The term sutukil is a humorous derivation from three Cebuano words: sugba, tuwa, kilaw -- which are three ways of preparing food, particularly seafood like fish. If we talk about fish, sugba means to broil fish over hot charcoal; tuwa means to cook fish in boiling water together with some spices and seasoning; kilaw means to prepare fish raw but immersing it in very sour vinegar together with spices like onions, garlic and pepper.
Eating places that offer seafood in these three various ways are called sutukil restaurants or carenderias. In Lapulapu City, the most famous place for treating friends to sutukil is the barangay (village) of Mactan (same name as the island), near the boundary of another village, Punta Engaño. The sutukil restaurants in barangay Mactan are just across the memorial circle containing the Magellan shrine and the monument of Lapulapu.
People from all over Metro Cebu and a number of foreign tourists are frequently seen in this place to enjoy the rich variety of seafood available in over a dozen sutukil restaurants clustered here.
The Philippines is a land of dramatic contrasts.
Here is a land in which a few are spectacularly rich whilst the masses remain abjectly poor.
Here is a land where freedom and its blessings are a reality for the minority and an illusion for the many.
Here is a land consecrated to democracy but run by an entrenched plutocracy.
Here is a land of privilege and rank - a republic dedicated to equality but mired in an archaic system of caste.
Its government is financially almost bankrupt, its state agencies are ridden with debts and honeycombed with graft, its industries in pathetic distress. There is no organised, no methodical overall economic planning, but only haphazard attempts to modernize, confused by a multiplicity of cravings and desires.
So, Filipinos are depressed and dispirited… without purpose and without discipline… sapped of confidence, hope and will.
The fault is mainly theirs. They profess love of country but love themselves, individually, more.
Ninoy Aquino. July 1968.
Lechón (Tagalog: Litson and Cebuano: Inasal) is the Spanish word for suckling pig. In the Philippines, it connotes a whole roasted pig, lechón baboy. Chicken and beef, are also popular. The process of lechón involves the whole pig/piglet, chicken, or cattle/calf being slowly roasted over charcoal.
Lechón is often cooked during national festivities (known as fiestas), the holiday season, and other special occasions such as weddings, graduations, birthdays and baptisms, or family get-togethers. The lechón is usually the highlight and the most popular dish of these events. It is usually served with a liver-based sauce. However, in some cases, it may be served Chinese style with steamed buns and a sweet plum sauce.
Another version of lechón, called lechón kawali, involves boiling then frying pieces of pork.
Leftover lechón in the Philippines is easily recycled into another delectable dish, called Paksiw na Lechon. Paksiw na Lechon involves cooking the left-over Lechon by boiling it in vinegar making the meat moist and the skin very soft.
Lechon Cebu is a very popular variety of the dish.
The typical Filipino method of roasting involves placing the pig on a spit and baking it on charcoals while wiping the skin with a brush made out of leaves drenched in water and the pig's own fat. This makes the skin "pop" and eventually crunchy.
The pig had always been the center of communal feasts in pre-Hispanic Philippines, and "Lechon" is the normal manner it is prepared, from the remote part of the country where no Westernerners ever seen to the lowland Christianized Filipinos. But only lowland Christians use the word lechon to describe it.
Yummy!
A nice email forwarded by a friend to me and is quite worth of your time reading. Here it is:
Dear Friends,
Here is a good article sent by Dr. Arsenio Martin of Fort Arthur , Texas ..
Enjoy reading.
THE DIFFERENCE
The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country:
This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt , that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.
On the other hand, Canada , Australia & New Zealand , that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.
The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.
Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an
immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.
Another example is Switzerland , which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world's strongest, safest place.
Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.
Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.
What is the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.
On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.
- 1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
- 2. Integrity.
- 3. Responsibility.
- 4. Respect to the laws & rules.
- 5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
- 6. Work loving.
- 7. Strive for savings & investment.
- 8. Will of super action.
- 9. Punctuality.
- 10. and of course...Discipline
The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.
We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.
If you do not forward this message nothing will happen to you. Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have bad luck for seven years, and also, you will not get sick or go hungry.
But those may happen because of your lack of discipline & laziness, your love for intrigue and politics, your indifference to saving for the future, your stubborn attitude.
If you love your country, let this message circulate so that many Filipinos could reflect about this, & CHANGE, ACT!
