Flooded on a food trip

MANILA, Philippines - Where were you during Ondoy?” The question has become de rigueur at gatherings lately. Seemingly, many of us need to talk about the calamity to be able to purge our fear of helplessness at the onslaught of nature.

Like a majority of Metro Manilans, our intrepid group of food adventurers thought that Ondoy was going to be like any run-of-the-mill storm. Undeterred by the moderate showers that woke us up on that fateful day, we gathered early at the designated meeting area, and were soon on the road. The main destination was Bataan, source of some of the freshest seafood and tastiest dried and smoked fish, with eating stopovers in Angeles City in Pampanga. The trip was organized by Mama Sita, the much-loved brand steeped in heritage that allows harried multi-tasking urban dwellers to prepare wonderful Filipino fare with ease. It was a reunion of sorts, with most of the group being veterans of previous enjoyable Mama Sita outings. Thus, despite the less than ideal weather conditions, we were all eager to explore and sample local Bataan fare in its true setting.

Traffic was light and we quickly found our way to our first stop — the historic Camalig restaurant in Angeles City. Owner Marc Nepomuceno told us that the structure was originally built in the 1860s by his great-grandmother Agustina Henson, and until 1965 was used as a common granary by members of an extended family. “Siblings and cousins each had a room for storing their share of the rice harvest,” he said and we were engrossed as he described life in Pampanga during more rustic and simple times. Old photographs, wine bottle collections and bric-a-brac from bygone times caught our interest, as did mismatched wooden chairs with intricate carving and old kitchen implements. As we lounged in the batibot-style wrought iron chairs, it was difficult to concentrate on the food. The restaurant’s specialty is a pizza called Armando’s best, named after Marc’s grandfather. Generously topped with pepperoni, ground beef, mushroom slices, Canadian bacon and chopped green bell peppers, the pizza shares the limelight with other restaurant bestsellers as the crispy fried chicken wings and tacos. Examining the menu, we found an item called “fisharon” made out of tilapia skin under the Pulutan heading and made a mental note to try that next time.

Soon, we were on the road again and the excellent condition of the SCTEX highway lulled us to sleep. We woke only as our coaster navigated a slightly winding incline near Bagac, Bataan. By then, the rain had strengthened and the wind had picked up more speed. However, we remained unperturbed. As we peered out of our vehicle’s window, we appreciated how lush and green the roadside foliage looked as raindrops washed away the dust. Random dollhouse-like houses with flowering vandas and miscellaneous plants kept me alert for obscure specimens. Previous road trips with my plant-collector mom taught us that rare varieties could be found this way. By then we had reached the town where the houses were built side-by-side and we traversed the narrower roads more slowly.

My generation associates Bagac with the nuclear plant project of the 1980s. We count among our friends and schoolmates the children of the Westinghouse expatriates who were consultants on that failed, much-protested nuclear power plant. This generation, however, equates Bagac with the local production of Zorro. The locals on the roadside initially scratched their heads in confusion when we asked for directions to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, and it was a lucky break that our driver Mang Bernie was a fan of Zorro and knew that the series was filmed there. It was a breeze to get detailed directions after that.

Las Casas de Acuzar started out as a hobby for real estate developer architect Jerry Acuzar who acquired old structures from all over the Philippines and rebuilt these in the new site. Extra effort was made to restore each building to its original glory, and the rain — which was now pouring down in sheets — did not lessen our appreciation of the architecture. Currently, there are 22 structures including the original University of the Philippines Fine Arts building on which restoration work is ongoing.

The lunch spread prepared by our Mama Sita hosts was fiesta fare: lechon, paella, embotido, kare-kareng dagat (seafood kare-kare) and pocherong baka that came with an eggplant-garlic sauce. Soup to warm our cockles was sinigang na manok. This was pleasantly sour, as was the dressing of pako or fern salad. Most enjoyable were the crabs with red fat or aligue that we dipped in a sawsawan of Mama Sita vinegar. Throughout the meal, we were serenaded by a rondalla from the Bataan National High School, who also prepared a program featuring traditional Filipino dances.

But the rain and wind were picking up even more. Worried by radio reports that Ondoy had flooded Metro Manila, we decided to skip the stop at Armanda’s Marine Products in Balanga, Bataan to head back home. The shopping for tuyo and tinapang kapak (smoked gray mullet) would also be put off for another visit as the radio reports became increasingly alarming for members of the group who resided, or had family, in Marikina, Cainta and Bulacan. The mood was decidedly more somber than when we initially set out.

Our fears were well-founded. We were advised that the expressway was no longer passable due to rising floodwaters, so it was decided that we sleep overnight in a hotel in San Fernando, Pampanga.

As we headed back to the city when the roads re-emerged from the floodwaters the next day, we were overwhelmed by the dirt and destruction. Really, we all set out on expeditions and life hoping it would all be a picnic in the sunshine. But unexpected typhoons like Ondoy can wreak catastrophe on any parade. Such is life. We learn and move on, undaunted and undiminished.