My post for this week’s Wordless Wednesday (a little wordy for me, actually) is a preview of my recent trip to mom’s hometown in Bolinao, Pangasinan. The second day we were there, we (mom, me, Aunt Mely and cousins Melissa, Gabby, and Catleya) took a late afternoon dip by the island shore. It’s getting dark and Uncle Arthur hasn’t dropped by to pick us up yet, so cousins Melissa and Catleya were acting as if stranded people in the sea. Coincidentally, I was holding my camera while I myself was taking a dip in the water so I was able to take this picture. Expect to read the whole story in the days to come.

*** Jenn ***

I admit I am a person who’s sometimes always in a rush. When bloghopping, I only look at the first post and comment on it (if I feel to do so). Just a few moments ago, I was about to send a message to my friend Laarni when a very interesting post caught my attention.

Her blog post is about the Word Camp Philippines 2008. This one really caught my interest because even though I already had a taste of blogging using Wordpress last year, I stopped updating the blog because I really am at a loss when it comes to command. This blog, which was set up just two months ago didn’t came to life by itself — Laarni had a lot to do with it, simply because I am still a newbie blogger using Wordpress.

Reading about this camp really made me want to join because I know I still have a lot to learn and this camp is a great way to get as much knowledge as I can. In a way, this is also a great way to meet other wordpress bloggers here in the Philippines, and as much as the knowledge are already a gift in itself, meeting other wonderful bloggers would be a sweet “cherry on top of the cake.”

Organized by the Mindanao Bloggers, Word Camp Philippines 2008 will be held on September 6 at the Augusto-Rosario Gonzalez Theater (5th Floor, Mutien Building - De La Salle - College of St. Benilde) in
Taft Avenue, Manila. Some of the sponsors include:

• i.PH: the Domain for Individuals
• Free Online Flash Games
• Wazzup Manila Philippines
• Real Estate CRM
• Real Estate Website Designers
• Orange County Real Estate
• Auto Insurance Quotes
• Lane Systems Inc.
• RedMedia
• Orange County Business Lawyer

Whether you’re a Wordpress expert or a newbie like me, I am sure this is one event you also wanted to attend to. Just go to the Word Camp Philippines 2008 website to register.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Greenwich (SM Fairview)
Date: 31 May 2008

Before I go on with the post, let me just tell that I will insert a new page in this blog that lists all the places I have been to, starting this year. This blog was created in May, so obviously places I have been from January - April hasn’t been blogged yet, but I hope to write an entry about it in the future. I planned on doing a summer 2008 vacation recap, but decided not to; I have a lot of pending posts to write, I cannot insert “miscellaneous” posts as of the moment.

On to the main topic. Towards the end of May, sister and I were asked to do grocery shopping. Living up to my “seize the opportunity” blog battle cry, I asked sister if we could eat at a food place that I still haven’t blogged about, to hit two birds with one stone.

We didn’t have much to spend, so we decided to eat at a fairly reasonable place to eat — Greenwich. I admit, I am not an avid fan of this food place despite the competitive price they have because I have always had a problem with their slow service. I know, I shouldn’t talk bad about something because I might spark up a controversy, but this is hardly criticism, I am just speaking from a customer’s point of view.

I wanted to order the Spaghetti Meatballs meal, but the staff said they don’t have it at the moment. It was still lunch time, and maybe they still weren’t prepared to make the dish. In the end, I ordered the beef cannelloni and chicken plate, while sister had lasagna and chicken plate.

There weren’t too many people in the place, that’s why I started wondering why the order of the man behind me was served first. I did understand that it takes quite sometime for the orders to come up because they still have to prepare the food. I knew that from the start, but then seeing people who came in later than us already eating their food made me a bit annoyed.

But their staff’s courtesy and friendliness was something to commend about. When one of the staff noticed that we’ve been sitting there waiting for our food, he immediately came to our table, talked to us and personally went to the kitchen to follow up our orders. We waited a few more minutes, and after nearly 30 minutes, lunch was served.

