Bulacan Food Trip with Erwan, Ninong Ry & Chelsea Manalo

- You know, this is weaving,
so there should be a pattern,

but we’re already
at the fifth step

and I still don’t see a pattern.
You get it?

- 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.

To 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.

We even reach Cavite,
the ones ordering

from us in Malabon.

As long as it’s through a rider
or they ask someone

to pick it up,
it gets picked up.

Back then,
life was really hard for us.

We siblings would just
peddle around.

Even when it rained,
we helped each other.

(giggles)

- Who was cooking?

- My mother before,
when she was still alive.

Because my mother inherited it
from her own mother.

And then we inherited it from her.

What she used to cook—
at first we made rice cakes.

After she cooked,
we siblings would go out

and sell it.
We really struggled.

But now that we’ve learned
the recipes,

from this we were able
to provide for everything,

even sending all our children
to school.

We managed to get them
through with this livelihood.

- 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.

- As long as the rice is good,
that’s what we take.

That’s always what we look for.

We don’t look for rice
just because it’s cheap,

then we’ll buy it.

We’re always on top
of the price of rice—

its quality.

For one to twenty years,
I’ve been managing it all.

I really never change it.

If I can make it taste better,
that’s what I do.

I don’t downgrade
or look for a lower price.

Always 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, that’s when
I had an opening like,

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

who go through pageantry do it
just because they want

to have a talent 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,
it’s like in one ear

and out the other, 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?

(chuckles)

Why is there liver and sayote?

- Okay. I'm going to try it.

- I like that the egg
is very generous,

and you kind of have
a very strong egg flavor

which I love.

Broth is peppery.

- Wow.

- Stalk is good.

- It's like sopas.

- Yeah. Yeah.

- But noodles.

- Wow.

- Like, longer noodles.

- I'm going to have you
more often in these shows.

That's exactly what I was
about to say.

- Like sopas, right?

- It's like sopas but pancit version.

Was the one year
as Ms. Universe Philippines,

was it everything you kind
of hoped it would be?

- Yes, it was.
And I didn't expect it

to be like continuous work.

Like, even until now,
even if it had passed,

it's still there, you know?
The work continues.

Like, you work
with different organizations

at the same time,
and you still want

to make sure that people
understand what it is

that pageantry is all about.

Like, once you're done,
it's not done.

- A lot of people think
life is a gradual increase.

You get more popular,
you get busier,

you get richer, richer,
richer, richer.

There's this aspect
that we think that

that's how our path
should be in the world.

Thank you!

- Wow. Thank you!

- It should be linear
and it should be always increasing.

And I think that's why
a lot of young people

now struggle
with mental health issues

and things like that,
is 'cause we always think

there's something better,

forgetting that we should also
just enjoy where we are.

And the way I see life
is not like that,

the way I see life is like this.

- Exactly.

- And so, there are moments
you'll be very busy,

there are moments
that it'll be a bit more quiet,

and etc., etc.

And the way I see it
is the quiet moments

just give you the time
to reassess and get ready

for the next busy period
of your life.

- That's good.

- Everything you've gone
through in the past

that seemed so big
was actually so little

compared to the big things
that you can achieve, right?

- Exactly.

- So in Bulacan,
do you eat your pancit

with bread?

- Monay, right?

Is it called monay?

- Yeah.

- Ah, okay. Monay.

- You do a full sandwich? Yes?

Okay.

- I've never done this.

- Really?

- No.

- Oh, no.

(laughs)

- Usually...

- You need to.

- What I know they make here
is ice cream. Dessert.

- So especially
when it's wet pancit,

you'll take the first bite
and you'll be like,

"Why haven't I done this
my whole life?"

Right?

- Wow.

(laughs)

- She gave me life lessons,
I gave her

pancit sandwich lessons.

(chuckles)

- Not bad, huh?

- It's good.

- Yeah.

- I mean, nutritionally,
maybe not the best thing for you.

- No.

- But it tastes really good.

Puni is the art
of making decorations

and packaging
out of palm leaves.

In Bulacan, there's a tradition
of making palaspas,

or palm fronds, for Palm Sunday
in the Catholic calendar.

But even before
this religious use case,

this is a precolonial artform
that needs to be remembered,

and one of the masters
of this artform happens

to live here.

So I called another friend
to join me,

as he is known
for his delicate touch.

This is a coconut leaf. Okay.

- Yes. So our coconut leaves,
this is the leaf blade,

so we'll remove the midrib
since it's hard.

So the way we remove it is
from the tip or the very top,

you cut a little at the end up
to the midrib,

then you pull the midrib.

Just slowly so you get
all the leaf blade.

