Filipinos and Food: No Reservations

I finally got around to watching the Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations: Philippines episode that has been lying in my DVR for weeks. I knew it was going to be a good show when I saw Anthony Bourdain and Ivan Dy dipping fishballs from a Chinatown street vender into a jar of chili sauce. And when he dug his spoon into a goat stew at a roadside "kambingan" ("place that serves goat"), I was so envious. The soupbowl still had the entire goat's head in it, complete with skullbones, tongue, brains, eyeballs. I wished I were the one sucking the eyeball, not Anthony. I know it sounds disgusting but it's not -- trust me, you haven't lived until you've tasted that rich, meaty flavor!

Okay, that was a lame attempt at an April Fool's Day joke. You know I'm right of center when it comes to food. It sounds disgusting and it is (at least I think so). That goat stuff belonged on the other show I watched featuring Filipino cuisine (Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods); this one featured mostly mainstream dishes. I actually did watch most of the show wishing I had a plate of whatever they were eating in front of me. Alfie and I were literally salivating over the sizzling sisig (chopped pig's ear -- it tastes waaay better than it sounds) and lechon (roast suckling pig, which Bourdain proclaimed the Best Pig Ever).

My final thoughts at the end of the show: I want sisig.
Alfie's final thoughts: I think I get it now. Food is to Filipinos what Tea is to the English!

Read more of my thoughts on the episode on my Filipina Moms post.