A taste of the Philippines in Las Piñas
Our city is home to families who brought with them the recipes, cooking traditions, and food of their provinces.
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Our city is home to families who brought with them the recipes, cooking traditions, and food of their provinces.
Travel teaches us about people, places, and traditions. But as transportation, accommodations and other expenses continue to rise, many families cannot easily visit the places they see on social media.
The good news is that we do not always have to travel far to discover the flavors of our country. I realized that by simply exploring Las Piñas, we can already taste different regions of the Philippines.
Our city is home to families who brought with them the recipes, cooking traditions, and food of their provinces. Through their small restaurants and neighborhood eateries, they generously share a part of their heritage with us.
At Bulalodi along Alabang-Zapote Road, diners can enjoy bulalo, the comforting beef soup closely associated with Batangas, Tagaytay and Southern Luzon. A steaming bowl, especially on a rainy day, reminds us of family meals where everyone gathers around the table and shares from the same pot.
The unlimited soup is, in itself, a simple act of generosity. Another serving is offered to make sure the customer leaves warm, satisfied, and cared for. It may appear to be a small gesture, but kindness is often remembered through such little things.
At Bacolod Home of Famous Inasal in Barangay Pamplona Uno, Las Piñeros can experience the smoky flavors of Negros without boarding a plane. Its chicken inasal, batchoy, kansi, molo and kinilaw introduce diners to the rich culinary identity of Bacolod.
Every family recipe has a story. It may have begun in a grandmother’s kitchen, been taught to a daughter or son, and eventually carried to another city. When restaurant owners share these treasured recipes with their customers, they are also sharing memories of home and promoting the province from which they came.
Kusina ni Telong in BF Resort Village offers another kind of comfort through its unlimited lugaw and familiar Filipino dishes. Lugaw is humble food, but it has always had a generous heart. It is served to someone who is sick, tired, cold, or simply in need of a warm meal. One bowl can bring comfort; another freely offered bowl can make someone feel that there is always enough to share.
Food creates connections among people of different ethnic and regional backgrounds. A Las Piñero may learn about Bacolod through inasal, Southern Luzon through bulalo or another family’s story through a bowl of lugaw. Around the dining table, differences become opportunities for conversation rather than division.
Recipes can also be shared generously among neighbors. One family may teach another how to prepare kansi, while receiving in return a recipe for adobo, pancit, or kakanin. In this exchange, no culture is diminished. Instead, everyone’s appreciation of our Filipino identity becomes richer.
Hebrews 13:16 reminds us: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
When we support local food businesses, we help families earn a living while preserving traditions that might otherwise be forgotten. We also discover that Las Piñas is not merely a place where people from different provinces reside. It is a community where their stories, flavors and memories are welcomed.
The Philippines is wonderfully diverse and much of that diversity can be found close to home. Let us explore our neighborhoods, listen to the stories behind every dish, support our local entrepreneurs, and generously share a place at the table.
Sometimes, the most meaningful journey begins just around the corner.
