Halo-halo in Filipinas

When you say summer, aside from family and barcada outings, floral dresses, and drinking ice-cold beverages, the two most familiar words that come to mind are beach and halo-halo! Because everybody loves to go to the beach and eat halo-halo during the summer heat! :)

Preggy me and Juanito beside the city plaza of our adoptive hometown of San Pedro Tunasán, La Laguna during this year's Palm Sunday. There is an unnamed stall here which serves delectable halo-halo.

Here in our country, you will see halo-halo stands in almost every corner of the street during summer as we Filipinos enjoy its cold, sweet, and milky taste which gives us comfort from the sweltering heat of the sun, satisfying and completing our summer experience.

And take note of the price: it's inexpensive. And it's up to you if you want to indulge on a much costly version (those that come from expensive restaurants). Some sell it for only ten pesos or anywhere near that price, But whatever the price is, we still order it because of the hot weather and of course to try and experience the delectable taste it offers.

At Lucy's Central Restaurant in Biñán, La Laguna during this year's Black Saturday. You can ask for extra shaved ice here for your halo-halo.

Wherever you buy it anywhere in the country, it is always halo-halo that you call it. Usually, its delicious selection of ingredients are banana, camote, beans, and corn (those that are cooked in a very sweet way). Optional ingredients are nata de coco, caong, sago, gelatin, and pinipig. And some even prefer their halo-halo to have fruits such as melon or langca. Then there's sugar and evaporated milk to taste, and of course crushed ice. And it's usually topped with original Filipino favorites such as leche flan, ice cream of any flavor, ube, or macapuno. Voilà, you have your summer halo-halo!!! :)

Treating ourselves to the famous halo-halo of Razon's of Guagua at the food court of Alabang Town Center last Easter Sunday.

And ooops, I have a question for all of you: how many glasses of halo-halo have you had this summer? I'm sure that a lot of you did, because this craving for halo-halo is natural in us. It's an old summer tradition that keeps us craving for it. This sweet and refreshing dessert is something that we Filipinos should be proud of. And even if it's not summer, we still keep on liking it, craving for its tempting coolness, looking forward to its sweet, milky taste that forever lingers in our taste buds, most especially the memorable crushing sound of ice you hear whenever you mix the flavors together with your spoon. And that signals that it's about time to taste your halo-halo.

Check out our summer photos enjoying delicious halo-halo from various stores!

At Dekada during Momay's 10th birthday. Instead of the usual tall glass, all the ingredients of Dekada's halo-halo are placed inside a coconut shell still with the meat inside! 

Enjoy the few remaining days of summer and halo-halo, everyone!!! :)

❤ YEYETTE❤

Iskargu: Isdâ, Karne, Gulay!

Don't you just miss those nostalgic lunches that you had in your grandparents' provincia as a kid? Those were the days when you had to eat your lunch on a papag or seat made of bamboo, and home-cooked Filipino dishes with steaming hot rice are served on banana leaves in lieu of plates, and you enjoy them in the midst of everything bucolic. Well, there's this lovely little restaurant not far from the metropolis which has all that nostalgic touch that will help you remind how to it is to eat Filipino style. And it's called Iskargu.

Located in Calauan, La Laguna, Iskargu is an avant-garde restaurant whose overall structure is somewhat similar to a bahay cubo but with creatively designed interiors: an innovative mix of modern and traditional materials and decors.

All around the restaurant is a relaxing view of vast green rice fields. And behind the restaurant are the enchanting twin mountains of Atimla and Calisuñgan (erroneously spelled as Kalisungan).

In front of Iskargu's entrance, across the national road, is this refreshing view. If not for those transmission towers in the distance, this vista would have been perfect.

The verdant vista of the mountains of Atimla (left) and Calisuñgan (right) are in full view from our favorite seat. Only a sea of green separates Iskargu from the two peaks.

My three boys at our favorite seat.

Our love affair with Iskargu began last year when we treated Momay to a two-day birthday viaje in Los Baños and Calauan. We returned nine months later (that was last February 23) when preggy Yeyette suddenly craved for some guinataán cuisine (various food cooked with coconut milk) served in a rural setting. Y'know, weird pregnancy cravings.

We ordered the following:

Guinataáng tilapià (cichlid fish) with vegetables.

Guinataáng cuhól (snails) with vegetables.

Guinataáng calabáo (carabao) with gourds (chayote).

Calderetang cambíng (goat stew) with potatoes, carrots, and green peas.

And we downed all of them with this:

Ice-cold buco juice with generous strips of coconut meat.

