Discovering the Foods in the Visayas

(Talaba, Backribs from Tonino's, Pata, Lechon in Tapaz)

The dictionary might define food as something that is taken to nourish the body but for me it is more than that. I have this love-hate relationship with it. I really love eating and it is really apparent even if I won't verbally declare it. That is where the hatred comes in. I hate the fact that it seems like whatever I eat would directly go to my hips. The thing is that I would rather waddle like a duck than give up all the scrumptious food that I can have.

I love foods and when I eat I can really say that I eat a lot. Eating for me is not just to appease hunger. It is an interesting experience for me. One of the things that I tend to do when I eat something new is to try to guess the ingredients and the process used in preparing the dish. There
have been countless times when I would ask those who prepared the dishes a lot of questions. When I do that I get to discover a lot of things. I get to have a glimpse of their history and culture. I get to learn something about the experiences of those who prepared it. I can truly say that there are a lot of stories behind the food that we eat. That is why wherever I go I try have the local dishes.

I especially like tasting the local delicacies even if it can be a bit strange for me. I may like it or it might turn out to be at odds with my stomach but the important thing is that I got to have a taste of whatever gastronomic offerings the various places I visit have in store. I wasn't really that adventurous with foods before and actually even until now I still have some limits. There are still some dishes that I don't plan on trying out but I can always call on my friends who do not have qualms in doing so.

I used to travel a lot more because of my previous job and wherever I go I would be offered something to eat. That is not really that surprising here in the Philippines because that is part of the famed Filipino hospitality. It's a good thing though that I have a healthy appetite so the risk of offending my hosts by refusing whatever food they prepared for me was quite slim. A common scenario would be my host apologizing that they can only prepare this and that and me alternately reassuring them that it's ok and thanking them for it. At the same time I would be stuffing myself full. Just imagine visiting 2 or more places in a day. It was no wonder that I had a battle with the bulges even during the period when I had a lot of field work.

It was during those visits in the various communities in the Visayas that I got to discover many savory dishes. An example would be when I stayed in a village in the mountains of Tapaz, Capiz just last December. I joined a Christmas workcamp to fix the roof of an elementary school that was blown away by Typhoon Yolanda. The place was a bit far from the town proper. The villagers would usually just ride a single motorcycle or what is known as habal-habal in some other parts of the country. The trip going up would often take 20 - 30 minutes depending on the weather condition.

My companions and I were invited to a pre-Christmas feast in one of the sitios. The dishes weren't really that fancy but it sure was tasty. They roasted their own lechon and it was very succulent and the skin was quite crispy. They informed me that the pig that they roasted never had any commercial feeds. They prepared the lechon the traditional way and it was so good. Another dish that I really loved was the chicken and ubad sang saging (the core of the banana trunk). They made use of free range native chicken (bisaya nga manok) and ubad from the banana that they cut down just that morning. I had several helpings of it because of it because it was so creamy. I even had to ask if they used gata (coconut milk) with it but they just told me that the main ingredients were just those two - chicken and ubad. I would surely go up the mountains just to have another taste of it.

This post will definitely not be the last one that I will have on food. I will also be sharing my food trip in and outside of Visayas. It will include some restaurants and even carinderias where I can find foods that I enjoy. It can be Filipino foods or it can be cuisines from other countries as long as these are tasty. If I can I will also try to share some recipes of local dishes and maybe some stories that go with it. It will be one long food trip while on my journey to re- discover Visayas.