{"id":3294,"date":"2017-06-13T03:11:18","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T03:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=3294"},"modified":"2017-06-13T03:11:18","modified_gmt":"2017-06-13T03:11:18","slug":"northern-gustatory-pride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/northern-gustatory-pride\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern (gustatory) pride\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every region (if not every town) in the Philippines has their own gustatory offerings that sort of define them \u2013 e.g. Bicol Express in, obviously, Bicol; bagnet in Ilocos; guapple pie of Negros; and so on\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is why \u2013 when one is just in Metro Manila \u2013 when seeing all those \u201coriginal such-and-such\u201d offerings of various restos, supposedly with their preparations learned from the regions these offerings originated from, one can only really\u2026 frown. Because how \u201coriginal\u201d can an offering be the moment you take them from the very contexts that made them thrive to begin with?<\/p>\n

This is the thought that stays in the mind when thinking of Ilocos\u2019 empanada and okoy, particularly after one has tried those offered in Vigan City\u2019s Nanang Sion.<\/em><\/p>\n

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WHAT\u2019S THERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are actually two branches of Nanang Sion (as per the apo<\/em> or grandchild of Nanang Sion herself) \u2013 one is by the plaza\/near the church in downtown Vigan City (this is the \u201cmain\u201d branch), and another one in one of the streets parallel to Crisologo (that tourist trap portion of the city, where just about every tourist has his\/her pic taken). The former is a more \u201cformal\u201d resto; but the latter \u2013 if I may say so \u2013 has more character, with the apo<\/em>\u2019s collections of everything old (vintage, if you must).<\/p>\n

There are wooden tables, and chairs and benches scattered on two floors, and adding to that \u201cbeing in an old place\u201d vibe\/feel.<\/p>\n

But \u2013 more apparent \u2013 are the owner\u2019s collections of\u2026 just about everything, from rebulto<\/em> (statues of holy people or saints) to scooters to bikes to kalesa<\/em> (horse carriage) wheels, and so on. And while many are placed on pedestals, there are some that are made to be \u2013 literally \u2013 parts of the place, e.g. the bicycles that were cemented on the walls.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s \u201ccharacter\u201d you want, then this one\u2019s worth a check, indeed.<\/p>\n

WHY GO THERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

But \u2013 recognizing that ambiance is but part of the attraction \u2013 if there\u2019s one thing that will make you come here, this can be summed in one word: FOOD.<\/p>\n

Must try are:<\/p>\n

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  1. Empanada<\/em> (super special, P65) \u2013 I\u2019ve traveled to various parts of northern Philippines a lot of times, and while there, many always tell me to try the local empanada<\/em>. But \u2013 considering the number of people who recommends empanada \u2013 I can\u2019t fathom the fuss about it. In my mind (and from what I tasted) it\u2019s nothing really special, just a combo of longganisa<\/em>\/chorizo<\/em> with either scraped green papaya or thinly chopped cabbage, plus egg thrown in, and then wrapped in dough before being fried.
    \nAnd then I tried Nanang Sion\u2019s empanada<\/em>, and I now sorta get the hype. I\u2019d say this: if done really well, empanada<\/em> is really tasty. And this one (so far) has been the tastiest empanada from somewhere north of the Philippines for me.<\/li>\n
  2. Okoy<\/em> (with egg and longganisa<\/em>, P55) \u2013 This one is also a surprise because okoy<\/em>, as we know it, is nothing but fried: shrimps with veggies (some use carrots or kamote<\/em>), and then coated in flour. Now be honest, how many times have you eaten okoy<\/em> and actually complain with that hair-like strands from the shrimp heads? With Nanang Sion, though, the okoy<\/em> is actually\u2026 succulent, with the shrimp juicy and (thanks to the longganisa<\/em>) tasty.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The servings are big, BTW. So if you end up unable to finish what was given you because you\u2019re too full already, don\u2019t tell me I didn\u2019t warn you\u2026<\/p>\n

    If hungrier and in search of \u201creal\u201d meals (not merienda<\/em> or snacks), there are \u201csilogs\u201d \u2013 e.g. bagnet<\/em> (P150) and longganisa<\/em> (P120), and the \u201ccommon\u201d corned beef (P90), siomai (P90), hotdog (P90), et cetera<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    If it\u2019s just me, though, I\u2019d say stick to the food that has been helping define Ilocos. That way, you avoid getting disappointed\u2026<\/p>\n

    And so, yes, empanada<\/em> and okoy<\/em> are good starts\u2026<\/p>\n

    WHY AVOID IT<\/strong><\/p>\n

    To start, heading to Vigan isn\u2019t in everybody\u2019s list of to-do. And truth be told, even when driving (instead of commuting), going there takes a while. So for those who have\u2026 aversion to long trips, then this isn\u2019t for you.<\/p>\n

    If- I suppose \u2013 you\u2019re a local and already have had enough empanada<\/em> and okoy<\/em> to last you a lifetime, then\u2026<\/p>\n

    IN THE END\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

    But \u2013 let me say this \u2013 the next time someone mentions \u201coriginal such-and-such\u201d to you, and you\u2019re having that offering outside its original context, it\u2019s always better to have them where they (first and originally really) made them. That way, you\u2019d be able to tell how \u201creal\u201d or \u201cfake\u201d the offering has become.<\/p>\n

    And as far as some of the best northern gustatory delights are concerned, I\u2019d say head to Vigan City. And give Nanang Sion a try while there; for less than P100, you\u2019d understand why \u201ceating local\u201d continues to be the best way to appreciate delicacies\u2026<\/p>\n

    Nanang Sion is at Plaridel St, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. Vigan City isn\u2019t THAT big of a place. Ask around NOT just for the location of Nanang Sion, but also where else you can grab what\u2019s good there. I\u2019ve encountered shy Ilocanos who demur when speaking with us outsiders; but almost always, they try as much as they can to help out and lead you where you wanna go or \u2013 for that matter \u2013 where they think you ought to head to best enjoy being there\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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    How \u201coriginal\u201d can an offering be the moment you take them from the very contexts that made them thrive to begin with?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,7],"tags":[1731,110,1733,1732],"class_list":["post-3294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","category-dining-out","category-travel","tag-nanang-sion","tag-travel-2","tag-travel-ilocos","tag-vigan-city"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3294"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3304,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3294\/revisions\/3304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}