Bulacan Food Trip with Erwan, Ninong Ry & Chelsea Manalo

***- Alam mo, this is weaving, so there should be a pattern pero fifth step na tayo wala pa akong pattern na nakikita. Alam mo yun?

- Yeah. Right now...

You know when you're in school
and you're copying

someone's homework?

(laughs)

And then, at the end of the day,
you don't know

what you wrote.

(laughs)

That's what's happening
to me right now.

- You're right.

- To most, Bulacan is a name
in a history book—

a place you drive past
on the way to somewhere else.

Little do you know
you were driving by

the birth place of democracy
in the Philippines.

From family heirloom recipes
still served that humble carinderias

to off cuts of meat
that really never go out of style.

That's good.

Two precolonial traditions
like Puni weaving

and river communities
like Pamarawan,

that hold generations
of untold stories.

I'm going to order everything.

Bulacan isn't just historic,
it's alive.

I'm here to relearn everything I can
about this province,

its past, how it identifies itself
in the present,

and where it sees itself
in the future.

Searching for a part
of the Philippines

that's often buried
under overdevelopment

and fast-rising buildings.

With me are Ninong Ry,
Chelsea Manalo—

Ms. Universe Philippines 2024
and proud Bulaceña,

and Bong Enriquez—
keeper of culture and son

of culinary legend Mila Enriquez.

We're not just here for the food,
we're here to uncover

the pride, passion,
and people that make Bulacan

more than a page in our past.

Our first stop takes us right
into the heart of Malolos,

at a place that's practically
a landmark.

Established in 1970s,
Citang's Eatery

is a local institution known
for its staggering spread

of kakanin (rice cakes)
and meryenda staples,

each one proudly made in-house
every single day.

If you grew up in Bulacan,
this place is part

of your childhood.

And if you didn't,
well, what are you waiting for?

So overwhelmed.

I don't think I've seen
this much choice in a long time.

There's some menu items.

There's hot food for takeaway.

There is lots of rice cakes.

What is your bestseller?

- Mostly rice cakes.

- So this one?

So everything's galapong?

So the kutsinta, palitaw...

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Sapin-sapin.

Relyenong bangus.
They have everything.

Tuyo, embutido, siomai.

Wow.

I'm going to order everything.

- Our bestseller rice cake
is the 7-in-1—

kutsinta, sapin-sapin,
bibingka, tamales, and biko.

There's so much,
because we have orders.

We also have riders ordering
from our page,

then they deliver it.

***Nakakarating pa kami ng Cavite, yung mga umoorder samin from Malabon.
Basta i-rider lang o kaya pinapakuha nila, pinipick up naman. Mahirap na mahirap lang kami nung araw. Naglalako lang kaming magkakapatid. Maski umuulan, tulong tulong kami.
(giggles)
- Sino nagluluto?
- Ang nanay ko noon. Nung buhay pa yung nanay ko. Kasi mana nga ng inang ko yan sa nanay niya. Minana naman namin mula sa nanay ko.
Yung niluluto niya, una nagluluto kami ng mga kakanin. Pagkaluto niya, ilalako na naming magkakapatid. Talagang hirap kami. Pero ngayon nung natutunan namin ang mga recipes, dito na namin lahat nakuha lahat nung pagpapaaral sa lahat ng anak namin. Napagtapos namin sa hanapbuhay namin.

- Every person we've asked
about Bulacan

and where to go in Bulacan—

Citang's keeps being repeated,
and people tell us

we have to come here.

What's great is they make
their rice cakes fresh

during the day
so there's a constant batch

of new rice cakes coming.

So we got some goto,
some cejos.

First time I've seen
a deep-fried egg called cejo.

We have some pork here
and some tokwa.

What?!

Who's that for?

For us?

- Yes.

- Wow. That's a lot.

(chuckles)

I have never seen rice cakes
in like a pizza box.

It's a new thing.

- That's all the seven bestsellers.

- The seven bestsellers.

Wow. Thank you so much.

There's no way
I'm eating seven pieces.

This, I can't eat the whole thing.

Let's do happy pride.

I am a fan of sapin-sapin.

I actually like it
in this kind of small format.

I'm used to the big slices
of sapin-sapin.

This is nice.

Much, much softer
than the sapin-sapin

I'm used to.

The sapin-sapin I'm used to
kind of...

usually the ube layer kind
of like pulls out and stretches.

This one's really nice and soft.

I started the segment saying
I wouldn't try everything.

I literally just tried everything.

After trying all their rice cakes,
I needed a walk.

As we made our way
through Malolos Bayan,

we passed the storied streets
of the old district.

Declared a National
Historic Landmark

by the NHCP in 2021.

These ancestral homes
have witnessed revolutions,

gatherings, and generations
of tradition.

