BANANACUE
REPUBLIC
Vol II, No. 02
Jan 12, 2005

 
 
 attitudes by agnesdv

ARCHIVE #009

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Archive:
2004
2005


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Journal

Searching for the Best Halo-halo

Halo-halo is a uniquely Filipino cold concoction. There are many Asian varieties, but the Philippine's is the most extravagantly decorated and flavored, that the glass can sometimes be filled to overflowing. A writer once said that halo-halo is a mix of western and eastern cultures, that on the top is the western ice cream, and if you dig deeper into the glass, you'll be able to taste the tropical candied fruits, the eastern side of the Filipinos. For that's how we are as Filipinos, we're a mix of the cultures that have influenced, exploited, and ruled and occupied our country. Since we're supposed to mix the halo-halo before eating it, that's us too inside, a jumble of different influences not readily identifiable when it comes to describing our own identity. But enough of this cultural talk. I only want to talk about my search for the best halo-halo to be found in Leyte. 

Food is all about passion, and therefore, subjective. The food we taste is always attached to an emotion, a feeling that we have towards the company we eat it with, the occasion, the location, and the amount of comfort we feel. So the memory of the food we eat is always associated to the emotion we felt that time. 

My search was different in this case. I was being objective. Besides, when it comes to food-tasting, I am always objective and analytical. When it comes to just enjoying the food I'm eating, I can be more relaxed and that's when the food I eat automatically attaches itself to the emotion or the level of contentment I'm feeling. The only time I associated eating halo-halo with an emotion was at Ice Castle at Ayala Cebu when my healing teacher brought me there. It didn't taste the same when I went back alone. 

I had been assigned by my editor to write about the two best halo-halo in Tacloban. Unfortunately, I can't say there are any. Besides, halo-halo has never been one of my favorite foods. I find it too messy to eat, too much crushed ice on top, the milk too evaporated and can-tasting, and somehow, the mixing part is always a challenge not worth the taste in the end. Why do they always fill the glass to overflowing to make the mixing part a feat in itself? And the taste, it's just like chewing on ice and eating fruit salad and ice cream at the same time. Call me a traitor of my own country. I don't care. Halo-halo, like pancit, has never appealed to me. For me, it's just a refreshment without any culinary character at all.

It doesn't mean that I don't eat it. It's sometimes good to crave for halo-halo during hot summers, but in these times, there are now many alternatives to choose from that it's being overshadowed by the other options. Like the lushie, the shakes, the different brands of ice creams and flavors (unlike in my childhood where there was only the expensive and monopoly Magnolia, and of course our local town's Mana Pili's home made ice cream). But these were for special occasions so we had to make do with the sidewalk halo-halos or the cheaper ice candies. 

But I had a mission to accomplish. And that was to search for the best halo-halo in the city. Knowing there weren't any, I decided to write about my two best halo-halo experience in the province. 

1) Guiuan, Samar

The first time I've ever liked halo-halo was in Guiuan, Samar. A friend brought me to their market years ago, and in a corner where they sold chicken feed, was a small sari-sari store where they also served native snacks. And halo-halo. My friend had told me that they served good halo-halo so I was willing to taste it, besides the place looked clean enough, for a market. They served the halo-halo in small ordinary glasses, café puro glasses with flower designs. We could watch how they mix it, since the store didn't have a kitchen. First some avocado cubes (from the fridge), then a tablespoon of tidbit fresh pineapple, then some crushed fried peanuts, then the ice, milk and sugar. That's it. It was simple, provincial and (accidentally) sophisticated at the same time. The thick feel and bland taste of the avocado in the mouth, and the tanginess and sweetness of the fibrous pineapple were a stark contrast which surprised me, especially as the ice made me forget what it was I just tasted. It was a combination I didn't expect to encounter in a remote town. The fried crushed peanuts brought me back to earth, reminding me that I was in a small town, in a marketplace, where peanuts are used to flavor fruit salads, and that sophistication and passion can easily be drowned in the absent-minded nibbling of the peanuts. The first halo-halo I ever liked. The memory of the taste remains, but the location of the place, unfortunately, I've forgotten.

2) Palompon, Leyte

A year ago, a friend of mine took me to this simple and small restaurant located in the marketplace of Palompon, where she said they served the best halo-halo she has ever tasted. She had raved about it because it was a childhood food experience for her. I liked it that time, but not enough to rave about it (since I'm not a halo-halo nut). But for my article this month, I decided I wanted to re-experience Palompon's halo-halo.  I chose this one for my next best halo-halo in Leyte.

Palompon is a coastal town, about 125 kilometers away from Tacloban. It's a long 2 ½ hour drive, too far just to eat halo-halo. But some things you just have to do, and this one was it. Because I was in this for the food-tasting, I was more observant and objective and ready with questions for the restaurant's owner. First question, what was their halo-halo's secret? Answer: they don't use canned ingredients, all their ingredients were fresh. Second question: what was their restaurant's secret? Answer: they refuse to serve a glass of halo-halo when it was missing one ingredient (when they run out for example). 

The place is called Blanchie's Place. It's beside the bus terminal, and if you miss it, you can ask around. I suggest you should never go to Palompon and not eat the halo-halo there. Unlike other halo-halo experience, this one you'll want to eat to the last drop. It is really worth the trip. 

Cereal sprinkled ube ice cream on top of the shaved soft ice (not crushed and not like biting into a small stone), ka-dulce buko, langka, saba and pineapple; fresh ripe mango, ube jam, leche flan (all home-made), sweet corn, evaporated milk and white sugar... we were able to identify each and every ingredient. Nothing was hidden and secret. Even after it had been mixed, each ingredient was still distinct from the others, yet each ingredient's taste blending and complimenting each other well. If I had been asked then to identify what a Filipino is, I would have said, this halo-halo. 

Did I ever find the perfect halo-halo? I think any search that has to do with food and emotions must remain subjective. Nothing and no one can dictate to you what is perfect and what is not. For me, I'm settling with the two I found in Guiuan and in Palompon. A memory of a past, and the reality of what I found and experienced in the present. That search at least, is over.

Posted 01/12/05.  Send your comment to bananacue_republic@yahoo.com

"...we were able to identify each and every ingredient. Nothing was hidden and secret. Even after it had been mixed, each ingredient was still distinct from the others, yet each ingredient's taste blending and complimenting each other well. If I had been asked then to identify what a Filipino is, I would have said, this halo-halo."


Glossary:
Magnolia- ice cream brand in the Philippines
ube- rootcrop with a violet color, of the yam family.
ka-dulce- candied/ sweetened
buko - young coconut
langka- sweet jackfruit
saba - plantain banana