Pampanga Culinary Tour...part 1

As I was a last minute replacement to become a faculty chaperon for the 2nd year HRM students of St Paul University Quezon City for their Culinary Tour in Pampanga (as in literally last minute, I was only told about it at 10pm the night before the day of the tour!), I didn't really know what to expect from the outing. If it were just a hotel immersion program, I would be 100% confident on what I would be getting myself into. All I was told was that I better prepare myself for the eating that I'll be doing (that's another 5lbs to gain!).

So on the day of the trip, I boarded the coach at exactly 6am that would take me to this Pampanga Culinary Tour ready to feast on whatever was thrown my way...and of course, my main obligation was to monitor the young rascals (students) who would eventually become my students. After about two hours, our first stop was breakfast at Everybody's Cafe along Mac Arthur Highway in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Everybody's Cafe was opened in the 1950s as a hawker type selling Pancit Luglog and Pansit May Sabay (noodles). It was called Everybody's Cafe because, literally, everybody (Filipinos, Americans, etc) would go there to try out the delicious noodle items. My breakfast consisted of suman and tamales (these are rice based glutinous stuff that are semi sweet and quite filling), Pan de Sal (bread), and Rebuelto (omelet). I have to apologize at this point since I was not able to take a single picture at this restaurant (perhaps I was still in my sleep mode as I had to wake up at 4am earlier). There was also a cooking demonstration by Mr Poch Jorolan, the owner and grandson of the original creator of Everybody's Cafe. Mr Jorolan showed the students how to make Betute (stuffed frogs) and Adobong Camaru (mole crickets)

Betute

Mole Cricket (left)

For some, the above-mentioned food items may put you in a Fear Factor mode as they can be a mouthful for the inexperienced. As for me, I've been eating frog's legs since I was a small kid and I loved the taste of it. However, I've never tried cricket in my entire life and I would have wanted to try it but, unfortunately, it was dipped in vinegar (which i'm semi allergic to). Going back to the Betute, it was stuffed with ground pork meat so the idea of actually eating the body part was not as repulsive. I went for it but found the way it was cooked made it a bit salty.

All in all, for people travelling to or passing through San Fernando, Everybody's Cafe should be a pit stop (and introduction) to stuff one's self with authentic Kapampangan cuisine.

photos courtesy of Poch Jorolan's website http://pochjorolan.multiply.com/photos