Going Bananas

Friends and colleagues often ask me which Filipino food I miss the most, and my answer is usually: "I don't". I've never been a huge fan of Filipino food, maybe because it really wasn't a part of our meal time repertoire while growing up. Of course I'm familiar with Adobo and Tinola, but these were dishes we didn't eat regularly. Maybe it was because my grandparents are Castillian who ate Paella instead of Pinakbet.

One boring day, I decided to try and figure out which local food I enjoyed eating as a child and adult. This is in the hopes of providing a more interesting answer the next time I'm asked the question. And I finally figured out the answer:



Turon has always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I remember how our maid would cook Turon and Maruya when we would vacation in Bicol, and it always made merienda time so much more worthwhile. The ones they made had a big slice of langka inside, and the outer shell was super crispy and loaded with caramelized sugar. We'd get a piece each and sit down on the "palitada" in Malinao or by the beach in Bacacay, then just munch away.

Whenever I come home to Manila, I make it a point to eat turon. Some of the best turon in town are the ones sold in the Jolli-jeeps in Makati. These are the "home cooked" versions. There's a stall near St. Francis Square that also sells turon that's smothered in sugar, but during my last visit, the stall was gone. Then there's the turon that they'd serve during the old DY&R functions in Ortigas Avenue - bite-sized, covered in sugar, then sprinkled with sesame seeds. I could eat a dozen of those in one sitting.

I've also tried the turon in proper restaurants like Abe and Recipes, and while they have their on merits, they pale in comparison to the street-style ones. The lowly kawali must have some sort of magic.

There was one instance when I was scouring Megamall for turon, and there was none whatsoever. The buffet at Triple V had ONE little turon left, and I wasn't willing to pay the full buffet price for one lousy turon.

One time, I told Cecile about my turon obsession and she had it served during our next shoot. Needless to say, that was one of the best shoots I attended.

Ok, I'm officially craving for turon now. Time to head on to the nearest Jolli-jeep.