It's a perfect setting
for our next stop—

Bistro Maloleño.

Here, Bulacan's culinary soul
is kept alive

through the legacy of one woman—
Mila Enriquez.

A tireless champion
of Bulaceño gastronomy,

Mila spent her life researching,
preserving, and documenting

heirloom recipes,
many of which would

have been lost to time
without her.

Today, her son, Bong Enriquez,
continues that mission,

sharing the flavors
that once graced noble homes

and town fiestas alike.

Can you tell me about Milagros?

I mean, she's watching
over us now.

- Yeah. She's watching over us.

My mom's from Malolos,
walking distance from here.

13 in the family.

- Her and her siblings
and everything?

- All of them,
especially the men,

they would go to market
by themselves.

- Okay.

- So my mom was there
and she got interested in cooking.

Well, not for commercial
or anything

but plain house cooking.

- Okay.
- Okay?

She married my dad
who's from Bulacan, Bulacan—

Jacinto Ycasiano Enriquez.

How did she get into this?

Because we have a household cook,

old household cook,
by the name of Ba Pedro.

We call him Ba Pedro.

Ba Pedro's dad...

The father of Ba Pedro
was the cook of the friars

in the convent of Bulacan, Bulacan.

- Okay.

- You know how
the friars were, right?

- Yeah, yeah.

- They love good food.
- They love to feast

and love to eat well. Yeah.

- And Ba Pedro became the cook
of our family,

of the family of my grandfather,
Enriquez household.

And so when my mom
and my dad got married,

they stayed
in our ancestral house.

You know, the old style
of cooking?

There was no measuring cups,
measuring teaspoons,

or whatever.

- It's just tasa (cup), half tasa.

- One pinch of salt.
You know, the type.

Would start cooking
at around 4:00 in the afternoon...

in the morning,
and he would end up

at around 10:00 in the evening.

- The whole day.

- The whole day.

There's fire in...

And my mom got interested,

because the food
of Ba Pedro was good.

After that, when she
was interested in getting

all of these recipes,

because she was from Malolos,
so she had a lot of friends here

in Malolos,

and they encouraged my mom,

"Why don't you do the research
of the food

of Bulacan, Bulacan, of Malolos?"

You know.

- And for you, so I'm guessing,
growing up,

you grew up with
some very good food?

- Of course.

- So your mother was also cooking
the food that she put here?

- Although I don't know
how to cook, okay?

But I know the taste of my mom.

- I'm used to very sweet
Filipino ham for Christmas.

I'm guessing it's something
along those lines.

So Milagros got to work.

She interviewed
the older generation in Bulacan

and talked to all
the household cooks.

Eventually, she had enough
and she realized that the food

in the Philippines evolve
depending on our history,

which is why the recipes
in her book are separated

in historical chapters,
from precolonial dishes

to the post-American period.

Bong considers
this Sunday's best food,

dishes that families used
to gather for after church

while being dressed aptly
for the occasion.

On the menu on Bistro Maloleño
are some of the favorite foods

of the historical figures
of Bulacan.

Many of these recipes
are disappearing,

and due to their laborious
cooking procedures,

are no longer being made
in homes.

For us, we had some
Hamonado Bulaceña—

pork ham with caramelized sugar
done in front of you

with a searing hot
stainless spoon

and a pineapple gravy.

A dish served to celebrate
the revolution.

Tinola ni Jose Rizal,
where it was reported

by his descendants,

her preferred having this soup
with squash

and a little bit of brown sugar
over the usual papaya.

And finally, Pochero de
Marcelo del Pilar,

which was a Sunday favorite
of this lawyer

and leading propagandist
of the Philippine reform movement

against Spanish colonial rule
in the late 19th century.

A hardy mix of pork,
beef, and lots of chorizo.

A statement to Spain—
your flavors may have infiltrated

our palates, but we will still eat
in the way that we see fit.

So when something happens once,

you can call it a coincidence.

But it keeps happening.

There must be a reason
behind it.

Why do you think so much
has happened historically

in Bulacan in terms
of the heroes

that have come out of it,

the...

you know, the landmark
kind of constitution

that was set here,

the dinners that were had?

Why do you think Bulacan
is so important

in the Filipino context?

- Because there are so many
historical events

that happened here in Bulacan,
especially in Malolos.

The Malolos Congress, you know?

And the liberation of Bulacan,
and so on and so forth.

History is the one that...

- That shapes the place.
- Yeah.

That's put Bulacan in the map
of the Philippines.

- Is there a strong culture
here still of people

really considering
themselves Bulaceño

and not just a northern province
next to Metro Manila?

- Oh, yes. Oh, yes.

A lot of people are saying
that they're proud Bulaceños.

Although we're very near Manila,
most of the Bulaceños,

they worked in Manila,
they studied in Manila,

so you know...

