The University of the Philippines Diliman Campus is a melting pot of poor but deserving students who are in the pursuit of quality education. Students come from as far as Batanes, to the north, and Sulu, to the south. When you have scholars that come from different ethnic backgrounds living inside a dormitory, certainly, interesting things do happen. When a typhoon hit Metro Manila, students from Cebu stayed indoors (we were so few then and a group called the Panaghiusa was born) while those from Davao rushed outside because they had never seen a typhoon! Today, during the Lantern Parade, they rushed outside to view the fireworks display. Very strict, this Mayor Rodrigo Duterte!
More cultural interaction occurred when your favourite food columnist joined a fraternity and in the brotherhood, you become more aware of the different culinary preferences among ethnic groups. Bicolanos eat chillies like peanuts, frog legs were a delicacy among Tagalogs and the Ilocanos prefer the bitter and the salty taste. Then you start to differentiate the various types of Ilocanos… those that come from Pangasinan and Tarlac, from Cagayan Valley and the “Genuine Ilocanos” (Ilocos Norte and Sur).
The Ilokanos have the reputation to be the most thrifty ethnic group; when arable land is limited with an unbelievable dry season (seven months!), no choice but prudent gyud ka. The Ilocano staple is bagoong, according to Gilda Cordeo-Fernando (Philippine Food & Life) and when student allowances were delayed (no Kwarta Padala then!), my Ilocano brods kept smiling while eating grilled eggplant and bagoong for the entire week.
My greatest surprise however was their love for the bitter taste like the kilawen and sangkutsar (broth) made bitter by the pinapait (juice of digested grass in the stomach of goat) and can even enjoy a shot of gin with a drop of fresh bile. Even the baby ampalaya is never cut to prevent the evaporation of its precious bitter taste. Such things then were very strange even to a budding food connoisseur.
Unfortunately, many Cebuanos are not really that adventurous and it would be very difficult to host a food festival featuring this basic Ilocano cuisine. My good friend Joel del Prado of Pino! Filipino Restaurant (Wilson St. Lahug, Phone 2320939) decided to select dishes from northern Luzon that would appeal to the taste of a very discriminating audience. Chefs Redd Agustin and Editha Singian were invited to showcase their talents in presenting the authentic flavours of this region.
Dinner began with the appetizers and salads and your favourite food columnist began dissecting the three types of longganisa: Batac (recipe of Alfonso Araneta, son of Irene Marcos), Vigan (Ilocos Sur Gov. DV Savellano and Queenie Paras) and Tuguegarao (Katrina Ponce Enrile). Lifestyle Editor Mayen Tan and I agreed that the chorizo of Vigan, Ilocos Sur was simply outstanding.
After tasting a very delicious broth, the Lomo-lomo soup, I tried each and every dish on display and following my doctor’s advice, tiny portions lang including the Adobong Sili ng Vigan.
My favorites that dinner were the Kalderetang Tupa Ng Ilocos Norte, Warek-Warek ti Narvacan (pork kilawin, pork tongue and broiled liver, flavoured with sukang Iloco and young ginger), Dinuguan ng Nueva Ecija, Adobong Baboy at Atay ng Tarlac and the Rellenong Dagupan Bangus (Bonoan Bangus from Pangasinan).
I did miss the Vigan Empanada (rice flour dough, fresh egg, papaya and Vigan longganisa; served the second day) and that traditional Iloco basi (sugarcane sap fermented in clay pots called tapayan for three months).
Fortunately my nostalgia for Iloco basi, excuse me, can easily be appeased by a glass of French cognac…no, make that three glasses!