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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

FOOD TRIPPING IN BAGUIO

Yesterday during rehearsals, Beth Calinawagan who chairs the UP Baguio Committee on Culture and the Arts brought suman from her hometown La Union. The suman was (of course) wrapped in banana leaves and shaped into triangles. We dipped these in brown sugar while waiting for the rest of the cast to arrive. Some of us had coffee with the merienda even. I was hoping we had tsokolate eh too. The suman was perfectly sticky and had a tinge of anise flavour to it.

This morning while walking along Session Road, I saw two women sitting by the sidewalk with baskets full of other native rice cakes. Puto, kutsinta, palitao, patupat... but hanging on the handles of their baskets were plastic bags of halabos na hipon. I asked where the shrimps were from and the woman said from fishponds in Pozorubio. For fifty pesos per bag I decided to buy two -- one each for my mom and me (I take my lunches with Mama in her office in Laperal). I also buy puto which I decided to eat with the shrimps. I was glad that on the third floor of the building is a small counter that serves lunch. I order rice and ask for vinegar. The shrimps were perfect dipped in the sukang iloko with chillies... not to mention using your hands to eat. I felt I was by the beach!

On my way to the internet shop I decide to buy siopao for my merienda during rehearsals this afternoon. Aaaah... the simple pleasures of Baguio food. Food I grew up with and didn't know how much I missed until now.

At UP Baguio I will ask Manang Mani to peel me some santol and prepare me a dipping sauce of vinegar, chillies and salt... I love rehearsals!!!

5 comments:

  1. Your lunch with sukang iloko sounds wonderful. My favorite lunch in Baguio was siopao.

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  2. Oh boy. This post made me salivate. The mention of santol, which I have not had since I left Baguio a good 30 years ago, left me drooling and a wee bit nostalgic. I can almost smell that sort of sweet / bitter / pungent / hard to describe aroma. At least I've sort of had versions of the puto, kutsinta, palitao, etc. over the years. They were close approximations, but probably like a bagel, unless it's from New York, there's just something different. I just finished eating my lunch, a healthy serving of a falafel sandwich and lentil salad. But now I feel there's something missing. I am now craving some seriously sweet rice cake. This could make for a torturous afternoon.

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  3. @Rory I love falafel! I think I'll go to that Persian Resto along Legarda road for some and also hummus... I hope it's still there!

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  4. Aaaaaaaaaaa! I should never have read this post *inggit*. Naglilihi ka ba?
    But the better question is this: How on earth do you keep your girlish figure, eating like that?

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  5. @Gemma ... I walk everyday, at least 30 min, that way I can eat anything I want and in any amount I wish to.

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