You Ate What?: Philippines Edition
If you peek around the crannies and crevices of South Texas, you’ll find some fare that one might deem…unconventional, influenced by the stones-throw country to the south. The venerable menudo is a common dish, delicious tripas and sesos tacos, the beloved barbacoa. Just need a snack? Dive into a bag of chicharonnes.
“Try this,” I’d say to a visitor.
“What’s in it?”
“Just give it a shot.”
Head meat, intestines, brains, skin. Freaking delicious.
But then, later, back home, they get this: “You ate what?”
So, the transition to Leyte, a province in the southern portion of the Philippines, was relatively seamless. Here, too, are some likely items that would trigger that response.
Besides being barbecued whole, this isn’t really that strange. Variations of the whole hog cook can be found globally; even still, eating something that’s staring back at you is disconcerting to some folk. Literally everything save the bones was eaten (blissfully), and the bones made for some excellent stock.
