The Christmas Parol
This post is long overdue. And yes, it is already Christmas. At least here in the Philippines. Christmas here in the Philippines is a four-month affair. Any month that ends in “ber.”
So as soon as it is September 1, you could already hear jolly carols playing on the radio. Some families may even start putting up Christmas decorations in their homes. Sadly, the decorations now are not as prominent as I remember. When I was still small (in years), I could see almost all houses in the neighborhood decorated with Christmas lights and decorations, especially the parol. Now, decorations are scant. Some people will comment that this is due to economic problems. Nevertheless, the Christmas spirit is no less felt and observed, even to the most poor of us.
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Weather has been bad lately here in Iloilo. Maybe not only here but for the whole of Visayas and Mindanao due to the southwest monsoon. I don’t know what that means. I just know that rain has not stopped raining since last week.
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Most Ilonggos are actually fluent in English. They are also quite comfortable communicating with it. Just ask the hordes of Koreans coming to our humble city just to study and learn English.
Dinagyang Celebration
But nothing really beats the smile you can get from an Ilonggo when they hear you trying to speak their own language. This will surely get you in the good side of any Ilonggo.
Even if you only know how to say “Good Morning” (Maayong agá) it will endear you to the person whom you’re speaking and will definitely gain you an instant friend.
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When I was little I used to remember the whole family (i mean the whole family — a throng of cousins, uncles and aunties, our yayas, even our dogs) going to this very relaxing and fun place. My father (tatay) would announce to the whole clan that we’re going to “Fort” (”Pa-port ta”… I actually used to think it’s called “Port”) and all of us would jump with excitement.
Along the Fort San Pedro Iloilo
We would bring food, blankets, and for my father, his fishing rod. I had no idea idea then what the place was really called, all I remembered was how we enjoyed so much running along the cemented ways and the slippery rocks, laughing and smelling the fresh and salty air of the sea. And when we got tired we would sit along the cement steps and look out to the sea; waiting for a fish to bite my Tatay’s bait and watch the sun set.
Ahh… good memories. Of course, when I grew up, I found out that the place was actually called Fort San Pedro.
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The La Paz Batchoy
When someone comes to Iloilo, almost everyone says that they want to eat batchoy.
Batchoy is a noodle soup which originated in the district of La Paz, Iloilo City. The dish includes pork innards (liver, kidneys and heart) crushed pork cracklings (chicharon), vegetables, shrimp, chicken breast or beef loin, shrimp broth, chicken stock and round noodles or miki. The noodles are similar to spaghetti, but are generally a bit finer.
Oil is heated in a stock-pot. Innards, shrimp, chicken and beef are stir-fried for about a minute. Soy sauce is then added. The shrimp and chicken stock is then added and left to simmer for a few minutes. This broth is then added to a bowl of noodles and topped with leeks, pork cracklings and sometimes raw egg is cracked on top as well.
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