Foot and Fire

I ate Tamilok, also known as shipworm, but technically, this is not a worm. It is an elongated mollusk that grows inside the dead trunks of mangrove trees. *** Meditated on top of a Karst in Matinloc Shrine in El Nido! *** I zorbed! I crawled inside a water-filled big ball and allowed myself to be rolled down the hill together with the ball. The experience was actually exciting and fun but also anxiety-filled because one can actually land in the hole as one rolls up and down together with the rolling big ball. *** I ate lato and liked it! This grape-like shaped seaweed has some bumpy crunch in the mouth that goes well with vinegar. A great and instant appetizer as it will just be washed with fresh water and then serve immediately. ***  I flirted with Chao Long but the love affair didn't work out. The Chao Long I tasted must not be an enough representative of the popular Vietnamese-inspired noodle soup in Puerto Princesa City. The sto...

By GERLIE M. UY I tried one Chao Long (P45 for regular and P50 for with egg) and I wished to have tried other stalls selling the same to see to it I have had the representative Chao Long, a Vietnamese dish popular in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. The taste is lightly sweet and it has no chili in it despite the red color. I cannot also get the taste of real meat stock in the soup....  But incidentally, I love the french bread which sells for ten pesos and can be ordered with meat sandwich at an extra cost.   This is the beef stew.  Chao Long with the condiments... Trying out Chao long with my travel buddy Cooky... eating the take home chao long... just passed by here and had my photo taken... We ate here and the signboard of the menu is below...

By GERLIE M. UY Eating worm is not that bad as I thought it would be. The texture of Tamilok is soft just like that of talaba or oyster. There is no strong fishy smell too when soaked in vinegar. Tamilok is taken from the dead wood of some mangrove trees. It sells a bit pricey because the process of extracting it from the deed wood is quite hard... Lato is a grape-like shape seaweeds. The green color is vibrant and it is just washed and served with vinegar. When eaten, Lato has a rhythmic crunch and the saltwater is evident in its taste. Chao long is a vietnamese influence to the delicacy of the Palawenos. However, it did not pass my taste test. It has some very sweet flavor when in fact I had a beef stew noodles. No chili taste despite its reddish color. I also don't like its coarse big strand of noodles... But I love the french bread that accompanies the noodles so much. They can also be ordered with some meat sandwich...