And speaking of pig? It can now be said that of all the whole roasted pigs I've had all over the world, the slow roasted lechon I had on Cebu was the best. This puts the standings in the Hierarchy of Pork as follows:
#1. Philippines
#2. Bali
#3. Puerto Rico (Click here for the rest.)
The No Reservations episode on the Philippines is currently showing in North America via the Travel Channel. From the comments on Tony Bourdain's blog, it was a smash hit, especially among our kababayans abroad. My eyes were moist as I read their foodie memories and their longing to come home or visit.
Congratulations to Ivan Dy, MarketMan and Claude Tayag for helping the No Reservations crew put out a well-researched and entertaining feature on Philippine cuisine. While not all regions were covered due to time constraints, be proud fellow Pinoys about this immense publicity. Hopefully this will help attract more tourists here and drag our economy out of the rut.
Check out the full menu of MarketMan for his portion of the show. Grabeh, nakakagutom!
UPDATE (11:17PM) I know you can't wait for the episode to be shown here, so here's a taste of it courtesy of the Travel Channel and YouTube:
Here's another by YouTube member mrfhardy:
I don't think so -
ReplyDeletebourdain was bored out of his wits with his hosts. So people will come to the Philippines because of a roast pig? No beaches nightlife or resto scene? Get real - these so called hosts were so wooden a fire extinguisher could've been more engaging. As he said, on the show " your problem is that you're too nice" or too bland. Check out my full review on irishmonk.multiply.com - peace.
Well too bad you feel that way. I still think any form of publcity may help. And of course, it's not just about the roast pig. I thought you saw the entire show?
ReplyDeleteIf you read some of the comments of the foreigners, not the Flips mind you, on Tony Bourdain's blog, some interest in the Philippines has perked up. It's a matter of of the DOT/travel agents following this up with more promotions and incentives.
Anyhoo I'm waiting to see the entire show here in the Philippines and reserve my other comments 'til then.
Thanks for dropping by.
No Reservations is a show about food, and not just your regular foodie, but the cult following for Tony Bourdain smacks of people who regard food similarly; he has his own demographic.
ReplyDeleteNo Reservations is all about food experiences, it is not a travel show in the tradition of Wow Philippines. There are other shows for that. See Samantha Brown.
I, for one, am glad that the show brought to light the simple but sublime goodness of Filipino home cooking, stripped of pretensions, food that Filipinos rich or poor can identify with.
True, this show won't have foreigners come to our shores in droves, but it will attract a certain kind of traveler: those who appreciate good, simple, soulful food and willing to travel to somewhere different to have that single authentic food experience.
Tumpak ka Bb. Stella. =)
ReplyDeleteI agree Kaila. If you want the new restos, beaches, and nightlife, there already have been touristy shows which featured those aspects of the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteGee CW, for a minute there I thought you were gonna confuse me w/ Bb Gandanghari! :p Btw, I have trouble accessing your blog sometimes. Are you on members' only mode?
Thank you both.
Yay! Really? No. I am open to all. Parang karinderya. lol.
ReplyDeleteI think the Campangpangan comment Tayag made was meant not as "Campangpangan food is the best", but that one has to love where one is from first. It may be regionalistic but it's true. I am definitely Cebuano before I'm Filipino.
ReplyDelete@ CW: A kasi, sometimes when I click an entry, it goes to another page w/c says: "We're sorry we can't find the web page you requested..."
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 12:19 a.m.: You may be right. But what Tayag said still rubbed me the wrong way. Appreciate you comment though :)