"Tuslob-Buwa" - Why the Craze?

CEBU, Philippines - "Tuslob-buwa." The name itself has an exotic appetizing ring to it, as it is intriguing. It is the current craze among foodies in Cebu.

It's a gastronomic adventure, for sure. A first mention of thisnew sizzling Cebuano delicacy is often a turnoff to some. But the resistance usually goes down with the first bite.

The term "tuslob-buwa" literally means "to dip in bubbles." It has, however, come to refer to a whole meal set consisting of several pieces of "puso" (rice cooked in coconut leaf casing) which are to bedipped into bubbling hot stew in the wok during the course of the meal. The customer only has to pay for the "puso," originally at a modest price of Php3 apiece. It started as a street food, along with - but initially not as popular as - tempura, fish balls, squid balls and the like in the city's Pasil district.

It used to be that in eating "tuslob-buwa" one hadto dip his "puso" in a common wok with all the other customers. Hygiene was becoming a big issue. But the appeal of cheap price and filling food continued to draw customers.

Recently,enterprising minds have brought the now popular delicacy up "to the next level," so to speak. And brought it to a more decent place, too, in the city's uptown area. The hygiene issue is also resolved; well, partly at least.

Group of friends or family members are assigned their own stove and wok, so they don't have to share it with strangers. And customers take the meal seated, not standing or squatting by the roadsides as originally the practice. The rest of the arrangement is the same; customers don't pay for the stew, but only for the pieces of "puso" they consume.

The ingredients of the thick stew are pig's brain, liver, soy sauce, and shrimp paste sautéed in little oil with garlic and onion. The mix is then cooked in just the right amount of water to produce a thick consistency. Other seasonings and flavorings may be added if desired.

The cooking procedure is so simple that it can even be quickly done at home. The minced garlic and chopped onion go first into the heated cooking oil. As soon as the spices turn golden brown, the shrimp paste is added. Then the crushed pig's brain, and then the crushed liver. Then water is added and brought to a boil until. The amount of soy sauce add mainly depends on the preferred taste. The cooking continues until the whole mix come to the desired thickness.

The one place that offers "tuslob-buwa" uptown bubbles with customers. The craze has caught on not only the low-income group, but the middle-income as well. What's interesting to see are some members of the upper class that go there once in a while, perhaps simply out of curiosity.

It has been the common notion that "Mass follows class." But with "tuslob-buwa," it seems to be going the other way around. People are naturally fond of novelty, and they can't help going along with the fad, all the more fueling its popularity.

And yet there are those that go "yuck!" just thinking about "tuslob-buwa." Which is quite curious because some of them love "dinugoan," the Filipino soup made from pork blood. Certainly, pork brain is much cleaner than pork blood! (FREEMAN)