LET THEM EAT CRAP!

And so we invented fastfood.

I'm not a fastfood lover [except carinderia fare which to me is real food] and will never be.

But as a probinsiyano expatriated to Manila, I find affordable real food in the city to be mostly meat-based while fish and vegetables are not much and often more expensive.   

There is of course the pansit as an option.

But I can not leave by pansit every meal and everyday, so I was forced to finally enter the sleazy world of fastfoods and the crap they sell for food, at least for breakfast.  

May God forgive us for eating animals twice murdered [the burgers, slayed and then grounded] and grown under abnormal conditions [the growth-hormone pumped chicken, and even GMO-ed fries].

May my ancestors forgive me for eating crap even when I'm in the province for which I deserved to be EJK-ied [death by Bunda!].

And may our offsprings forgive us for all the emissions we have have made the world to suffer. 

Amen! 

WARAY PAHINGA!

Kung hindi lang binanggit ni Egad ang lumang simbahan ng Laoang ay hindi na talaga ako tutuloy ng Catarman.

Pero nasabi nga niya kaya hayan, gumayak ako ng alas-2:30 ng madaling araw papuntang airport para sumakay sa maliit na eroplano patungo sa maliit na airport ng Catarman kung saan ako nag-almusal ng tinolang malasugue sa halagang P90, at bumiyahe patungong Catubig.

Pagbalik ay pinagbigyan akong daanan ang lumang simbahan ng Laoang at ganito kami nakarating doon:

[1] sumakay kami ng bangka para tumawid patungo sa isla kung nasaan ang bayan ng Laoang;

[2] naglakad kami mula pier at dumaan sa kalsadang nililok mula sa ga-burol na bato;

[3] at heto na nga ang lumang simbahan, na ang luma na lang ay ang harapan dahil naretoke na nang todo ang kalooblooban:

Pero hindi ang simbahan ang ipinunta ko ng Catarman kundi ang makinig sa mga kuwento ng mga Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries, mula sa Laoang hanggang sa Catarman at Lavezares kinabukasan:

Pakagat lang 'yung lumang simbahan sa Laoang at ang sumunod pahapunan ni Egad na adobong kangkong, spicy chicken wings, at nilabog na pating, pati na ang kulay cake na simbahan ng Catarman na tinunton ko bago kami bumiyahe patungong Lavezares at Tacloban.

Tanging ang malinamnam na tinapa ng Calbayog ('tsaka pili nut at pinato] ang bumasag sa mahabang biyahe mula Catarman papuntang Tacloban.

Waray pahinga talaga!

Pero malinamnam ang chop suey, kinilaw, at laing na ibinahog namin sa malamig na beer pagdating sa Tacloban.

Kaya sige lang, biyahe pa more!

MY ILOILO FOOD TRIP

Unless you're into old houses and churches, the main thing about Iloilo is the food.

That is as far as I am concerned and what I told Shelley and Airah as we cross the bumpy Visayan Sea to somewhat assuage the disappointment of coming to Bacolod's Calea too early.

But then in Iloilo, I thought that I had too many of those chicken inasals and batchoy so I went Korean at Arirang for a change, not bad, but not that good either.

In fact, the camote and banana cue plus the good conversation during our meeting with Ilonggo anti-coal activists is way above the aftertaste of Korean instant noodles that I thought it was.

But there was the saving grace of Tatoy's --- grilled fish and chicken, lato salad, steamed oysters, kinilaw --- although it will be a far second if compared to an earlier culinary experience at Diotay's Eatery in Bacolod.

There was of course that full course dinner in Miag-ao with Bulan --- lousy calamares and sisig at Blandina Sunrise, tasteless fried chicken at the Vineyard, a passable sushi at Sulu Japanese Restaurant, and more than good but not quite great local ice cream at Bambuko.

Breakfast was a bigger letdown the next day but then, food in a small university town is expected to be great in price but passable in taste.

Somewhat similar to the fare served at the Nueva Ecija Bowling Games: it's either flat or fair but designed to go well with cold beer just the same.