It was a Saturday when we had a delivery service to a town called Bulaon in San Fernando, Pampanga. Surprisingly, the downtown market area of Bulaon was not any different from what happens in our Angeles city counterpart. It was a busy place like in our business area. However, the only difference I believe is the width of the sidewalks and streets. Bulaon had narrower ones compared to Angeles City. On the way back, we stopped over at a local Filipino-style eatery. In english, they call it cafeteria or canteen...but for us, we call them Carinderia.
The Carinderia that we visited is called Manok's Canteen...well yes, it used the English counterpart given the influence of western culture in the Philippines. Haha! This is a staple carinderia for us when we deliver goods in different areas of Pampanga. The place used the word Manok's or Chicken since it specializes in fried chicken that is sold on-the-go...however, they only offer this specialty in the late afternoon and evening where their target are those customers who buy these to pair up with beers or other alcoholic beverages.
In the morning, Manok's offer early brunch or lunch food menu where Rice & Ulam combo is lined-up by students, workers and walk-in families. The Carinderia has a very local ambiance with walls painted in candy-green color while the chairs & tables are red. Manok's also offers sari-sari store items such as chichiryas, candies and cigarettes.
By 9:30 in the morning, the canteen already has several ulam or viands available. In the Philippines it is very common for people to eat rice paired with an ulam of their choice. On that day, I chose to eat Rice and an ulam called Dinuguan while my sidekick chose Rice and the world renowned Filipino Sisig. Dinuguan is made from Pork's Blood or Dugo ng Baboy...thus the name "D-in-UGO-an". The ulam also utilizes Pork as a main ingredient plus vinegar and lady finger chillies. There are two main types of recipe for Dinuguan, the first makes use of liquid/quashed Pork's blood while the second uses clotted, solidified Pork's blood. The first is the more expensive recipe given that it uses Pork meat as a main ingredient while the second is a cheaper alternative where solid Pork's blood is coupled with chopped pork intestines. Personally, I like the cheaper version not just because it is half the price, but I also love eating ulam with pork intestines.
On the other hand, the world famous Pinoy Sisig is made from thinly chopped pork ears and pisngi or pork "cheeks". The chopped meat are mixed with a generous amount of chopped sibuyas or onions; then is seasoned with spices before being sautéed to perfection. Some modern innovations of this putahe/ulam are variants with egg and chicharones for a more crunchy feeling in every bite! Sisig is believed to be a specialty of Angeles City Pampanga. This year in 2017, the local government of Angeles city decided to formally organize the first Sisig Festival in the country. So if you're planning to visit Angeles City in 2018, be sure to stop by in June to catch exciting activities and events.
Other ulam that Manok's canteen offers are Kaldereta, Giniling, Tortang talong, Kamansi, Pork in tausi sauce, Chopsuey, Kilayin, Paksiw na Bangus and Sipo Egg. They also offer hotdogs, fried egg, Tocino and fried galunggong (fish) as alternative ulam. Traditionally, in Carinderias like Manok's Canteen, people line-up in front of a counter where ulam varieties are viewed via a glass covered display area. The food server then scoops up the ulam into a platito(saucer) and cups rice onto your plate. Carinderias also offer specialty drinks such as softdrinks, bottled orange juice and other packed fruit juices. But remember, to save up some moolah, drinking water is 100% free!
The next time you find yourself in Angeles City, don't forget to try out some ulam from Manok's canteen. You may opt to take it out, packed in clear biodegradable plastics or simply eat your lunch on one of their cool tansan(bottle cap) shaped monoblock tables. Don't forget to take a selfie by the Sprite Lebron's mix poster if you still find it there. Haha! Ingat and eat well.
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