So hold the two leaf blades
with your hands,

then pull the midrib.

You should get
all the leaf blades

because that’s what we need.

- Why is mine thick?

- Mine, too.

(laughs)

- This is step one.

***- Right? Step one pa lang.

(laughs)

- So you really need
to hold the leaf blade.

What you pull is the midrib.

- This one’s gone?
This one’s gone?

- Yes.

***- Step one pa lang, bro.

- Try again.

- Try again.

Ninong Ry and I are sitting
with Jonnah Garcia

and Gigi Garcia,
founders of Punique.

They're also advocates
of this traditional art.

Here, they teach other people
about the art,

sell local crafts,
and help upscale

local women to bring them
a different source of income—

everything from earrings
to food packaging.

- So it has support.

- Ah. And then,
you move your hand down.

- So hold it with all your fingers.

- It’s like a big snow pea.

- So that’s what you need to get.

So your midrib should be clean.

- So how long have
you been making

or working puni arts?

- 1996.

- Oh, wow.

- 1996.

- How old are you?

- 36.

(laughs)

- No, back then, in 1996.

- Ah, 1996! Okay.
I was six years old.

- Okay. Yeah. Same.

(laughs)

Wait. My math is not mathing.

- So if you see,
that triangle is also at the back.

- Who figured this out?
You get it?

- You know, that’s my question too.

That’s when we realize
how great our ancestors were.

How did they invent this, right?

- You know what?
You know what my theory is?

All of this could only have
happened before social media.

- Yes. Before internet.

- Right before internet,
because people were so bored,

they're like, "We need
to figure out

how to fix this problem."

Now, when you have a problem,
what do you do?

ChatGPT.

- Exactly.

(laughs)

- Yeah.

- Are we still in step two?

- You know what?

This is weaving,
so there should be a pattern,

but we’re already
at the fifth step

and I still don’t see a pattern.
You get it?

- 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?

- Yeah.

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

- You're right.

- In the traditional forms,
right, Nanay?

But the earliest recorded use
of palaspas

was the leaf fronds,

when Jesus entered Jerusalem.

- That was what I was
about to say.

- That's the earliest.

The earliest recorded use
of palaspas.

- Because in Malabon,
when we say "palaspas,"

That’s the entry of Jesus
into Jerusalem. Yes.

Then when I was a child,
the palm was just

the pointed leaf,
then we placed it

outside the window.

As I grew older,
it became woven into arches

or different variations, right?

- So this is the tatlong suso
because you have three corners.

- And this is simpler?

- Yes. Simpler.

- So tatlong suso
just means triangle?

- Yes.
- Okay.

- Three points.

- They just really like the word.

- Yes. Me, too.

I like the word.

- The Dubai chef.

- Yeah, yeah.
- Salt Bae.

- Salt Bae.

Oh, wow!

- Thank you.
- Thank you!

- Last time I had a food trip
in Bulacan, I made sure

to pass by Mercy's,
and I was happy to find

that it hasn't changed.

- What's this?

- Empanada De Kaliskis.

- Empanada De Kaliskis.

- Good morning!

So the kaliskis,
have you heard about it?

- Yes. I've tried doing
that before.

- The clamshell.

- Yeah, right.

It's like a laminated dough
in a way.

- Yeah.

So they're the ones
who brought it back to fashion.

- Okay. Okay.

Even before Ninong Ry,
I've already tried it.

My mom liked it
because it’s something, you know,

she hadn’t seen before.

And its texture
was very different.

- Were you able to get it?

- Yeah.

- When you put it in,
it puffs up, like that.

- Mine doesn’t puff up,
mine’s weird.

The one I made, what happens
is the oil layer melts.

So it only leaves the scales.

Because when I see other scales
on the internet,

they really look different
from mine.

So I’m excited to taste this.

- Thank you!

- Thank you!

- Good morning.

- It's still hot.

- It's still hot. Fresh.

There's no dine-in
anymore here, right?

- Not anymore
ever since pandemic.

- Look at that.

So did you get that?

- I got this. Like that.

But what I did before
was so brittle.

So I want to taste this,
because this is the proper one.

- All our empanadas started
looking the same.

- Yeah.

- It was like just
the sheen dough.

And then, I remember
started seeing

these forms and they said
you have to come

to Bulacan specifically
to try this,

because they make
the clamshell ones.

And all the other ones
that we've seen,

they don't have that rim.

There's no lip.

This one has a lip.

Which reminds me more
of the Malaysian curry puff.

They fold it.

- That's right.

Oh, yeah.

- Wow.

- This is way better
than what I did.

The one I made, I also vlogged it,
mine was oily.

