Eating Time in Quezon circa 2006
taken from my Friendster blog...
Lafang time in Quezon
June 16th, 2006
(this article appears in the KAISA newsletter. i wrote this on the pleas of jotan. after i ate…a lot… i had to write about it. bummer. at any rate, i did enjoy this food tour and we’re all dreaming of going to pampanga for a sisig spree. some pictures were taken during this trip. okay, me and a bus load of fil-chinese…)
*********************
Kulinarya Quezon: Not just a Gastronomic Feast
The Sunday of May 28, 2006, proved to be one of the best day adventures I ever had. First, upon the invitation of Jocelyn Tan, I knew of the possibility that I will be the only non-Chinese Filipino among the group of KAISA. Second, I had to wake up early as Jotan said the bus will leave anyone who is not on time at 600am. Third, we were all going to a CULINARY tour of Quezon province and that meant gastronomic delights to someone who’s always excited on anything that has to do with food.
As the bus left KAISA and proceeded to the Magallanes Shell station where we had to pick up two more participants, our tour guide, please insert her name here, talked about what we were about to expect that day, breakfast at Kusina Salud, side trip at Ugu’s pottery garden, lunch at Gala- Rodriguez, walking tour at Sariaya, food demos at Lucban, and the tagayan ritual of lambanog at Tayabas.
Kusina Salud, the home of world renowned Patis Tesoro in San Pablo, was a welcome to us weary and hungry travelers. The garden, mini aviary, antiques, paintings, and water fountains, all merging in a symphony of colors, were very inviting.
Breakfast consisted of organic brown rice, dilis served on a bed of egg-tomato-onion-kesong puti, scrambled eggs with kesong-puti, longganisa, beef tapa (It must have been kalabaw meat. I didn’t dare ask but it was on the breakfast menu and it is part of the traditional breakfast.) Dessert was a warm guinatan halo-halo, with the ube giving its rich purple color.
What caught my palate’s attention was the dilis. Its size was perfect and so was its crunchiness. Its presentation, on top of a salad of yellow, red, light purple and white, magnificently bursts of colors and flavors.
The food demo was the pako salad with a twist. First, it was prepared the traditional way (fish bagoong, calamansi, tomato, onion, pepper). Then, a whole salted egg was grated on it. Then to balance the taste, a dressing was poured over it. The taste was a fusion of saltiness, sourness, sweetness and the pako’s own taste.
The next stop wasn’t on the itinerary but it was the most significant. It was a brief stop at the monument of General Yue Fei. Located along the highway and with in the compound of a city center, the monument pays homage to the Filipino-Chinese contribution to China, similar to how Jose Rizal is the Filipino-Chinese contribution to the Philippines.
Lunch was about to be served at Ugu’s Pottery Garden, not anymore at the Gala-Rodriguez mansion. Although we felt that it was just a few hours after breakfast, we all eagerly anticipated what food will be served amidst the gardens and pottery of Ugu.
Ugu’s Pottery Garden in Tiaong is its well guarded open secret as there are no signs leading to its location. Still, this is a must see place for three reasons: its sprawling garden with cottages where people can rest and eat, the pottery as being there gives a peak into the potter’s works and works in progress and the most important, the food.
Ugu’s food demo is the kulawo. To make this extraordinary dish out of ordinary ingredients, one would need banana heart, boiled and shredded, grated coconut, vinegar, the aromatics of garlic and onion and salt and pepper. This dish tasted like inihaw na liempo! The secret, I think, lies in both the toasting of the coconut in live coals and using vinegar to extract its milk. (If you attempt this, do not forget to remove the coals before squeezing the shredded coconut. Also, if the taste is far from Ugu’s kulawo, then we can assume that it is the potter’s hands that make the difference.)
In first and second waves, lunch was cleaned in a jiffy. There was a clear soup of various meats and squid balls that had a very light flavor, calamares, inihaw na liempo, kulawo, pako, fried and steamed fish. All these were washed down by pure buko juice. Dessert was buko pandan which I had to forego as I was too stuffed with the kulawo.
