A casual mention of it is enough to send eyes looking at you and women hiding a giggle. Or even a condescending stare trying to look at you from head to toe (and stopping at the crotch) and thinking if you’re having inadequacies under the sheets. But for its believers, lansiao is better than that blue pill.

The first time I learned about kinalas, a popular noodle dish in Naga City, I was queasy. The thought of eating pork brain gives me goosebumps. It is one part of an animal that I avoid and this one is said to contain this organ. But my curiosity got me and I didn’t look back.

I was overwhelmed with its taste. A hard to grasp but distantly familiar flavor exploding inside my mouth that I just have to close my eyes and revel in gustatory ecstasy. Ibos-ibos, a fusion rice concoction of a Filipino native delicacy at Chef Doy’s was one of two unforgettable experiences I had in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Fruits in Davao City? You name it! From durians, to mangosteens to pomelos, rambutans and marangs. There are lots to chose from. But there is another one, strange looking, small, and rather curious and fleshy: the yellow dragon fruit (Selenicereus megalanthus) is sweeter and better tasting than it’s red/pinkish cousin (genus Hylocereus). This, I’ve found only in Davao City.

Simple. Fly or travel to Davao and upon arriving stuff your nose with the smell of durian. During the months of August – October, the air in Davao is perfumed with this fruit. It’s all over the place. From parks, to malls, to streets. It might be a stinking city for the uninitiated but for durian lovers, it is heaven.

It wasn’t in my plan but the moment I saw the restaurant’s marquee, Kusina Davao, a flood of memories came rushing in. Wow, pork with salted egg siopao and I can almost savor the hot steaming white bun before me.

I needed a jolt, a caffeine kick that will really convince me that I’m indeed back in Davao City. Not just any kind of drink but one that is spiked and infused with, some say, a malodorant that is sure to assault the olfactory senses. I just have to give in and surrender.

Binungey or binongey is a rice delicacy in Pangasinan which is malagkit (sticky rice) soaked in coconut extract and steamed in bamboo over fire. It comes from the Pangalatok word nungey, meaning, cooked in bamboo. A unique take that got my interest.

Halohalo, that Pinoy iced dessert popular during the hot summer months take on an interesting form in the highlands of the Cordilleras with different ingredients not used in the lowlands.

Batac’s empanada is said to be the best produced in Ilocos. Crispy thin shell filled with longanisa, bean sprouts and egg, its a delicious treat that can be a meal in itself.

Time to have a quick slip from the provinces to tread the concrete jungles of Metro Manila as Ang Langyaw checks what’s on in Bonifacio Global City’s food alley.

Titillated at the Manila Ocean Park? It’s possible but that’s going ahead of the story…

I immediately confirmed my participation to visit the Manila Ocean Park upon the invitation of a friend for a media tour. Even if it has been open for sometime, I still haven’t been there since I was procrastinating time and again. When I did made the tour, I was wide eyed with wonder.

Credit it to forgetfulness, nay, time chasing, that a meal of 70 pesos ($1.50) almost left me broke in Iloilo City as I was en route to Cebu via Bacolod City. Good thing, technology and the internet coupled with the wonders of Western Union played important roles and saved the day. So to speak.

PUSO, is quite obiquitous and, like the Sto. Nino, lechon and dried mangoes, it is one of Cebu’s iconic images. this biodegradable, handy and traditional food pouch was said to be exlusively for the deity’s pleasure is now everyday street food paired with barbecued pork, chicken, seafood and entrails in various streetside foodstalls. Your trip to Cebu will never be complete without a bite of this unique food.

Around one and half hours travel south of Cebu City, the heritage town of Carcar provides a welcome break from the typical urban sprawl that characterizes the city and municipalities that lies before reaching this place. Antillan designed houses, typical bahay-na-bato that has stood the test of time as well as the onion like dome, of the 19th century neoclassic church with elements of baroque make Carcar a unique town.