19 Mar, 2009
Confusement. An amusing “word” that one of my daughter’s classmates used around about the second grade. It made me smile at the time. “Befuddled” would be my choice at the moment. How the producers of World Cafe Asia (WCA) can spend a substantial sum mobilizing and shooting an episode here…
19 Mar, 2009
Our hosts were eager to let me taste a “Bacolod” lechon. From what I understand, there are several versions of lechons in Bacolod, with lechoneros having their own preferred choice or mix of ingredients. The last time our host had a local lechon made, she was surprised by the use of mango leaves,…
19 Mar, 2009
I finally managed to visit the land of batuan, that legendary souring agent Ilonggos use in soups, stews, etc. I had only come across batuan in a bottled form before, but have heard so many good things about it. A relative of mangosteen, it has a definite sour note, but it has…
18 Mar, 2009
Cartuja is a island on a river near Seville. There is a monastery there. Or cartuja can refer to a monastery. So I am not sure where this soup got its name… that it is common in cartuja, or that folks in monasteries can easily whip it up with ingredients they…
18 Mar, 2009
I’ve been checking out local markets for a few years now, and I still occasionally come across something I have absolutely never seen before (particularly in provincial markets). On this recent trip to Bacolod, ugpan was the unusual discovery. I have never seen it before, and now just googling it, one of…
17 Mar, 2009
Ferns, epiphytes, agricultural parasites? Sorry, I am not a plant person, so I don’t technically know what these beautiful green things surrounding the trunks of some century old acacia trees are. But they were stunning. They didn’t seem to thrive on all trees, but when they took a liking to a…
17 Mar, 2009
Our first meal in Bacolod, the night before, featured some wonderfully flavorful lumpiang ubod. They were unusual for me in that the filling was rather dark, and they had a seriously garlicky punch but a very smooth and modulated filling. They weren’t shrimpy or fishy at all as lumpia ubod can be…
16 Mar, 2009
What else do you do between cooking lessons from two manang’s that rule their kitchens but eat even more snacks? OMG, I kid you not. First up, some wonderfully made fried coconut called kumbo. Wickedly heavy, I only had a few bites of this delicacy…