This one isn’t—it’s clean.

- It doesn't absorb it.

- Yeah, yeah. Beautiful.

- And then, the stuffing
is chicken?

- Yes.

- Chicken. Let's taste it.

I was expecting
that's strongly flavored,

but no.

What you get is really chicken.

- Chicken, peppery.

- Yeah.

- There's like a nice amount
of pepper,

good texture from the potatoes.

- Also, it's not ground.

Shredded. It's shredded.

- And then, you can tell
it's been cooked in broth

or something.

- And its flavor is not imposing,
it's just there, right?

- And the dough is
as important as the filling.

- Of course.

- Like here.

- It’s not one or the other,
they really have

to go together, right.
This is delicious.

- I really still think
this is probably one

of the best bites
you can have in the Philippines

in such an unassuming place.

So when people want
to try this at home,

I really do recommend
you come here to try

to learn how to make it,
because texturely,

it's hard to explain
how to get this right.

- Right.

- You see it a little bit here.

So people used to say,
"Oh, it's like croissant."

- No. No, no, no.

- In terms of the layers, sure.

But each layer here,
especially on the lip,

has crunch.

- Yes.

In a croissant, it collapses.

This one, it doesn’t collapse.

It’s really crispy, right?
All throughout.

- We have one more stop,
I think.

I've never tried this restaurant.

- Okay.

- But apparently,
it is the mecca

for people who love tumbong.

- Tumbong?

- Yeah.

- And they tumbong everything.

They make everything
out of tumbong.

- I like that.

I love tumbong. Let's go there.

Tumbongan time!

Don’t move, Nanay, it will change,
it’ll become Erwan.

There!

- My nephew is a fan of yours.

- Say hi to him for me, okay.
Thank you.

- You heard me right.

Tumbong, or pork rectum,
or anus,

whatever you want to call it.

Just don't fade it.

- Tumbongan time.

- So are you a fan of...

- Tumbong?

- Tumbong?

- Yes!

(laughs)

- Tumbungero expert?

- I'm a tumbungero.

- Okay.

- So we’ll eat Tumbong together?

(laughs)

- So in Bulacan, we've had...

we had sinuso.

- Sinuso. Yeah.

- Today, we had tatlong suso.

- Tatlong suso.

- And now, we have tumbong.

- Yes.

(laughs)

I'll taste their vinegar first.

- It should be sasa (nipa palm)
since this is the country

of nipa, right?

- Spicy, tasty, a little sweet.

- Rice.

- There we go!

(coughs)

- Oh my god.

- Spicy, right?

- Thank you.

So for our international
friends watching,

tumbong is?

- Tumbong is the rectum.

(chuckles)

For the lack of better term. Okay.

Maybe to make it
more glamorous,

it's the poop chute.

- It's basically...
Also, you get...

So you get...

You know the bulging anus?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Right, the...

- The almoranas.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The cauliflower.

Hey!

- Sizzling tumbong sisig.

- Tumbong sisig. Okay.

- So the reason we came here...

This is fairly new.

It opened a month ago.

And we were waiting for the food,
because they're not open.

- They've opened for Erwan.

- Yeah.

They opened in an hour
and a half.

But I was just...

I thought it was cool to see
carinderia basically using

one ingredient in multiple ways.

- There.

- Adobo, Bicol express. Exactly.

- They have Hungarian tumbong.

Oh, that's different. Sorry.

(chuckles)

It's written there.

- Let's try this.

- Okay, okay.

- So do you have a lot of ass?

- Just a bit.

My wife loves it, so...

(chuckles)

There are more.

- Classic prito.

- Actually, let's try
the classic first, maybe, right?

- Have you been to La Loma?

- La Loma in Quezon?

- Quezon City.
The Lechon Capital of Manila.

Have you been there?

- Yes. But I haven't had...

- I think, if I’m not mistaken,
I once went somewhere

and they were selling this outside
the lechon places.

I’m not sure if it was Tumbong,
but it was something

like this, right?

And it was kind of expensive
at that time, I remember.

- It's like when you're telling us
about the sinuso,

a lot of people want the cut
but there's not a lot.

In one pig, there's not
a lot of it, right?

- Yeah.

- That's good.

- This is dangerous to serve
at a drinking session,

it’ll go fast.

I think that’s what it’s for.

- No fishy smell. Very clean.

- No fishy smell.

- No, what’s it called, angoy?

- Anggo.

- Ah, anggo.

- That’s good. You know,
this is by far tastier

than chicharong bulaklak.

- 100%.

- Right? Chicharong bulaklak
is so fatty.

That one is the adobo.

- Julius.

