I usually don’t give much thought about food being sold by ambulant vendors in bus terminals. Unless it is something that is different. In many bus terminals around the country, its common to see the same things: junk food, boiled chicken and quail’s eggs, boiled peanuts, water and juices. But there are also exceptions.
Whenever one is in Carcar, Cebu, expect to find ampao and chicharon which the town is famous. Pintos in Bogo, Cebu and Libona, Bukidnon to cite a few regional food stuff offered at terminals and even on plying buses. And it is the same thing with Balasan in eastern Iloilo.
I just came from a brief seclusion in Isla Gigantes and the aircon bus made a stop over at Balasan from Estancia enroute to Iloilo City. The lad was a bit insistent offering a small brown paper bag of bibingka, rice cakes for P20. What? P20 for a small package? I at first resisted but due to his insistence, my curiosity was piqued and bought one.
The bibingka was outrageously small, around 2 inches in diameter with burnt edges and just enough for one mouthful. It reminds me of the ones being sold at the Jaro Plaza infront of Jaro Church. These were still warm and I took a bite. And another. And still another. The bibingka was not only soft, it was moist and creamy! It also has bits of young coconut meat chopped into small pieces. Surprisingly DELICIOUS!
Each pack has six pieces and after consuming all, I went down and bought another! The boy told me that it is cooked with flour (I think malagkit, from ground sticky rice), milk and sugar then cooked just right over fire that it doesn’t dry out.
This just made my trip worthwhile despite the monotony. An unexpected discovery.
I for one think that locally made filipino foods are best than those commercially made ones~! hehehehe Atleast sulit ang 20!
iba talaga basta home made. the bibingka is really good!