kaimito, star apple milky summer delight

Kaimitos for sale in the Tuguegarao City public market. It's summer time again, and so with some of the seasonal fruits that we so eagerly anticipate. Like kaimito, or star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito). In the Philippines, this is a childhood favorite. As a child who grew in the barrio, you used to feast on this fruit come summer, March and April, where it fully ripens to its so-sweety and so-milky goodness, the purple ones and the greenish-white...

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pinakbet a paria, bitter melon stew

Here's another bitter dish that defines the Ilokano, and what else but the paria itself and this is done with a famous Ilokano "brand"--pinakbet. Yes, pinakbet a paria, the bitter bitter melon made into pinakbet. This is one Ilokano dish that's somehow a test to prove one's mettle on "enjoying" what's bitter is better. This is real bitter, and genuine Ilokano bitterness aficionados prefer it this way. Just as they love the wild version of it....

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ipon, fish fries/silver fish

Ipon? Ipon what? You mean hipon? Or iPhone? Yes, the tiny fish, ipon, which is a prized fish in the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions, is often mispronounced, misunderstood, mistaken. Some non-Ilokano folks mistake it as hipon or small shrimps (aramang, alamang in Tagalog), due to mispronunciation or the way it sounded to them. And do you know that when you google image "ipon" much of the search results point to that pesky iPhone (Apple) luxury...

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