Then it was off to the town of Sariaya. We were led to the church where the replica of the crucifix of the Sto. Kristo de Burgos was the main relic. Our tour guide said that it was only that replica that survived when the church burned, thus, strengthening the attributions of miracles to it. Then, in the middle of the summer afternoon, we decided to forego the walking tour of the old houses and just admire their architecture and enormous structures from our bus windows. The bus stopped in front of the Galo-Rodriguez ancestral mansion where we were welcomed with a serenade and the tagayan. This meant that everyone had to partake of the lambanog from the same glass.
The mansion itself has a rich history. It was built by Sariaya’s prominent family and was designed by Architect Juan Nakpil. Upon its completion in the mid 1930’s and a couple of days before the family was to occupy it, their matriarch, Doña Gregoria died. During World War II, the upper floor of the mansion was used by the Japanese high officials as their residence while the family stayed at the first floor. Old mansions are often designed with secret chambers and this is no different. The Japanese never detected that within the kitchen of the first floor was the trap door that led to the house’s cellar. It was her that the family hid the eldest daughter, Carmen, to avoid the amorous advances of one of the officers. Thus, christened cellar of safety, this underground area now houses some of the family’s belongings, including a collection of women’s shoes, a couple of chamber pots, among others. As part of the tour, we all went down into the cellar. However, what was really the treat was finding the exit and maneuvering one’s body to pass through the elevated small window. Of course, a hand full decided to simply go up via the trap door again.
The next stop was KoffeeKlatch Bakeshop in Lukban. Located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw, Lukban is sometimes known as Quezon’s Baguio because of its cool weather. The food demo focused on two of Lukban’s famous specialties, the kiping and the longganisa. On the one hand, kiping is made out of rice flour, water and food color. The sticky paste is then spread on the kabal leaves and steamed. After cooling them, the kiping is easily peeled off and dried.The colorful kiping decorations are edible. One either toasts or fries the kiping, sprinkles sugar, and one has a crunchy snack.
On the other hand, the longganisa’s tasty secret is its use of oregano juice and non-use of chemical preservatives. Our resource person was also keen on saying that they stick to the dried pig’s intestine for casing and replacing it with the synthetic edible one is much too expensive and unthinkable. The group was then treated to pancit habhab, round apas, cassava cake and the luckier ones were able to sample the longganisa. It seemed that no one left the bakeshop without buying apas, biscuits and longganisa.
The final stop was Mi Casa in Tayabas for the Tagayan ritual. Our gracious host, former mayor, Dondi Alandy Silang, patiently narrated the ritual of tagayan or the drinking of lambanog in a group. The most important role went to the one who is tasked to pour the lambanog, the tagayero. His task is to make sure that everyone gets the same amount of lambanog in the one glass used by everyone and that the bottle of lambanog will be enough for everyone. There is much respect involved in the ritual. One cannot simply refuse the drink nor can one just drink as much as one wants. “Patimtim po,” should be said for refusal. Since it is the women who often refuse the drink, they still have to make sure that their lips touch the rim of the glass. This adds pressure to the rest of the group, so one of the male participants has to save the drink (and the woman) by saying, “Sasakupin po.” This means that the “saviour” has to drink from the area of the rim that was earlier touched by the woman’s lips. However, one should never take lambanog lightly, particularly, Tayabas’ pure lambanog. It is quite potent, so moderation should be practiced.
Kusina ni Salud, Ugu’s pottery, Sariaya’s mansions and churches, Lukban’s kiping and longganisa, Tayabas’s tagayan, are all but samples of what Quezon has to offer. The tour only allowed a glimpse of the richness of the province’s culture and is still far from reaching its core; after all, we only reached a few towns of Quezon. Looking at the map, these towns are merely in Quezon’s periphery. Imagine how much more Quezon has to offer if one is able to go further into its heart.