Knock knock fellow Cebuano's!!!!!
Cebuanos and tourists alike now have a new lifestyle destination to trot to with PASEO, Cebu’s First Night Market & Food and Entertainment Center in one. It is located at F. Cabahug, Street, Mabolo, Cebu City within close proximity to call centers, hotels, schools and other business establishments. Whether for shopping, dining, entertainment or to while away the time with family and friends, this 6,000 square meter, one stop hotspot features a myriad of food and shopping stalls that is sure to enthrall visitors of all ages and tastes.
[Paseo is an epitomy of the Cebu way of life. Shop, dine, lounge, entertain and party with huge thrills, great deals, good bargains, all in good company.Paseo is open daily and is located at F. Cabahug St., Mabolo, Cebu City. The Nine Yards Night Market, Cebu’s first year round bazaar is open daily from 2 p.m. – 12 midnight and even later on weekends. The Food and Entertainment Center is open from 6 p.m. onwards. Shop. Dine. Lounge. Entertain. Party. Live life. Live Cebu! Only at PASEO. ]
source : paseo.com
Puso (hanging rice) is a dish originating from the province of Cebu in the Philippines, a local form of the Ketupat found in other parts of the Malay world. It consists of rice wrapped in coco leaves which is then boiled. It is served by slicing the coco leaves in half exposing the rice. Puso rice pieces are strung together and servers just cut them off and slice them in half for serving, hence the term “hanging rice.”
Local stories passed down through the generations have attributed the creation of this style of rice preparation to the Cebuano seafarers' need to keep cooked rice from spoiling during long sea voyages. The coco leaves used in wrapping the rice are always shaped into a triangular form and stored hanging in bunches in the open air. The shape of the package facilitates moisture to drip away from the cooked rice while the coco leaves allow the rice to be aerated and at the same time prevent flies and insects from touching it.
Puso, according to a Cebu Normal University(CNU) professor, had been once considered food for the gods, before Spain colonized the Philippines and introduced Christianity. The professor, however, said this ritualistic preparation of puso as divine offering is virtually non-existent today.
"Puso" has continued to be popular in the Philippines due to the large number of open-air eateries serving grilled chicken and pork meals. Customers of these establishments often worry about the cleanliness of the food being prepared hence the popularity of "puso" where the rice remains untouched by human hands after being cooked.
Cebu City, the Queen City of the South, shares memories that will surely interest people. It started from a sleepy fishing village in 1521. Magellan arrived and planted the wooden cross, which became Cebu’s first symbol of Christianity. The said cross is now located at the upper Magallanes, a street named after Fernando de Magallanes. He was intrepid Portuguese explorer who made the great voyage of exploration under the flag of Spain.
In April 3, 1898, General Leon Kilat of Bacong, Negros Oriental, organized a revolution against the Spanish colonialism. The Spaniards then decided to build a shelter for themselves. It was Miguel Lopez de Legazpi who insists on building a fort, which is now famous for being the oldest and smallest fort in the country, the Fort San Pedro.
However, on December 1898, the Americans beat the Spanish fleet during the war of Manila Bay. And the fort fell into the native Cebuanos’ hands. With the American reign in full force in 1901, the Senate Pro Tempore, late President Sergio Osmena Sr. and the Congressman and majority floor leader in the House of Representatives, late Senate Manuel Briones took action for Philippine Independence.
One of the most unforgettable moment in Cebuano history is the granting of charter by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 58 on February 24, 1937. The late Senator Vicente Rama helped as the author and sponsor of the bill. Elpidio Quirino, as the representative of Manuel Quezon, appointed the mayor and board members of Cebu City.
Due to Cebu City’s extensive population and strategic location, it became the principal Japanese base after their landing on April 10,1942. Finally, on March 1945, Cebu felt freedom when American liberation landed in Talisay town. In full circle, Liberation restored law and order and established the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) in the city.
In April 1965, Cebuanos focused on Christianity, Don Legaspi and Fray Urdaneta ordered to build the San Augustine Church, which is now called the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, in honor of the first miraculous image of Señior Santo Nino.
Cebu, which was formerly called as Sugbu, Zebu, Zubu, Sebu, Sibuy and others by merchants, from a sleeping fishing village, is now one of the most productive cities in the Philippines. And now that’s something we are certainly proud of!
source : cebucity.gov.ph
