Try malaga at hipon sa Lingayen.
24. Sisig ng Cebu (Golden Cowrie’s)
25. Steamed lapulapu ng Palawan, aw!
26. Talaba --- anywhere! Kabankalan, Hinigaran, Iloilo, and my all time favorite – Pangasinan!
27. Tocino (Pampanga’s pork, and Cebu’s fish)
28. Tupig ng Bayambang
29. Ube Haleya
30. Batutay (stuffed frog) ng Bulacan
31. Strawberry taho! marami sa mga kalye ng Baguio :D
Okay now, I think at this point this list thingy is becoming a torture. I am in an airport and nothing among these stimulating items is within reach. I will just settle for a bottle of water (gulp) but wait ‘til I get home … a bottle of tamarind pickled in Ilocos vinegar. This is definitely life. Kain na :D!
Okay now, I think at this point this list thingy is becoming a torture. I am in an airport and nothing among these stimulating items is within reach. I will just settle for a bottle of water (gulp) but wait ‘til I get home … a bottle of tamarind pickled in Ilocos vinegar. This is definitely life. Kain na :D!