It was the first time I ate cannelloni. I still go for spaghetti, but this dish tasted good as well. I love that their filling is very meaty and that white topping (whatever that is) was a good way to tone down the rich taste of the sauce/filling. Their chicken tasted better, too, but I was actually preferring to eat the thigh part. Oh well, maybe it wasn’t available. =)

I paid for the lunch, so sister said she’d buy the desserts because she got so interested in that little advertisement Greenwich had in the table. She got up and was walking to the counter when the same staff came to us and asked if there’s something we needed. I told him my sister was about to order the dessert, but the staff said he’d do it for us. Sister gave him the money and our order — a serving each of Peach Paradise and that other dessert because it only cost 49 pesos per serving. The staff went to the kitchen and got back in our table to tell that the fruits aren’t available yet. Sister decided to order the Brownie Magic instead. After a few minutes, the staff went to our table again to tell that they don’t have ice cream! Bummer.

We don’t have any business there anymore, so we left. I didn’t get mad — it’s just stress, but I cannot understand why in every visit I make in any Greenwich store, there were always problems. I don’t know if I am unlucky, or the store really wasn’t prepared to serve their customers. I don’t understand why at lunch time, they don’t have other ingredients to make up a dish. I do hope that before they open the store, they already have the complete ingredients delivered to avoid problems with the customers.

This isn’t a rant post. This is practically a suggestion because I really would like to eat in Greenwich again. However, I am a bit hesitant because the many problems I have encountered in their stores, I didn’t want to risk my emotions just to eat good food. I just hope that the people running the store would do something about it, because I believe this has been the second time this year that I was hoping to eat Spaghetti Meatballs and failed. I will try again some other time, and I hope I can order that dish already.

*** Jenn **

Place: The Vigan Empanadaan at Plaza Burgos (City of Vigan, Ilocos Sur)
Date: 28 May 2008

I remember the very first time I went to Vigan summer of 2006. Just a day before sister and I left, I called my friend Noli to tell about it and he told me that famous quote, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” He already visited the place long before I did, so he gave me a rundown of things to do, and foods to eat.

I did take his advice, and although the places I have visited here in Vigan aren’t always the same (I have been here 5 times), there’s one common thread that links all the visits: the Vigan empanada. Of course, what’s the point of visiting a new place if you won’t eat that one distinct food that associated with the place, right?

There are lots of establishments (may it be house or a small food shop) that sell this food, but one of the most popular places to eat this food would be the food place by the Plaza Burgos. Here, you can choose to buy your empanada among the four sellers, so if there’s a line at one of the sellers, you may choose to buy at another one. Actually, aside from the empanada, you can also buy its famous counterpart, the Okoy.

*** A shot of the empanadaan in Plaza Burgos ***

*** Vigan Empanada ***

*** Okoy ***

*** Me about to eat empanada and okoy, picture taken August 2007 ***

The empanada is a vintage snack of the Biguenos (people from Vigan). This delicious snack, similar to the Mexican Taco is basically sauteed cabbage or young papaya with egg and Vigan sausage stuffed in a crispy shell made from ground rice. The okoy on the other hand, is a patty like food made from dissolved cornstarch with small shrimps, and other ingredients.

There are two kinds of empanadas, the regular (small) one that only has vegetables inside costs 5 pesos each. The special (big) one has an egg and pieces of the Vigan sausage and costs about 35 pesos each. As for the okoy, it costs about 30 pesos a piece. Both are best enjoyed when dipped in a spiced Sukang Iloko (Ilocano red cane vinegar).

The empanadas sold here in the plaza has shredded cabbage as its main filling. If you prefer the one with grated young papaya, you can check out Irene’s Empanada, but you have to walk more from the Plaza towards the Calle Crisologo. If you ask me, I prefer the papaya one, because the empanada with cabbage, although tasted good, taste a lot like vegetable spring rolls. When it comes to the dip, I sprinkle a dash of salt into my dip because the salt adds a lot more flavor to the food.

So when you have the chance to go to Vigan, I hope you will drop by Plaza Burgos and order some empanada (or okoy). I am sure you will love it!

This post concludes my Summer 2008 vacation. A really great vacation, indeed!

