Tag Archives: Lipa

Himbabao

Leave a comment Posted by on March 12, 2014

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At Lipa City public market, several tables were selling this unfamiliar edible flower vegetable that the vegetable lady to whom I bought some educated me on its name, how they call it in Batangas, and what its Ilocano name, and on how to cook. One can’t get this kind of knowledge transfer from a supermarket staff.

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Boil tomatoes and salted dried fish, add himbabao and season with salt. The broth will become a little bit thick and deliciously slimy

It turns out that the himbabao or alocon ( in Ilocano) is even better in taste than sitaw (string beans). It turns out too that I like it very much.

Batangas, Produce , , , ,

Barako Guy

Leave a comment Posted by on March 10, 2014

In Lipa City, I spotted this peddling guy with several jugs of hot brewed barako coffee and a chest containing local bread. He is a traveling coffee shop.

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A traveling coffee shop

As I observe him, I saw a customer handed a mug to be filled straight from the jug. It’s highly likely his regular customers do that.

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I wanted one but I don’t have reusable cup and so the barako guy poured my drink in a disposable plastic cup. His coffee tasted simply of brewed barako sweetened with white sugar. A little bit sweet for me but I think it’s the general preference of his market. It was a good sweet hot barako brewed coffee and it calmed my ‘lomi stuffed’ tummy.

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A small serving in plastic cup cost 5 pesos like those cheap coffee vendo machines that have proliferated all over the country and where some are even strategically placed beside a panaderia. I tried but never liked it and barako guy’s native coffee is far more superior than those sweet 3-in-1 like coffee of unknown origin that came from those five-buck machines.

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I'd rather wait for the barako guy

Batangas, Beverage , , , , , , ,