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American Breakfast. Pancakes, jam, fruit juice and bacon.
Filipino Breakfast. Longganisa, fruit juice or fresh fruit slices, rice and eggs.
What about Ilonggo breakfast? Tourists visiting Iloilo City normally look for something that is authentic and that gives one a feel of the place. As of now, we have not come up with what a truly Ilonggo breakfast is, but thanks to the Iloilo City Tourism Office, Iloilo will have its own combination of such. Then, this item will be promoted as the Ilonggo breakfast in hotels, resorts and restaurants in the city.
Last May 14, “Pamahaw”, a culinary search for Ilonggo Breakfast, was launched. A signing of a Memorandum of Agreement among representatives of the Iloilo City Tourism Office (ICTO), Iloilo Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants Association (IHRRA), Robinsons Place Iloilo, ABS-CBN, RMN Network, and The News Today, took place. These organizations will help facilitate and promote the search in their respective capacities.
The event was spearheaded by Ben Jimena, City Tourism Officer. He said, “This breakfast will be part of our offerings to guests in Iloilo City. We need to have an identity of the place. We want the guests to feel that they are indeed in Iloilo when they open our menu books.”
Councilor Arman Parcon, chairman of the Council's Committee on Tourism, mentioned several possibilities of an Ilonggo breakfast. He related that in his house, their typical Ilonggo fare is kalkag (fried rice with kalkag) and sauteed fish paste (ginamos). He also gave Deco's La Paz Batchoy as another example. He cited these examples to emphasize on the use of indigenous materials or ingredients that are prepared locally. He also added that the food has to be affordable and easy to serve.
Angela “Happy” Abenir, president of the IHRRA, said that it's sad that hotels and restaurants seldom serve the Ilonggo breakfast. “Not much has been done for trying to push what is authentically Ilonggo,” she said. But there's hope. She cited the experience of Freska, wherein its owner, Pauline Banusing introduced Ilonggo fare in Manila through her restaurants as well as the holding of several food presentations there. She also cited batchoy. “You only get the best tasting batchoy in Iloilo.”
That is why she welcomes this development as an opportunity to look closely what is truly Ilonggo food and introduce it to others.
Dr. Lilia Teves, head of Nutrition of the HRM and Culinary Arts Department of the University of San Agustin emphasized on the importance of a healthy Ilonggo fare as well as the need to eat breakfast. “Most people nowadays don't eat breakfast because they don't have time,” she said. She suggested that if people eat breakfast outside of their homes, the food industry should be able to offer an Ilonggo fare that is filling as well as nutritious. She reasoned that eating breakfast makes people more efficient and energetic for the rest of the day.
Those who are interested to introduce their version of what an Ilonggo breakfast should be, can secure application forms at the City Tourism Office, Robinsons Place Iloilo.
The search is open to all students and professionals. The cooking demonstration will take place on July 25 at Robinsons Place Iloilo. Ten different sets of breakfast are expected to be tasted and decided upon by a select number of food experts. There will be a winner each for the student and professional category.
The entries will be judged according to their originality, technical preparation, palatability factor, nutritional values, economical value and presentation. The winner will receive P5,000 plus two trophies and the recognition of being the proponent of the Ilonggo breakfast. Consolation prize is at P1,000.