After a hearty meal, our kids simply enjoyed the place while me and Yeyette had a short siesta. It was a very chilly afternoon that day! The breeze was not only strong but cold because of the amihan winds! Good thing I had my sweater inside my backpack!

Right behind the restaurant, our kids saw a bunch of unripe mangoes hanging from a tree branch, and it only piqued Yeyette's pregnancy cravings all the more. So I had no choice but to give in to her orders: get 'em all! Special thanks to the management of Iskargu for allowing me to do so. =)

One might think that Iskargu is a Tagalized form for escargot, a dish of cooked land snails. However —and quite humorously—, the name of this restaurant is a portmanteau of ISdâ (fish), KARne (meat), and GUlay (vegetables). So yes, Iskargu serves more than just guinataán dishes. Any Filipino dish that has fish, meat, and vegetables are on the menu, all cooked home-style.

This particular photo was taken last year during our first Iskargu experience.

It's amazing that this restaurant is less than two hours away from Metro Manila (whether by commute or by private vehicle; much faster if traffic's OK). Iskargu moments may provide temporary respite from the hustle and bustle of urban life. But those moments are sure to be unforgettable.

❤L❤A❤F❤A❤M❤I❤L❤I❤A❤V❤I❤A❤J❤E❤R❤A❤

Our verdict:
Food: ★★★★★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★★★★★★★
Customer service: ★★★★★★★★
Value for money: ★★★★★★★★

Water fun in Lumbán!

During afternoons, the población (town proper) of Lumbán in La Laguna Province seems to be a ghost town because of its literal sleepiness. The townsfolk are mostly quiet, the streets desolate. At least, that was how the place impressed upon Krystal when she and her schoolmates visited it last year on a religious trip. However, every last Sunday of January, the whole town proper turns into a virtual water warzone filled with sacred merriment! This is the culmination of the novena (nine-day pious devotion) to their patron San Sebastián Mártir who is also the patron of athletes, soldiers, the plague-stricken, and archers. Speaking of archers, he was one of the early Christians who was sentenced to death. His execution was gruesome: he was shot with arrows. That is why he is commonly depicted in art and literature as being tied to a post (or tree) impaled with arrows.

Picturesque rice fields with long-legged white birds (egrets, I think) still dominate the landscape of Lumbán. Beyond this farm is the great expanse of Laguna de Bay, the country's largest lake.

But Saint Sebastián survived all this. According to stories handed down from generation to generation, he was rescued and healed by Santa Irene de Roma. It can easily be imagined how at first she cleaned Saint Sebastián's wounds with water. And when the image of arrow-impaled San Sebastián was first brought to Lumbán by the Spanish friars to be venerated by the natives, the latter must have certainly taken pity. After all, many native pre-Filipinos were icon worshippers. But never before had they been introduced to the idea of images of people who died or suffered for the faith that they offered to a God who became flesh to save humanity from its sins. Christianity was a culture shock of sorts to forest-dwelling simple folk.

That first meeting between a shocked bunch of Tagalog natives and the arrow-pierced image of San Sebastián could explain the Lumbeño tradition of splashing water to the latter, so that the pain caused by the arrows would somehow subside. This idea of water could have also given birth to the fluvial procession called Lupi Ni San Sebastián (sometimes referred to as Lupi de San Sebastián Mártir) every final Sunday of January ("lupì" in Tagalog means "to fold" because the novena to San Sebastián "folds up" or ends on that day). During this event, various images of the patron saint from all over town, including the main icon at the parish church, are displayed in colorfully decorated boats called casquitos which sail all around the murky expanse of the Lumbán River. Once brought to land, they line up in a lively procession to the beat of a marching band as devotees merrily splash each other with water along the streets of the town proper while firecrackers explode in the air. No person joining this unique procession is left dry.

Our kids really had a great time here especially since it was their first time to play with water guns! And with total strangers! That's the best part of it. You can splash and spray people here with water! Everybody's game! ¡Ualáng picón! Indeed, during the lupi, all Lumbeños became children!

Nevertheless, the piety of the people are still intact inspite of the noise and the wet merry-making. I have seen how many of them splash water to each icon and wiping them with clothing. Some are even kissing them. And no, this is not idol worship. This is simply Catholicism at its finest and most Philippine.

A handful of bahay na bató houses still line the streets of the town proper, but most date only from the U.S. period.

The town was already in a festive mood when we got there early in the morning.

Iglesia de San Sebastián Mártir.