But still, they're very proud
of the heritage of Bulacan,

and that includes the cuisine.

- The food here was rich,
heavy, and full of love,

the type of dishes
you come to expect

from your grandmother—
generous in flavor

and etched in your memory.

None of it would be here
without the work

of another woman—Rheeza.

Rheeza Santiago-Hernandez,
one of Bulacan's

foremost culinary
and heritage advocates,

was by Bong's grandmother's side
taking note

of all her recipes
and making sure

that they're properly passed on
to all Filipinos.

Rheeza passed away
a few years ago,

but similar to her
Aunt Milagros Enriquez,

she now lives in the ideas
and the purpose

that she shared with all of us.

While history tends
to tell tales of men,

we've seen over and over again
that women play

an equally important role
in the formation of our nation.

A more recent addition to the line
of Bulaceñas

to be remembered
is Chelsea Manalo,

Ms. Philippines 2024.

She shook the scene
when she won the crown,

in a country that tends
to associate fair skin

with the apex of beauty.

She was born and raised
in Meycauayan

and told us to meet her
at Francia's.

People from all over the Luzon
make the drive to Francia's

just for their fluffy puto.

***- Basta kung ano yung magandang bigas, yun ang kinukuha. Yun lagi ang hinahanap namin, di kami naghahanap na kasi mura yun ang kukunin ko. Lagi kami on top ng presyo ng bigas, yung quality ng bigas. one to 20 years, ako ang nangangasiwa lahat. Di ko talaga binabago. Kung mapapasarap ko pa, ganun ang ginagawa ko. Di ako nagbababa, hahanapin ko yung mababang presyo. Laging quality.

- You know why Francia's
is one of my favorites?

It's not just because
it's known in Bulacan,

it's also because here
in Bulacan,

we like to feast.

When there's always
a celebration,

there'll always be puto
on the table setting.

And then, I grew up
wherein my grandmother,

my mom, my uncle,
and even my cousins,

they all have the tradition
of bringing puto in the house

whenever they'll bring pasalubongs,

and the puto is from Francia's.

- Okay. Amazing.

And this is the first time
to note...

I've actually seen a price
for 50 pieces

which is insane,
which shows you that people

come here and really buy
in bulk, right?

- They have in boxes,
or sometimes it's in a bilao.

- How much is this?

- Php130.

- Php130.

- I don't have money,
so you're paying, right?

- Yes.

- I'm the guest.

(laughs)

I'm the guest here.

- My favorite is the cheese,
but I'll do...

This time, I want to try this one.

I kind of forgot how it taste...
the pao.

- This is pretty cool, though.
Like, I've never seen,

like a pao...

like a siopao in a puto style.

It actually makes a lot of sense.

- Okay. Let's try.

- Very spongey. Very chewy.

- And it's sweet, right?

Even just the...

this part, the white part.

- The dough itself.

- Yeah, the dough is sweet.

- I think puto, in general,
should be sweet.

Yes, it's a rice cake,
it's a snack,

that can be enjoyed
at any time of the day.

But my favorite way to use puto
is with dinuguan.

- Oh my god.
- I love it so much.

- Yeah.

- Because dinuguan
has that savory, salty, soy flavor.

And then, when you soak it up
with a sweet puto,

it just makes so much sense.

- Exactly.

- So here having kind
of like a siopao filling in it,

kind of gives you that balance
of sweetness and savory.

So it has to be sweet
in my book.

So tell me a little bit
about growing up in Bulacan.

- Oh my gosh.

Well, Bulacan, now that I'm just
going back again

and again here,
because now I'm mostly

in Manila but now
it feels like, you know,

I can really tell myself
that I'm just this small town girl

because Bulacan is so small,
you know?

The people here that you see
will just be the same people

again and again.

But the people here
loves food so much.

They love to cook,
they like to feast.

It's really family-oriented
where we're just so proud

of our culture.

Like, we're Tagalog,
we speak Tagalog,

we love our food here.

We're also very famous,
not just for the puto itself,

but pancit, adobo,
like the traditional Filipino food.

- The Tagalog food.
- Yeah.

- Do you still feel
the provincial kind of aspect

of Bulacan?

- Of course.

The people here are very humble.

- There's kind of like a sense
of community?

- Of course.

- Like, people kind
of watch out for each other,

whereas Manila is a bit more...

(laughs)

Doggy dog.
- A lot.

- Yeah. It's a lot to take in.
- It's a lot. Yeah.

- After our puto, we wanted
something a little more

substantial to eat,
and we had heard

of a unique pancit dish
in nearby Bocaue.

Run by a 4th generation owner
with an ancestral house

still intact, it's become
a cheeky stop

for curious foodies in the area.

As its name states,
it's almost 100-year-recipe

is said to have been
an accident

where bihon fell
into a bowl of sopas.

