For the first time, the province put together a Kesong Puti Festival which lasted for nine days and since we are all keso (both local and imported) fanatics, we could not pass this one up. But we wanted to see more of Laguna and therefore we made stops, where we sampled local cuisine and bought quite a basketful of their goodies, mostly made from fresh carabao milk and fruits, like a variety of macapuno candies.
Hitting Pagsanjan after more than a hour’s drive from the South Superhighway we made our first stop at Step Rite, thinking we could get some of those lovely mules and abalorio-ed chinelas. To our pleasant surprise, the store also carries some of the town’s snacks and sweets, among them araro, macapuno candies (with chunks), toasted garlic (Taiwan variety). For P225 we got two packs of the first two items and one small plastic bag of garlic.
Lunch was at Kalayaan town, where the most popular restaurant is called Exotik and indeed they serve some of the most exotic dishes in a multi-level structure that is "guarded" at the entrance by a snake called Samantha. Of course, you can ask for snake dishes, but we settled for the less threatening ones–frogs legs, excellently made into abodo and deep fried, sizzling tapang usa, pating sa malunggay and sinampalukang manok. We must say the chef does his job well as each came with natural flavors and distinctive taste.
There is a small store selling locally handcrafted items and sweets by the steps leading to the restaurant. Unfortunately by the time we finished our meal the macapuno balls had all been bought.
Reaching Santa Cruz, the provincial capital, after another half hour drive, we were escorted to the town square where people were happily milling about, waiting for the parade to pass by. They were dancing, like the Sinulog and Ati-atihan, to the beat of "Angelina, Angelina". That was the culminating event for the Kesong Puti festival. Even the mayor of the town merrily put on his dancing shoes.
Kesong puti is actually made by the townsfolk of Bagumbayan, a barangay in Santa Cruz, where each maker has a permanent stall. This is a cottage industry that has been handed from generation to generation, hence there is the variety of brand names. The cheese is made from fresh carabao milk, meticulously laid out into the uniform one-inch by three-inch blocks. What you get from the Laguna makers is the real thing, not the puny little kesos peddled in some markets in the city. There is a slight difference in the texture of various brands and some may be a bit more salty than others. They sell for P100 for a duo of two-in-one packs, which means you get four blocks. Here is a tip: if you want a more international taste, marinate the keso puti in olive oil with toasted garlic. Perfect for spreading on crackers or as filling for hot pan de sal.
On our way home to Manila we, of course, had to stop at an espasol store. Each pack of five cost P35 and we got quite a lot. Fruits abound in Laguna and we were told they have the sweetest santol in the country. Unfortunately, santol season is between June and July. Instead we brought home some mangoes.
We are actually pleased that municipalities are starting to promote their respective produce by way of festivals and other events. We are not sure if we can catch this one, but we gathered that in Amadeo, Cavite, there is an on-going coffee festival called "Pahimis 2002". Coffee floats and street dancing are being featured and the celebration culminates with the Feast of their Patron Saint on April 29. Watch out for Café Amadeo, processed coffee which will soon be sold in local markets and outlets.