(On a personal note, I am so appreciative of being part of the KAISA tour. Not only did I learn about what culinary delights Quezon has to offer, I also benefited from the anecdotes of Ma’m Tessie about the Chinese influence in Quezon’s history and culture, as well, as these are historical data that never get to land in the books. )
Lafang time in Quezon
June 16th, 2006
(this article appears in the KAISA newsletter. i wrote this on the pleas of jotan. after i ate…a lot… i had to write about it. bummer. at any rate, i did enjoy this food tour and we’re all dreaming of going to pampanga for a sisig spree. some pictures were taken during this trip. okay, me and a bus load of fil-chinese…)
*********************
Kulinarya Quezon: Not just a Gastronomic Feast
The Sunday of May 28, 2006, proved to be one of the best day adventures I ever had. First, upon the invitation of Jocelyn Tan, I knew of the possibility that I will be the only non-Chinese Filipino among the group of KAISA. Second, I had to wake up early as Jotan said the bus will leave anyone who is not on time at 600am. Third, we were all going to a CULINARY tour of Quezon province and that meant gastronomic delights to someone who’s always excited on anything that has to do with food.
As the bus left KAISA and proceeded to the Magallanes Shell station where we had to pick up two more participants, our tour guide, please insert her name here, talked about what we were about to expect that day, breakfast at Kusina Salud, side trip at Ugu’s pottery garden, lunch at Gala- Rodriguez, walking tour at Sariaya, food demos at Lucban, and the tagayan ritual of lambanog at Tayabas.
Kusina Salud, the home of world renowned Patis Tesoro in San Pablo, was a welcome to us weary and hungry travelers. The garden, mini aviary, antiques, paintings, and water fountains, all merging in a symphony of colors, were very inviting.
Breakfast consisted of organic brown rice, dilis served on a bed of egg-tomato-onion-kesong puti, scrambled eggs with kesong-puti, longganisa, beef tapa (It must have been kalabaw meat. I didn’t dare ask but it was on the breakfast menu and it is part of the traditional breakfast.) Dessert was a warm guinatan halo-halo, with the ube giving its rich purple color.
What caught my palate’s attention was the dilis. Its size was perfect and so was its crunchiness. Its presentation, on top of a salad of yellow, red, light purple and white, magnificently bursts of colors and flavors.
The food demo was the pako salad with a twist. First, it was prepared the traditional way (fish bagoong, calamansi, tomato, onion, pepper). Then, a whole salted egg was grated on it. Then to balance the taste, a dressing was poured over it. The taste was a fusion of saltiness, sourness, sweetness and the pako’s own taste.
The next stop wasn’t on the itinerary but it was the most significant. It was a brief stop at the monument of General Yue Fei. Located along the highway and with in the compound of a city center, the monument pays homage to the Filipino-Chinese contribution to China, similar to how Jose Rizal is the Filipino-Chinese contribution to the Philippines.
Lunch was about to be served at Ugu’s Pottery Garden, not anymore at the Gala-Rodriguez mansion. Although we felt that it was just a few hours after breakfast, we all eagerly anticipated what food will be served amidst the gardens and pottery of Ugu.
Ugu’s Pottery Garden in Tiaong is its well guarded open secret as there are no signs leading to its location. Still, this is a must see place for three reasons: its sprawling garden with cottages where people can rest and eat, the pottery as being there gives a peak into the potter’s works and works in progress and the most important, the food.
Ugu’s food demo is the kulawo. To make this extraordinary dish out of ordinary ingredients, one would need banana heart, boiled and shredded, grated coconut, vinegar, the aromatics of garlic and onion and salt and pepper. This dish tasted like inihaw na liempo! The secret, I think, lies in both the toasting of the coconut in live coals and using vinegar to extract its milk. (If you attempt this, do not forget to remove the coals before squeezing the shredded coconut. Also, if the taste is far from Ugu’s kulawo, then we can assume that it is the potter’s hands that make the difference.)
In first and second waves, lunch was cleaned in a jiffy. There was a clear soup of various meats and squid balls that had a very light flavor, calamares, inihaw na liempo, kulawo, pako, fried and steamed fish. All these were washed down by pure buko juice. Dessert was buko pandan which I had to forego as I was too stuffed with the kulawo.