*** Jenn ***

Place: Calle Crisologo (City of Vigan, Ilocos Sur)
Date: 28 May 2008

Like what I have said in my previous entries, the best place to do your souvenir shopping in Vigan would be in Calle Crisologo. There are other places in the city that sell souvenirs, but this street is already a “one stop shop.” Here are things you can buy in this city…

Antiques and Wood Items >>> Nowhere better to buy antiques than to buy it at a heritage place! Antiques range from religious items to furniture, to wood carvings, the choices are endless! I still haven’t bought an antique because some are expensive and I don’t really need it really, but there are so many items that really interested me, especially those antique silverwares and china wares.

Bags >>> Now this is my kind of souvenir! I love native bags and although I wasn’t able to buy one on this day, I already bought a bag from here before, and I am loving it a lot. Different types of materials are used in their bags — there are those made from Abel Iloko cloth, there are some made from dried leaves, and there are some made from wood among others. Prices varies depending on the material and the size of the bag, and I could say most are affordable. However, if you don’t have much to spend on souvenirs, stores have a sale rack. Even if the bags are on sale, they still look good and are considered a great buy.

Key Chains and Cell Phone Accessories >>> If you’ve got a big circle of friends and would want to give them all a little piece of Vigan, this is the souvenir to buy. Most of the key chains look the same as those bought in any tourist spots, so if I were you, look for those with the printed “Vigan City” in it or something that speaks of the city like a kalesa (horse drawn carriage) or those that look like a jar.

Fabrics >>> Items range from blankets, to table runners, to tie-dyed sarongs, to refrigerator towels. Some uses cotton, some uses the weaved cloth from here in the city. Most of the times, when we are here, we buy the weaved towels which are perfect to cover a tray for the utensils during parties. My brother’s favorite are the tie-dyed sarongs. You can also buy knitted outfits here.

Shirts >>> Every tourists’ favorite souvenir. Because I am a big woman, I don’t really buy shirts, but there’s this one shirt that I really love to own. Nothing special about it, in fact, it only has a text print in front that says, “Bagnet, Sinanglao, Empanada…” all the foods associated with Vigan, but I cannot buy it because I still haven’t tasted sinanglao. Anyway, there are lots of stores in this street and majority of them sell shirts, but even if that’s the case, you still have to scout good not only because prices varies, different stores have their own shirt designs as well! There are shirts that are available to every store, but there are stores that personally design different shirts. I personally love the designs from Escolta de Vigan and Collado Designs. The white shirts are of course much cheaper than the colored ones.

Wines >>> The Ilocano wine is called the Basi, and is widely available in the entire Ilocos Region (that includes the Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, and La Union provinces). Nowadays, there are different wines to choose from. I still haven’t tasted any of the wines, so I couldn’t tell more about it.

Other items you might want to buy in this street are:
Chichacorn >>> Crunchy corn bits cooked the Ilocano way.
Tinubong >>> A delicacy placed inside a bamboo.
Taro Chips >>> Garlic flavored taro chips (I love this).
Meat products >>> If you have no time to go to the market and buy the Ilocano meat products like the sausage and the bagnet, I suggest you check out EJ store. They prepare the meat products themselves and although their products are much expensive than those bought from the market, their products are guaranteed fresh and are placed in plastic containers so it’s not exposed to the elements.
Royal Bibingka >>> One of the famous store that sells royal bibingka is Marsha’s Delicacies, but if you have no time to go to their main store in Bantay (a town next to Vigan), or their branches in the city, you can check out Tongson’s by the entrance of the street.

Out of the street, if you want to buy earthen wares like jars, vases, and the likes, I suggest you go to RG pottery or the pottery house owned by Mr. Go near Mira Hills (I forgot the exact street). If you’re lucky, they might even show you how those earthen wears are made.

On this particular day, I bought a knitted poncho, a shirt for my sister, and a keychain. Brother bought some taro chips, and we also bought boxes of royal bibingka from Marsha’s delicacies to take home.

Parting shots:

A biggie size of the shirt I bought for sister (I bought the small size for sister, but asked for this big sized one to show the message. On the front is says, “Naggapuam, gayyem?” or “Where have you been my friend?” At the back it says, “Naggapu nak didyay Vigan, gayyem!” or “I came from Vigan my friend!” Very cute, eh?

*** Jenn ***