A Culinary Tour of Pampanga

     The idea of waking up at 4am to get to UP by 5 was something I would usually reject right away, especially with 2 long exams to study for over the weekend, but I decided to let my curiosity and urge for adventure ruin my planned out priorities. Besides, it was going to be my first time in Pampanga, so I thought to myself “What the heck. Let’s do it!”

     The three main highlights of the trip, for me, were: our visit to the sculpture factory where they made beautiful wooden carvings of different images of Christ and other religious icons, our lunch in Mexico, Pampanga in Atching Lilian’s humble abode where she whipped up a scrumptious Kapampangan meal for all of us, and our final and most relaxing stop, Bale Dutung which is Claude Tayag’s beautiful dining outlet and gallery where you feel right at home.

     It was my first time to actually witness how a wooden sculpture was produced. It took days, weeks, and sometimes even months to complete these sculptures, depending on how big or how intricate the details have to be. The finished products were unreal!! It’s as if they were real humans except they were motionless. The detail and outstanding craftsmanship of these Kapampangan carvings are truly something to be proud of. 

     After a long and tiring afternoon under the sun, we were all looking forward to a good meal that would re-energize us for the remaining part of the itinerary, and that’s exactly what we got. Atching Lilian’s kitchen in the heart of Mexico, Pampanga was a haven for hungry backpackers like us, so she whipped up a feast of Kapampangan specialties including sisig, longganisa, burong hipon, fried hito, and a lot more! This was definitely a Kapampangan culinary experience at its finest!! 

     Another truly unique experience for me was eating a frog!!! It was my first time to actually eat even the meat, not just the legs. Surprisingly tasted like chicken with the consistency of crab meat!

     Our last stop for the trip was Claude Tayag’s restaurant/gallery called Bale Dutung, which translates to “House of wood”. It was beautiful and cozy place with very warm lighting, and the mood was perfectly relaxing after a long day of traveling. We were served delicious coffee that was made the “old-school” way by filtering it through a cotton sack or “kacha”, and then mixed with fresh carabao’s milk. Together with the coffee was a succulent dessert made by the Tayags called “Paradiso”. It was a medley of carabao’s milk pudding topped with macapuno, yema, and ube balls. After our merienda, we visited Claude’s gallery and saw his wonderful craftsmanship in his wooden sculptures. It was definitely a great way to end the day.

     I’m really glad I decided to fight my lazy self and join the trip. It was definitely a unique experience. No regrets. All smiles :) 

It’s funny, and almost tragic, how the world is slowly shifting into a whole new paradigm of lies and corrupt ideas which are so easily perceived as the truth and reality. Concepts of beauty, success, and satisfaction act as subtle but effective catalysts between people’s perception of happiness and what happiness really is. 

Every day, billions of souls traverse the infamous space of life they call the ‘world’, busily searching for anything that will bring an interim joy in their lives, thinking that it would last forever. Worldliness and materialism is just a feeble pigment of our imagination that tends to blind all other goals and aspirations, rendering a pseudo-ideology of what life’s purpose is, when really it’s just a miserable spark of an evanescent hope that will eventually die down and turn to nothing. Talk about ironies…

It may seem like the most rational fact of life: that we should strive and work hard in order to gain a steady income and secure our future and the future of our children. It’s just how the world has been turning ever since, but I’m afraid everyone’s been missing the point. Everyone’s been seeking wealth, fame, glory, and all the luxuries of this world. This isn’t bad, but people shouldn’t seek these first. 

As I let God take the driver’s seat a couple of years ago, I saw my whole life enter a whole new dimension. It was very unfamiliar and my human tendencies to try and do things my way once again kicked in, but I realized that it wasn’t the way to the light. It has been the greatest decision I have, and will ever make in my life. I am not famous; I am not exceptionally skilled in anything, nor am I rich and successful, but the happiness and joy and bliss that I am experiencing every single day while walking with the Spirit is leagues away from the worldly and material entities that has a grip on so many people in the world today. I just hope and pray that these lost souls will be able to see the light that I saw, and make a step that is blind and unfamiliar, but filled with hope and faith that will last until the end of time. 

After two long years of praying and surrendering everything to Him, He even gave me one of the greatest blessings I will ever have in life. It was a rough road filled with anxiety and uncertainty, but after letting Him take control, things couldn’t have gone any clearer. 

Now, I know what true joy really means. It’s not having a mansion on a cliff overlooking a spectacular Bora-Bora sunset. It’s not owning a garage full of exquisite vintage automobiles. It’s not having a bank account that has the ability to support five straight generations. It’s not in the perspective of the world…

It’s living each day with God by your side, and the Spirit overflowing from your heart. It’s having that one special person who has a faith so solid and a genuine heart filled with love, compassion, and power from the Spirit, who understands me like no one else ever will.

I will never let this go. 

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”