Then it was off to the town of Sariaya. We were led to the church where the replica of the crucifix of the Sto. Kristo de Burgos was the main relic. Our tour guide said that it was only that replica that survived when the church burned, thus, strengthening the attributions of miracles to it. Then, in the middle of the summer afternoon, we decided to forego the walking tour of the old houses and just admire their architecture and enormous structures from our bus windows. The bus stopped in front of the Galo-Rodriguez ancestral mansion where we were welcomed with a serenade and the tagayan. This meant that everyone had to partake of the lambanog from the same glass.
The mansion itself has a rich history. It was built by Sariaya’s prominent family and was designed by Architect Juan Nakpil. Upon its completion in the mid 1930’s and a couple of days before the family was to occupy it, their matriarch, Doña Gregoria died. During World War II, the upper floor of the mansion was used by the Japanese high officials as their residence while the family stayed at the first floor. Old mansions are often designed with secret chambers and this is no different. The Japanese never detected that within the kitchen of the first floor was the trap door that led to the house’s cellar. It was her that the family hid the eldest daughter, Carmen, to avoid the amorous advances of one of the officers. Thus, christened cellar of safety, this underground area now houses some of the family’s belongings, including a collection of women’s shoes, a couple of chamber pots, among others. As part of the tour, we all went down into the cellar. However, what was really the treat was finding the exit and maneuvering one’s body to pass through the elevated small window. Of course, a hand full decided to simply go up via the trap door again.
The next stop was KoffeeKlatch Bakeshop in Lukban. Located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw, Lukban is sometimes known as Quezon’s Baguio because of its cool weather. The food demo focused on two of Lukban’s famous specialties, the kiping and the longganisa. On the one hand, kiping is made out of rice flour, water and food color. The sticky paste is then spread on the kabal leaves and steamed. After cooling them, the kiping is easily peeled off and dried.The colorful kiping decorations are edible. One either toasts or fries the kiping, sprinkles sugar, and one has a crunchy snack.
On the other hand, the longganisa’s tasty secret is its use of oregano juice and non-use of chemical preservatives. Our resource person was also keen on saying that they stick to the dried pig’s intestine for casing and replacing it with the synthetic edible one is much too expensive and unthinkable. The group was then treated to pancit habhab, round apas, cassava cake and the luckier ones were able to sample the longganisa. It seemed that no one left the bakeshop without buying apas, biscuits and longganisa.
The final stop was Mi Casa in Tayabas for the Tagayan ritual. Our gracious host, former mayor, Dondi Alandy Silang, patiently narrated the ritual of tagayan or the drinking of lambanog in a group. The most important role went to the one who is tasked to pour the lambanog, the tagayero. His task is to make sure that everyone gets the same amount of lambanog in the one glass used by everyone and that the bottle of lambanog will be enough for everyone. There is much respect involved in the ritual. One cannot simply refuse the drink nor can one just drink as much as one wants. “Patimtim po,” should be said for refusal. Since it is the women who often refuse the drink, they still have to make sure that their lips touch the rim of the glass. This adds pressure to the rest of the group, so one of the male participants has to save the drink (and the woman) by saying, “Sasakupin po.” This means that the “saviour” has to drink from the area of the rim that was earlier touched by the woman’s lips. However, one should never take lambanog lightly, particularly, Tayabas’ pure lambanog. It is quite potent, so moderation should be practiced.
Kusina ni Salud, Ugu’s pottery, Sariaya’s mansions and churches, Lukban’s kiping and longganisa, Tayabas’s tagayan, are all but samples of what Quezon has to offer. The tour only allowed a glimpse of the richness of the province’s culture and is still far from reaching its core; after all, we only reached a few towns of Quezon. Looking at the map, these towns are merely in Quezon’s periphery. Imagine how much more Quezon has to offer if one is able to go further into its heart.
(On a personal note, I am so appreciative of being part of the KAISA tour. Not only did I learn about what culinary delights Quezon has to offer, I also benefited from the anecdotes of Ma’m Tessie about the Chinese influence in Quezon’s history and culture, as well, as these are historical data that never get to land in the books. )
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