Julius, my man.

- Does Julius also love innards?

- He is the innards king.

- Mr. Gout?
- Yeah.

- Hey!
- Hey!

Tumbong kare-kare.

- Good thing there are vegetables.
Thank you so much.

(laughs)

Otherwise, you’d be rushing
to the hospital, right?

- This is good.

- It’s so delicious, and so oily.

And I think this is
its natural oil.

- That it just comes out here.

- Wow. The tumbong oil.

- Look at that.

A bit of vinegar.

That's good.

- Thank you.

- So the pineapple...
- Thank you.

- Does it help
with blood pressure?

- Yes.

- Really? It really does.

- You might not see it here,
but at the back,

it’s full of pineapples,
because they know.

- I use pineapple for highschool
for a very different reason.

(laughs)

- Tumbong Bicol express.

- Tumbong Bicol.

There's so much tumbong!

How big is the rectum of a pig?

How much in kilos is it?

- Around half kilo only.

- Half kilo only?

All the dishes you served here,
how many pigs

do you think that came from?

- About eight pigs.
Because in two...

- I'm sorry.

- Okay.

All right. Thank you!

I've never had that much
tumbong in my life.

- Now I understand
why the pineapple, the garlic.

When I've seen tumbong
in the Philippines,

most of the time
it's in a soup farm.

- Oh!

- Sibot.

- Sibot. Sibot or...

It's refreshing in a way.

It's not heavy.

- It's very light.

- There's not much oil slick.
It's just right.

- What is your bestseller?

I'm guessing the soup
and the adobo?

These two?

- The classic.

- Ah, yes.

I really like soup.

I really like sipping the Tumbong.

Why, why are you laughing?

Is there something funny
about that?

Look at this Tumbong,
I’ll sip it.

- Okay. Do you still
have space for dessert?

- There's a tumbong dessert?

(laughs)

I want Tumbong with ice cream.

(laughs)

- Before driving back to Manila,
we had to pass by

the famous Eurobake.

I don't know if it's a mental thing
or do you feel...

- You feel something.

- Like...

- You feel sticky.

- Yeah. You feel sticky
and a little slimy.

- Quagmirish.

- I feel like when you eat
stuff like that,

your blood slows down.
I don't know.

- Yeah. That's right.

- Like, it actually chunks up.

- I don't know.

- So let's loosen it up
with some sugar.

- Okay.

(chuckles)

And some margarine.

- So I saw you did a video
in Eurobake, right?

You did like a real here.

- Yes.

Of course, the inipit
and ensaymada.

- I feel like any province
you go to in the Philippines,

there's always one consolidator.

So it starts with them
making one really strong,

emblematic dish
that everyone wants

to bring home.

And then, eventually
they start sourcing

the best of the province
and end up being kind

of like the last stop
before you go home.

- It's like a one-stop shop
for all the pasalubong.

Something like that.

- Correct.

- You know,
I don’t really like ube.

- Same. I mean,
I'll eat it if it's there

but I don't look for it.

- Yeah.

Oh! Oh!

Their ube is not...

- It's chunky.

- Yes. It's chunky, it's...

You can taste the root crop.

- Yeah.

- Right?
- Yeah.

Which it should be.

- Exactly.

- It’s not the pasty kind
like it’s diluted

with some starch, you know?

- Have you seen those videos online
where they're like,

"Yeah. Real ube is sweet."

- I saw your video.

- And then, you're like...
No. But also, like,

there's a lot of US-based creators,
not Filipinos,

foreigners, and say,
"Yeah. Ube should be sweet."

I'm like, "When did you ever taste
an ube that was sweet?"

It tastes like a potato.

- But to be fair,
most of us, like, in Manila,

Manila kids, or even
from adjacent cities,

their only exposure to ube
is the halaya.

- Correct.

- So you really can't blame them.

But if you taste like ube,
it's closer to gabi

than a camote.

- Correct.

- It's like that.

And it's weird
because when you taste

ube flavoring, it tastes
like the commercial ube ice cream.

- It's like the fake ube flavor.

- Yeah. And you'll think,

"Where did this come from?"

- Yes. Like, who decided...

- Who decided that
this would be the taste of ube?

- Okay. Let's try this ensaymada.

- Ensaymada Malolos.

- I love ensaymada.

- That's really it.

And to be honest,
with this one...

So many claim
they make ensaymada,

but the only thing
that makes it ensaymada

is the butter, sugar,
and cheese.

But it’s really about the bread.
It’s really about the bread.

- So what, for you,
is a good ensaymada

in terms of dough?

- Fluffy.

It should be very fluffy.

Like, it should be kind of,
in a way, yeasted chiffon.