Lumbán (pronounced with the digraph [ŋ] at the end, or "lumbáng") is said to be one of the oldest towns not only in La Laguna but in the whole country as well. Tagalog tribesmen were already living there prior to the Spanish arrival (this is evidenced by the discovery of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription at the mouth of the Lumbán River). It is said that Lumbán got its name from the lumbán tree (Aleurites moluccana), said to be abundant during the early days. Today, three lumbán trees can still be found at the town plaza between the church façade and the Lumbán River.

Hispanization took place when the Franciscan friars arrived in the area in the late 16th century to spread the Christian faith. The celebrated missionaries Fray Juan de Plasencia and Fr. Diego de Oropesa laid the foundations of the future parish and town of Lumbán. San Sebastián Mártir was chosen to be the patron saint, but for some reason they did not change the name Lumbán.

An ecstatic Yeyette at the grass-carpeted plaza. Behind her are two lumbán trees. It is said that the town got its name from this tree which used to flourish in the area. Behind Yeyette and the trees is the Filipino-style municipal hall.

In front of the church.

This church was first constructed in 1586 by Fray Pedro Bautista (yes, boys and girls, it's the priest-turned-saint himself), the town's first parish priest. Completed in 1600, Iglesia de San Sebastián is the oldest stone church in all of La Laguna.

On top of San Sebastián Church. That's the Sierra Madre range at the background. Somewhere on top of it lies Caliraya Lake (photo taken by my jittery daughter) which this municipality shares with Cavinti.

Aside from the religio-cultural event that is the lupì, Lumbán is best known for its fine embroidery of jusi and pineapple fibers, thus earning it the nickname "The Embroidery Capital of the Philippines". It is also home to some of the province's most exotic delicacies such as white cheese made from pure carabao's milk locally known as "quesong putî", and "guinataáng hipon" or miniscule shrimps that are cooked to creaminess in coconut milk.

A trip to Lumbán would not be complete without partaking of its unique delicacy: guinataáng hipon! It looks weird at first, but you'll keep on looking for it once you've tasted it! Here's Yeyette with With Aling Perly, the proprietor and cook of Perly's Ginataang & Atchara.

The fluvial procession at the Lumbán River.

The venerated image of San Sebastián Mártir, patron saint of Lumbán.

¡Lahát dito nagbabasaan! ¡Ualáng picón! And dressed only in our "pambahay" clothing, we felt as if we are living here, and all the people we met during our walk around town were our neighbors. Some even offered us food! Very hospitable and friendly folks!

That guy's fully cocked and loaded!

Here I am spraying water at everything that moves as Momay makes a direct hit at my eardrum!

Our naked little Juanito firing away at little Lumbeños.

Yeyette splashing water at the miraculous image of San Sebastián.

With all these religious and cultural insights and culinary delights, sightseeing could be Lumbán's most uncelebrated blessing. But if one goes there (from Metro Manila via Pagsanján), one will immediately notice its beautiful terrain. The coastal area to the west is rich with Laguna de Bay's resources. To the south lie the ecotourism havens of Pagsanján and upland Cavinti. Going to the east, the land slopes upward following the contours of the Sierra Madre (in fact, much of Lumbán's territory is situated in that mountain range) and is bordered by the municipality of Maúban in Tayabas (now Quezon) Province. And right between the lake and the mountain range are picturesque fields that yield some of the most bountiful harvests. On top of the Sierra Madre lies the famous and scenic Lake Caliraya which it shares with Cavinti (this lake is popular among water sports enthusiasts). To the east is Kalayaan (combined from Loñgos, San Juan, and San Antonio), equally mountainous as Lumbán. And the thick forests and lake breeze near residential areas make Lumbán's air healthy and fresh.

So why not try visiting Lumbán not for anything else but for Lumbán itself? The town's unique mix of nature and culture should merit a spot on your next out-of-town itinerary. If you want to try something new, do it in Lumbán!

Click here to view more photos of our Lumbán trip last Sunday! And please like us on Facebook!

♥L♥A♥F♥A♥M♥I♥L♥I♥A♥V♥I♥A♥J♥E♥R♥A♥

TRIVIA: Assisted by Fr. Juan de Santa Marta, Fr. Bautista established in Lumbán what was to be considered as the Philippine's first academy of music. This school (probably within the convent beside the church) attracted young boys in town as well as neighboring areas such as Páquil which turned out to become the province's music capital during that time. Around 400 boys were taught liturgical hymns and how to play various musical instruments.

(Note: This will be the last time that our blog will feature a TRIVIA section since I noticed that each blogpost itself is already "trivia material", thus making the section almost a nonessential.)