Provincial food in the Metro

Manila has always been a melting pot of different cultures. Being the capital city of the Philippines, it showcases the best of 7,107 islands. Part of the culture that it boasts is the variety of cuisines coming from all directions—from the northernmost part of Luzon to the farthest island in Mindanao.

For students who hail from the provinces, it’s comforting to have a little piece of home in this busy city when homesickness becomes too much to bear. But how does the food in restaurants all over Manila fare against the “real deal” in the provinces? The LaSallian chats with some students about their experiences with Manila’s version of their favorite food from their province of origin to find out.

Luzon  

There are days when you’re just craving for food from home. In the case of students from provinces in Luzon, there are usually two options. One is to hold out and wait a while, at least until the next time you can come home. Such is the case of Myrch (III, AB-PSM), who comes from Bulacan and who insists that “Food from my hometown is the best,” and therefore would rather have the original.

However, when you just need a quick fix that can be cured by a “close enough” alternative, you can try checking out the places within reach around Taft. For example, Freya (IV, LGL) shares that her favorite food from her hometown Batangas is Adobong Batangueno. When she found this dish at a canteen beside her dorm, of course she tried it immediately. She claims that it is similar in that it has the same kind of meat, but it’s very different because unlike the usual adobo, the one from Batangas uses achuete, which makes its color turn into orange.

Sometimes, you don’t even need to walk too far—a visit to Perico’s or La Casita can enlighten you on the many traditional meals the school canteens have to offer. Justin (IV, BSA) from Tarlac, Pampanga usually goes to La Casita when craving his favorite Kapampangan dish, sisig. A famous Filipino meal made from parts of pigs’ head and liver, however, he states that La Casita’s take on the dish is not that similar to the original.

Visayas

The Visayas region, where both the seafood capital and the sugar bowl of the Philippines can be found, offers quite a feast—from Bacolod’s chicken inasal to Roxas’ seafoods and Cebu’s lechon. But being at least a one-hour plane ride away, Visayans and foodies would have to settle for a taste of Visayas within the city during regular days.

For one, there’s JT’s Manukan Grille in Bonifacio Global City, where Justine (II, AB-ISE) gets her serving of cansi, the Ilonggo’s version of bulalo. Cansi, a beef broth with large chunks of meat and bone marrow left to simmer over a low fire for no less than two hours, is a mixture of salty and sour, with a little spice. Growing up in Negros Occidental, Justine shares that her experience wasn’t the same as eating cansi from back home. “[It’s a] homemade versus restaurant type of different,” she explains.

Chicken inasal is also another Bacolodnon delicacy that both locals and tourists can’t get enough of. William (II, BS-CS) tells us that he loves eating chicken inasal back in Bacolod, but, despite the many restaurants offering their version of this famous Ilonggo dish in Manila, he still hasn’t tasted anything close to home. “[It’s] very different,” he says. For William, nothing beats the chicken from the City of Smiles.

Another good place to get a taste of Visayan cuisine, most especially from Roxas City, would be the Dampa near Mall of Asia, as Millie (II, AB-PSM) suggests. Having heard about it from her dad, Millie says that she goes there whenever she and her friends crave for seafood from home, although she explains that the food is far different from the seafood capital of the country. One difference that she emphasizes, besides the taste, is the price. “The price of one serving of shrimps in Dampa would be enough to buy more than a kilo of it in Roxas,” Millie says.

Mindanao

Mindanao cuisine is known for its simplicity and certain similarities to Indonesian and Malaysian food in the use of spices or chilies. However, students who come from Mindanao will most definitely have to live in a dorm or condo near Taft, making it rare for them to be able to eat at home until Christmas break or summer vacation. So where does a Mindanao-born Lasallian go for a taste of homemade food?

Rissa (II, BS CS-ST) from Davao del Sur cites Pancit Luglog as her favorite dish. It is very similar to Pancit Palabok, with the same sauce and toppings, but with different thickness of noodles. This doesn’t bother Rissa, as she often eats Pancit Palabok to satisfy that craving—and she finds it right across DLSU, at Jollibee. She finds this a good enough alternative, and while she does say it’s a little bland, she claims it’s not really that different.

On the other hand, Tricia (II, AB-PSM) from South Cotabato loves Tuna Sashimi, and while she tries it out every time she goes to a buffet, she has yet to find blackened tuna anywhere in Manila, and says that those she has tried are unfortunately very different. It seems there are some things that can’t be replaced, and sometimes, food from your hometown are among them.

Home cooking

Home will always be where the heart is, and there are times when we long for the comfort that it brings. There are times when phone calls simply don’t suffice, and waiting for the next trip back seems like such a daunting task. For those of us who come from the provinces, finding a taste of home in Manila lessens the nagging feeling of homesickness as food takes us back to the one place we long for at that particular moment.

Food can do a lot more than satisfy the need to eat. The aroma of that one dish, no matter where we may be, will always draw us back to familiar moments and heart-warming times. And just a bite is enough to remind us of the bliss of being with family and friends.