I don't know.

Because chiffon is
what comes to mind

when I think of super airy bread.

- Like a shreddy brioche.

- Exactly.

- Right? Yeah.

- But it's not too heavy.

You know? It's hard to explain.

I’ve also had an ensaymada
before that I felt they tried

so hard to make it light
that it ended up tasting raw.

You get what I mean?

The last time I came here, sir,
when I went home,

I finished another one again.

(laughs)

- One like this?

- Yeah.
- No.

I mean, this is a good last bite
for Bulacan.

- It's just right.

- Because I feel like
in terms of provinces,

it's kind of how like
we did Malabon.

Obviously, Malabon
is not a province.

And Ry was pissed at us
'cause we completely forgot

that he was from Malabon.

(laughs)

So that's why we asked him
to come to the...

- I was just there
when you went there.

Malabon and Bulacan are right next
to each other.

Really next to each other.

Back then,
when we biked as kids,

there was a sign there that said,
“You are now leaving NCR.”

- Really?

- There is, yeah.

- Oh, I didn’t know that.

- There is.
And then it was like,

oh, we’re already in the province,
we kids biking.

And that’s Obando.

- Okay.

- I even had classmates so close
that they studied in Obando.

So it was really near us,
but culturally,

especially in food...

- Different.

- Far.

- Yeah?

- Really far. Really far.

I mean, maybe if we had something
like this in Malabon,

it would be the puto.

- Correct.

- We had a super light puto
that I don’t see...

- Elsewhere.

- Yeah.

- I feel like every time I go
to any province

in the Philippines,
there's always a couple

of dishes that kind
of make you rethink

your knowledge
of every, you know...

all the food that we have.

- Yeah.

- And it just goes to show
that there's still so much

to kind of learn about, right,
in terms of our food.

And not just, you know,
it becomes trendy to, like,

go to Batanes, or go to Basilan,
and everything—

go to these far-flung places.

But literally, right next
to Metro Manila,

you have a place like Bulacan
that has dishes still

that kind of, one,
have stood the test of time,

and two, will still surprise you
in how they're made.

'Cause last time we worked together
was a couple of years ago.

Since then, everything
that's happening

in the food world,
specifically in content,

has accelerated so much.

Do you think
we're better off now

in terms of people's knowledge
about Filipino food,

in how it's being communicated?

Or is it too much?

- When I started attempting
to be a content creator,

which was 2020,
there was a clear distinction

between a consumer of content
and a creator of content.

But today, everybody’s
a content creator, you know?

Which I think is a very good thing.

It’s a very good thing
because unlike before,

I’d have friends and I’d think,
oh this is funny

for my friends, you know?

Now you’re creating content
for the world to see

because everything
has the potential to go viral.

You get it?

So I think everyone’s
becoming marketers in a way,

or maybe not stewards of culture
but like promoters

of cultures, you know, in a way.

- Yeah. There's a lot more,
what they call, UGC,

user-generated content,
for everyday people.

I mean, perfect example
is today the...

where we just ate.

That we found through TikTok
two days ago.

- Two days ago.

- Yeah, yeah. We just saw it
and it just popped off, right?

- And they’ve only been open
for a month.

Poor kids, they’ll be swamped
with people.

(laughs)

- What did she say?

She said we opened...

They started opening
at 10:00 a.m., and then...

- Now they're opening
at 3:00 a.m.

- Because they felt like
they were going to die.

(laughs)

- It's been only one month.

That's really the power.

- A lot of these places
that we went to today,

and yesterday, some have
very clear, you know,

we know who's going
to take over and continue

the business.

Some were not sure
if the next generation

is going to keep doing it.

So hopefully, these kinds
of videos help promote that.

- I enjoyed.

- Yeah.

- Because I didn’t do
anything else but eat and talk, right.

- Ry puts it perfectly.

Bulacan is layered,
just like this ensaymada.

It seems so close
to Metro Manila,

close enough that it could look like
it's part of it,

but thanks to its rich
and proud history,

it feels distinct and unique.

As the claws
of modernization advance,

so does the threat
of culinary gentrification.

We can't stop the rise
of fast food chains

or the way recipes
are shared online,

or even how one might prefer
kimchi over atchara.

However, one can be curious,

curious enough to ask questions,
to look at our own backyards,

to talk to our neighbors
and elders to establish

a sense of identity
through our food ways.

Across the Philippines,
every region holds

its own nuances,
shaped by history, geography,

and the sublte influences
of those around it.

Each identity is distinct,
yet connected

like strips of puni
woven together

to form something strong
and whole—

a vessel to protect our heritage
for future generations.