The Gumbo Feast

CEBU, Philippines- Of all the dishes in New Orleans, in the U.S., gumbo is the most popular and, very likely, the most favorite. Although ingredients may vary from one cook to the next, a steaming bowl of gumbo is one of life's good treats. It typically consists of flavored stock, meat, shrimp, prawns, a thickener and vegetables like bell peppers, onions and, primarily, okra.

Gumbo comes from the French "creol;" the dish makes extensive use of okra. New Orleans has had it since the 18th century.  The first step in cooking gumbo is to mix the vegetables in shrimp paste. In New Orleans, there's a ritual performed in preparing the shrimp paste, called "dancing the shrimps," where fresh shrimps are mashed by people stepping on them in a wooden vat until a paste-like consistency is achieved. The ritual is performed by the seaside.

Gumbo has now been brought the country; in fact, it's the main appeal of a new entrant in the Cebu restaurant scene  - Gumbology. The place offers gumbo dishes that are perfect to pair with rice. The gumbo here are re-designed a bit in order to fit the Filipino taste. The adapted dish combines special spices with choices of meats, sausages, and seafood. The vegetables now come in a wider assortment in the stew.

Gumbology serves different gumbo dishes: the grilled chicken gumbo, the big easy gumbo with seafood and sausages, and the combo gumbo with chicken, seafood and sausages. On the menu, although gumbo is the main specialty, they add other favorite items such as the creamy veggie pasta, soups, and the ultimate pizza.

Vivian Chaplin, former university professor in Macau and now Gumbology owner, prides that they have the best gumbo in town. Of course, they are the ones that introduce the dish here! "There's a saying when it comes to gumbo that 'The best gumbo is mine'," Vivian explains, "and it's perfectly acceptable to say that, because it's not gumbo if it's not truly yours."

And, yes, they make their gumbo so well, so that diners who get introduced to the dish at Gumbology will want to do their own version of it at home. Now, that will be gumbo they can claim to be the best - because it's their own.

Gumbology is located at City Time Square along Mantawi Ave., North Reclamation Area. The restaurant interior has a Mardi Grass theme, complete with masks and paintings on the walls that Vivian and her husband created. The place opens on weekdays from 10 a.m. till midnight and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.