When did that idea start
that this is something

that you wanted to do?

Was it you were watching
Ms. Universe

where you grew up
seeing someone

that you wanted to emulate?

- Pageantry for me
was never really, you know,

in my idea to join that early,

because I started in school.

But the only reason
why I wanted to join pageantry

because I wanted to sing.

- Oh, really?

- Yes.

So my idea is that,
"Oh, there's a talent portion."

So what I'm going to do
is I'm going to join a pageantry

so that I can sing
for the talent portion,

until...

- So you were interested
just specifically

for the talent portion?

- Yeah. For the talent portion.

Later on, you join again
in school,

in regionals, and then you win.

So there's something
in your head, like,

"Oh, you can try,
maybe in a bigger platform,

in a bigger pageant,
and then there are people

who would come to you,
who would support that dream."

And that's where I also kind
of got an idea

of what Ms. Universe is all about
because of Ms. Venus Raj.

Like, she's that woman
who has a...

also a woman of color.

- Correct.

***- So for me, dun ako nagkaroon ng parang opening na oh maybe I can be like that too.

But it was a while
because I was in school,

so like for me, my priority is
to just study first.

I have to finish college.

And then, whatever it is
that I want to do,

then I'll pursue.

That's when
an opportunity knocked

which is to try Ms. Universe.

And I did last year.

It was not easy,
it's very challenging.

***I want people to know
that not all women na dumadaan sa pageantry, di lang dahil because gusto mo lang magtalent portion.

No, there's so much more.

- To it. Yeah.

- You don't just do your talent,
you talk, you speak,

you become an influence.

Somehow, one day
you're in a TV,

or you're in a pageant,
or you're in a stage,

you get off of stage,
there's a girl coming up to you

and she will be like,
"You're my idol now.

I look up to you."

So that's already something that...
- It's a lot of pressure.

- Yeah. It's something
that I learned to love

along the way,
because now, people see

representation in me.

And because I get to talk
about it more,

and with the advocacy
that I have,

then I kind of love the idea
of what pageantry is all about.

- And on that, when did you...

Did you ever feel growing up,
do you realize

that people saw you differently,
or you felt different?

- Oh, yeah.

- And when did
and how did that start

to manifest?

- Well, maybe in my case,
it was hard.

Like, people would always
see you differently

when you're a woman of color.

Growing up, I was bullied a lot
because I was morena,

I was darker
than a morena actually.

I had curly hair
that I don't even like brushing

my own hair back then.

So it was a challenge,
because you would get bullied a lot.

That there's so many people
who doesn't know, you know?

Because you cannot speak
for yourself that much,

like you would just accept
the bullies.

***But then, like my mom and dad, parang pasok sa tenga, labas na lang sa kabila, you know.

You kill them with kindness,
you don't really have to just

listen to what they think
about you,

because that's not who you are.

Then, just show them
who you are,

what you want to be,
what you want to pursue in life.

And that's when people
will then know

who you really are,

rather than what you just
look like physically.

- I think that's...

I mean, that's one aspect
of Filipino culture

that's maybe not pretty,

that people also don't
necessarily talk much about,

but there are racial biases here,

people tend to think
that people should look

a certain way,
that when you're pretty,

there's a Western standard
as to what that pretty looks like.

That changes now
because now, you know,

Korea's really popular,
so now all of a sudden,

it's not just a Western bias
but there's also

an East Asian bias
to what beauty is, right?

- It's kind of...

Is it bad to talk about it?

- It's fine.

Actually, that's what I'm trying
to break through,

because I feel like it's there,
it's just below the surface

and we never really
talked about it.

- Yeah.

- And the things
that are worth talking about

make you uncomfortable.

That's what I think, right?

- So now that we got
a chance to talk about it

because I don't know
how many beauty queens

you have talked to...

- Not many. Actually,
I think you're the first

Ms. Universe I get to interview.

- So I don't know
what the standard was

for so many Filipinos back then,
but now, it changes.

Now that their standard
is saying,

"Oh, Chelsea's the standard.

No, she's the dark skin."

No.

I think the standard
is really yourself,

your own beauty,
your own uniqueness,

because, yeah, what they say
is that beauty

is in the eye of the beholder,
but who are you looking at

when you look in the mirror—

it's yourself.

So that is your own standard.

- Thank you.

- Thank you!

- Thank you very much.

So you've never tried this, right?

- I have never tried it.

- But your mom told you
it was good?

- Yes.

My family have.

- The name means...

- So "alanganin" in English
means doubt.

- Doubtful.

- Doubtful. Yes.

So it's like, you're really unsure
what this whole thing is,

because... Right?

When you think about pancit,
it's supposed to be dry,

but why is it...

- Why is it wet?

- Yeah.

- Why are there
tamago eggs in it?