Yes, as cheesy as it sounds, nothing is more hilarious than a couple of my friends and I and a fancy boodle fight at Isla Restaurant in San Bruno, California.
Their "bilao specials," I told my friends, is like a fancy boodle fight. They look at me with disgust and confusion. Why would I promote dog fights over food?
For those of you who do not understand what a boodle fight is (and for my friends' trivial pursuit as well), a boodle fight is a military-style kind of a party where food is dumped in the middle of a long table and everyone just digs in.
In the Philippines, it's been a fiesta norm to have boodle fights. It's so normal I don't even know what it's called. It's a way to gather with friends and family and share the meal in a happy (and for some germ-o-phobes - disgusting) way.
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| Banana leaves line the tables and food is all over it. Yum. |
Where's the utensils, you ask? You see, in the Islands, we prefer our hands. That intimacy with food is the best aphrodisiac. Try it.
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| Dump, Mix, Dig. Need I say more? |
Most Filipino restaurants have joined the boodle-hype. As much as it brings back memories of childhood in the Philippines (I lived in a concrete jungle. But we tried this at home...), nothing makes my heart melt more than authentic food from home.
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| NAIMAS!!! (in North-western Luzon, it means Delicious!) |
I don't really want to do a shameless plug for the restaurant but because I was satisfied (and I was too shy to ring the bell), I was emotionally overwhelmed with what I had to share with my friends.
The bilao is a round tray made of woven bamboo leaves. It is traditionally used for sorting out harvested palay or grains of rice, to get rid of the grain's outer shell and separate them from dirt. It has also been known to be used for sun-drying fish.
Philippines has 7,107 islands, according to my Geography teacher. Each island is surrounded by vast bodies of water - The Philippine Sea, South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean (thanks, teacher!) just to name a few. Fishing is a norm and seafood is part of everyday diet.
And then of course our Philippine Agriculture is known for Rice and Coconut and Sugar Cane. Pig farms are also a staple in many parts of the country.
With that said, a typical fiesta boodle fight consists of the what most first-world culture would call the poor man's meal (notice the "rich" irony):
Put that together and here is a combination of the most delectable, fanciest, Northern Luzon, Philippine boodle fight Bilao Special.
...did I tell you that heart disease is the main cause of death in the Philippines? If you haven't noticed, now you know. Enjoy life and its goodness but please enjoy in moderation.
Philippines has 7,107 islands, according to my Geography teacher. Each island is surrounded by vast bodies of water - The Philippine Sea, South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean (thanks, teacher!) just to name a few. Fishing is a norm and seafood is part of everyday diet.
And then of course our Philippine Agriculture is known for Rice and Coconut and Sugar Cane. Pig farms are also a staple in many parts of the country.
With that said, a typical fiesta boodle fight consists of the what most first-world culture would call the poor man's meal (notice the "rich" irony):
- Karagatan ("Sea" food)
- Tu'yô (see my previous rave of my adoration for Tuyo) - Popularly known, tuyo is salted and dried herring. But in many parts of the country, any fish is sliced open butterfly-style, salted and sun-dried.
- Daing na Bangùs - Milk fish marinated in garlic and vinegar then deep-fried at a high temperature - crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, fat still in tact.
- Hi'la-bos na Hi'pon - Sautéed shrimp in garlic (and butter), still in shell, the heat enclosing all the melted crustacean fat
- Chicharông Hi'pon - deep-fried prawn crackers made of starch and prawns ground to a powder.
- Kalupaán ("Land" food) - Writer's note: Ok, I translated that wrong. but it sounds posh. It actually means terrain. Look away if you want.
- Crispy Pata - lightly salted pork hock, deep fried to perfection. Nowadays, it's best to get the hock chilled then immediately thrown in the oven to lightly roast at 450º and then tossed into the deep fryer. I made that up; I should trademark that recipe.
- Chicharon - adapted from our Spanish conquerors, this crispy pork rinds are dipped in salted vinegar and used as flavor for rice.
- Liem'po - pronounced Lee-Yem-Poe - Grilled cured pork belly.
- Kabukíran (farm fresh) - fruits and vegetables
- Okra - don't ask me if we got this from the Southern Americans. I'm sure the date goes way back. But I remember growing okra in our backyard and harvest them and boil them. Filipinos are condiment freaks (maybe just me) so we pair this with soy sauce and calamondin.
- Salsa - Another Latin adaptaion of the mango salsa, our version boasts of diced Indian mango, harvested right before it ripens; diced red onions (not my favorite but I can't complain); diced Roma tomatoes; roasted and diced eggplant. This salsa is not complete with the traditional shrimp paste (Ba'go-ong). This amazing combination of fruits and vegetables will awaken your palate. Mash them with your fingers and devour them with a pinch of the fish. Then "wash it down" with rice. Yum.
- Buko Pandan - End your soiree with a subtly sweet, pudding-like dessert made with coconut meat, tapioca pearls and grass jelly made of screwpine leaves (Pandan)
Put that together and here is a combination of the most delectable, fanciest, Northern Luzon, Philippine boodle fight Bilao Special.
...did I tell you that heart disease is the main cause of death in the Philippines? If you haven't noticed, now you know. Enjoy life and its goodness but please enjoy in moderation.
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