Now living in Manila, I get so homesick that I find myself craving for these. From my last trip home, I brought back Kadios and Batuan and tried to cultivate them. I was able to successfully grow Kadios, the Ilonggo black beans in KBL, which have now become like a pet to me. On the other hand, I found Batuan to be much more difficult to grow from seeds. I tried looking for seedlings at the Manila Seedling Bank but they don’t have any… except for it’s cousin, the mangosteen. If anyone knows where I can find seedlings in Manila, please let me know right away.

Alogbati is so ridiculously easy to grow and yet very nutritious that I wonder why hardly anyone grows them here in Manila. After removing the leaves off it’s stem, just soak one end in water overnight and plant (even in a pot) the next day, with pegs. Soon enough you’ll have a fresh batch.

Lina-ga, or Kansi, is made from the part of the beef they call Kantaw in Iloilo. They said it to be taken from the shoulder area but I’m not too sure about that. The meet is so tender and with bits of delicious-tasting fat (and I’m not very fond of fat). The closest taste to ours that I found here was at a roadside karinderia-type restaurant en-route to Tanay, Rizal. Along Visayas Avenue, there’s also Pat-pat’s… a truly Ilonggo restaurant that specializes on Kansi. However, despite having Ilonggo staff, they were unable to duplicate the real flavor here. I still prefer Emirose’s over theirs, anyway. Plus, they don’t serve beer or Mountain Dew… a mortal sin. Sorry, Pat-pat.

Finally, there’s Freska. Owned and operated by my highschool classmate, Mark Gorriceta, Freska serves real Ilonggo food… including the all-time favorites Lapaz Batchoy and Pancit Molo. For me, I’m just happy he never runs out of KBL. Hey Mark! Basi pwede mo ma-upod ang Lina-ga sa menu mo? ^_~