Philippines Culture: Philippines Vacation with the Family

by: Charlene Bolanos

Scheduled vacation with the family is a special bonding experience, especially when relatives abroad came in to visit. Our family and our cousins went to Novaliches, the hometown of my Dad. The short term furnished rent was reasonable in all parts of the Philippines, from 3 days to 1 week.

We use the furnished apartment in Manila as our home base  where we can meet all our relatives. Then we go to different islands using all the transportation available in the Philippines.


There was also a time when our uncles and aunties came to visit us from  different parts of the world -  for a long term vacation. Since it was also during the summer season, they rented air-conditioned furnished apartments for their temporary housing in the Philippines.  While they were here, we would spend our weekends going to the provinces.

We had lots of fun and we bonded more because in each of these trips we would again rent furnished vacation apartments where we will stay for the duration of our trip.

My cousins spent a lot of time in the weekends going to different provinces. We remember the days when we were younger and would wait till the sun goes down and the moon starts its turn to shine by the beach.  Then we will have the famous bonfire with lots of hot dogs,  smorse, cold pineapple juice and a bottle of healthy beer for some of us.

But we will always go home to our home base in Novaliches, then go to the next province for a pilgrimage, Church hopping, visiting Jubilee doors, culinary experience and even museum hopping. My tita goes market hopping to see some nice things for “pasalubong” .

Invite your relatives from the provinces or abroad for a family bonding and go on a vacation in the Philippines! It will be a great experience and your family will be closer than ever. Make this vacation a chance to bond with your family.

FOOD for a FAMILY FEAST

Entree: First Plate: Native Vegetable Salad: grilled eggplant, grilled tomatoes, green mangoes, boiled native water cabbage (kangkong), monggo sprouts slightly boiled. Shrimp paste - super small shrimps sauteed in garlic, onions, salt, pepper, tomatoes concasse with atsuete seed extract.

Native pinakbet: 1/4 K eggplant, 1/2 K squash, 1/8 ampalaya, 1/8 chicharo, fish sauce from Lingayen, Pangasinan.Sauteed in garlic, onions, tomatoes, salt, pepper, pour in beef broth, add in squash (after 5 minutes of roller boiling, add in eggplant, chicharo (roller boil 5 minutes), add in ampalaya (bitter gourd - do not mix, allow it to just boil with all the other veggies). Add in  fish sauce (this is too salty) so best to add 1 T first... then add a bit more depending on your family's taste.

Second Plate: Freshly cooked lechon with lechon sauce.

Lechon is whole pork with lemon grass, calamansi, salt and pepper. Virgin coconut oil is wiped every time the pork is turn around while roasting.

Dessert: Buko Salad in cold ice cream, with nata de coco in different colors.
Diet: Kasuy Fruit and Philippines Mangoes

Drinks: Cold sherbet buko juice

I remember  stories on how they cook Lechon in the province.
My uncles (relatives of my father) take cooking as a social event. Cooking is the best time to
exchange stories and advice, math and science study techniques,
sweethearts and future weddings. They had a long table where - even the youngest
had to take part, even just to prepare garlic for pounding.

Each age group has a corner cooking their delicious recipes in the big kitchen located
at the back of the house. Each one has his or her own bunch of wood to cook with (that time
they need to cut trees for a breather to make sure the forest grows faster).

My grandfather uncle (Uncle Tony) was tasked to take care of the Lechon with some able bodied uncles who need to carry the whole pork for roasting.

They took care of preparing the pork from the farm. They prepared rice husks and wooden charcoal.

My aunties and some younger male cousins took care of the special pinakbet and fresh veggie salad.

My aunties took care of desserts... they had to watch their diets... as some girls like to taste every
time they pass by after going around playing  - they too ate spoonful one bit at a time.

Then they all march to Binmaley Beach, an extension of Lingayen Beach of find sands. Lingayen Beach is located in Lingayen Pangasinan, where our former President Ramos takes the place as his birth hometown.