What’s BWFE? That’s Birthday Week Food Extravaganza! If you remember my post about my fantastic birthday week ages ago, I said that I would blog about the 5 foodie fests I’ve been to that week. Unfortunately, PayPerPost and ReviewMe snookered me into commercial blogging in my other blog. Really sorry guys! But if I tell you I made $140 from PayPerPost and $40 from ReviewMe, would you be happy for me? I hope so! LOL! =) So if you have a blog more than 90 days old, I suggest you start earning from them. ReviewMe is the easiest to get into, almost instantaneous approval of your blog if you meet the requirements. And finally, after my shameless plugging, here’s BWFE part1!
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The first foodfest I’ve been to during my birthday week was my deceased paternal grandfather’s birthday celebration. His birthday was July 13 and we went home to Kidapawan, our hometown, on July 14. He’s already dead for 3-4 years now yet my paternal Lola always remember to have a little salo-salo on his birthday. This year my Lola was having second thoughts to celebrate Lolo’s birthday. However, a few days before July 13, Lolo appeared in her dreams. Lola shared that she thought Lolo appeared to remind her of his birthday salo-salo. Hehe! And thus, Labsie and I found ourselves going to Kidapawan with my parents on July 14. Here we are hamming it up at the backseat. Papa was driving and Mama was in the front passenger seat.
It was an uneventful trip until we were about five minutes from our “ancestral” home. For the first time in more than a decade, our vehicle died in the middle of a one-lane road! And it was just before lunch so traffic was heavy. Boy, were the cars behind us pissed! LOL! So we all got out of the vehicle and pushed it towards the sidewalk. Mind you, it was nearly noon so it was very hot! Mama and me were under the umbrella most of the time while Papa and Labsie sweated it out. Here are my parents (Mama with umbrella of course, hehe) trying to figure out what went wrong with the engine, lol!
After nearly 30 minutes under the sizzling sun without progress in resolving the engine trouble, I asked permission to go ahead to Lola’s house. I hate the noontime sun and I couldn’t take the heat any longer! So Mama and I rode a tricycle to Lola’s house. Papa and Labsie were left behind to fix the vehicle. After 15 minutes of arriving at Lola’s, the two men arrived, the vehicle apparently fixed. And so Lolo’s birthday salo-salo was on! Here’s the centerpiece, I admit it’s meager than our usual handaan fare. There is no lechon (roasted pig) which is the norm; according to Lola, she’s saving the pig for Christmas. Yesss!!! =)
In lieu of the roasted pig, we have the roasted chicken or litson manok at the foreground (above pic). We had about 6 viands all in all, and they were all cooked by Lola and my aunts in their appetizing Ilocano way. Mmmm, my saliva’s starting to drool just thinking of the salo-salo food! =) Below are the pics of the freshly grilled milkfish or sinugbang bangus (left) and the super yummy kilayin (right). I don’t know what’s the English for kilayin but it’s like a savory stew consisting of pork slices, green peas, pork liver cuts and some pork entrails. Delicioso! Below the two pics is the photo of the beef spareribs cooked the Solito way, hehe! Another certified lip-smacking goody coz Labsie finished nearly 10 pieces of it. Glutton! Joke lang labs, I understand coz the ribs were really scrumptious. Thus its very prominent photo, lol! The ribs were very soft and tasty inside, crunchy and still tasty outside.. Mmmm, I can almost taste it! =)
Not seen in the pictures are the roasted goat meat and papait, an Ilocano delicacy consisting of goat entrails and bile. The word “pait” means bitter and it is the bile that gives it the bitter taste. This dish might sound yucky but the way my Lola cooks it, you wouldn’t even know you’re eating entrails. Sigh.. Lola is such a very good cook! If only I can live with her and learn the secrets of the Ilocano’s art of cooking, heaven! The following photos are pictures of people having their fill of Lola’s gustatory delights, hehe =)
Lola, Papa (facing the camera) and an uncle ready to dig in the feast!
Papa, Labsie and an aunt; the feast has begun! =)
More aunts (they’re the ones who cooked!) and the uncle from photo #1.
My cousins and Labsie eating in the living room.
There’s no photos of me coz I’m the unofficial photographer. Sigh.. Here ends my rather longish first post for the BWFE series. I hope you enjoyed the Filipino food pics guys! I adore Filipino food and I will always promote it =) If you’re not into Filipino food, stay tuned for BWFE post#2, it’s all about European delights. YUM!
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