For the town of Buhi, market days are Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. It was there that I learned sinarapan are harvested when waters are low and calm, usually in balmy weather. Occasionally, one can find sinarapan in the market, but they come in small batches and are snatched up almost immediately.
Bittersweet Bicol, and volcano-level spicy
Pastural encounters in the heat of the Bikolandia sun
Apr 6, 2023 06:34 PM
At a glance
Featured image: A QUIET LIFE Manmade lake, nurtured by the author's father, keeps the heat at bay in Bicolandia
It was an unexpected road trip to my folks’ place in Bicol as my 22-year-old wanted to spend time with his lolo and Mommy V for the Holy Week. Long haul road trips have been a staple growing up since my adventurous dad most often picked land based on its isolation. Well, my parents’ place in Camarines Sur used to be isolated, but “civilization” has found it—one can now find a McDonald’s or Jollibee within a few kilometers.
My siblings and I learned to entertain ourselves growing up with books, outdoor activities, films on Betamax, and other forms of “old school” entertainment so when I was looking up amusements for my son William—so he gets to experience more than what can be offered within the four walls of my parents’ house and see parts of Bikolandia—I managed to come up with a list of outdoor adventures I thought he would be up for.
Ironically, my athlete son William had no time for adventures as he had work deadlines to meet. So I did the next best thing. I came up with a list of what seemed to be popular eating establishments. A good number of Instagrammable coffee shops and restaurants, both established and mom and pop, has risen over the past years, more so after the pandemic.
When I looked up the top place to eat in Bicol, I was offered a number of establishments but what stuck out right away was something I had seen on my feed and lost track of. It’s one of those things you see as you scroll down, only to disappear completely once you realize you want to check them out. It was serendipitous that this new food trend had been highlighted by one of Bicolandia’s local government units—the balut, an unhatched duck egg.
JSJ Grilled Balut was the first in Naga, as the first J (Jenny) in the JSJ (the other J being Jaynard, her husband, and S being their daughter Sachie) proudly pointed out. She brought grilled balut to Bikol and was excited to see how well it took off.
When I met Jenny and Jaynard, they had their stall behind the barangay hall of Santiago in Pili, taking advantage of the ongoing inter barangay basketball league. I am not a balut lover, but I would take the “soup” and yellow bits. Growing up no one ever tells you what you are eating and it’s quite a trauma to find out what it is later. In my case, I was gleefully enjoying my balut, eating with gusto, when I saw the man in front of me pull out a black hairy mass from the balut egg. My eyes bugged out and the recently swallowed balut wanted out as well. Good thing there is an alternative, the penoy, which doesn’t have the hairy “Pokemon,” the chick inside the balut, as the young like Jenny and Jaynard would describe it.
The source for the balut was not far. The barangay next to Barangay Santiago, New San Roque, has long been a source of balut. I visited one of many balut sellers. I was quite surprised to find the vats within their homes. Thousands and thousands of eggs in natural incubators ensconced in rice husks. For balut without the Pokemon “harvesting,” should be done on the 16th or 17th day. JSJ Grilled Balut offers three sauces—Garlic, chili garlic, and sweet and spicy.
One morning, my mom declared, “Let’s go to Mayon!” We all boarded the car but merely a few kilometers out of Naga, we felt the heat. It was so hot even in an airconditioned car. It was the type of heat that bit. It was decided to find another destination much closer and cooler. Again, Google saved the day. We picked Lake Buhi, also in Camarines Sur. We got to enjoy the calming cool waters of the lake and the stunning view. I learned that Lake Buhi is home to the smallest commercially harvested fish called sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis). I went back on market day. For the town of Buhi, market days are Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. It was there that I learned sinarapan are harvested when waters are low and calm, usually in balmy weather. Occasionally, one can find sinarapan in the market, but they come in small batches and are snatched up almost immediately. In fact, when I arrived at 7 a.m., I was told only five kilos worth of sinarapan was delivered for the entire market and it went quickly. I bought the next best thing, dried sinarapan in a vacuum-packed plastic sleeve. They didn’t taste like much of anything but were very crunchy.
After Lake Buhi, I headed to Camalig, Albay. Camalig is known for its pinangat. I was given a shortlist of places to eat by Albayanon Wilson Quindo Tan and he suggested I go to newly opened Geronimo’s Restaurant in Camalig on Pan Maharlika Hi-way. Geronimo’s pinangat is very subtle. Pinangat is also known as pangat na isda, made up of fish or shrimp and tomato wrapped in gabi or taro leaves, stewed in broth and a souring agent like santol, tamarind, or calamansi. The taro or gabi leaves are cooked in coconut milk.
Next stop was Legaspi City at the foot of Mt. Mayon and the 1st Colonial where one can try its popular Sili Ice Cream in three different levels of spiciness– Level 1, Level 2, and Volcano Level. I tried Volcano level, which wasn’t too bad but I’m half Bicolana.
Visiting my folks is bittersweet. I love seeing them and yet, every time I see them, I am reminded that they are getting old. On this visit, I noticed the walls plastered with photographs and images. My dad is forgetting and aims to remember. Photos are marked with the names of loved ones, their relation to him—people, faces, and dates which will soon fade away. Time can be unforgiving to humans.