While this fatty pork encrusted by its own roasted skin is well known around the world, no one does it better than the Filipinos. Lechon is a dish to celebrate, whether it be a funeral, or festival, or store grand opening, you will likely find Lechon there. It’s difficult to think of a parallel to Lechon that holds the same significance to a dish in the US, but I would say a whole turkey could suffice. Maybe a turkey encrusted in gold. What makes the dish is the sweet, sour and peppery sauce that you scoop on top to balance this rich meat. You'll need it.
Nghi, Carley, and I posing in front of two Lechon. Excited and a little bit shocked.
On our third night in the Philippines, we had a fiesta to celebrate our arrival and introduce us to some of the cultural traditions in the Philippines. I still remember this night as being one of the happiest. I sat with Ashton, Carley, and Chan, whose names you should get used to, and remember our youthful smiles all being shared knowing that we were experiencing something magical. It’s an indescribable feeling, looking at someone and realizing that they are your grounding force for the next two years; one of curiosity and elation, especially when it's shared with people as special as these. It’s a feeling that has been occurring a lot.
At the end of the fiesta, the guests performed a traditional dance called the Tinikling. This involves pairs of bamboo poles that are hit on the ground in unison while the dancers step and spin over them with incredible coordination. If you want to experience the exhilaration and anxiety of someone juggling knives on fire, go watch this dance on Youtube. The performers invited up individuals from our uncoordinated group of volunteers to try the dance. After some nudging and peer pressure, nearly all of the volunteers decided to test their fate, and amazingly, not a single person fell. We had completed the first test of the Peace Corps.
Comments