Insęlar a Bangús
Source: 
Source:
Bonuan bangús (milkfish coming from ponds cultivated in the coastal barrio of Bonuan in Dagupan City) has quite a legendary status for Pangasinenses, and such worship is entirely deserving. No other bangús, whether cultivated in Pangasinan or elsewhere, tastes like it.
True to its name, the flesh is milky and sweetish, the fat in the belly inducing nirvana. There are fewer bones and those pesky thread-like spines, and there is never a fishy hint in taste. Like eating pure cream in the form of soft fish flesh.
Of course it follows that the innards of the bangús are as milky and as fresh-tasting as well. Pangasinenses and Ilocanos have a habit of flavoring soups (including tinóla) with bagóong (salted, fermented anchovies). In a sinigáng, the bangús innards take the place of the bagóong, and you have a very flavorful, quite tasty soup. Even insęlar ya oráng (sinigang na hipon or shrimp in soured soup) uses bangús innards for flavor.
Restaurants along the beaches in Dagupan City cook sinigáng this way, particularly the famous Matutina chain of Pangasinan seafood casual dining.
To cook, fresh Bonuan bangús is sliced and put in a simmering pot of water flavored with a peeled ginger the size of your thumb, chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, salt and the innards, and calamansi juice (optional). When the fish flesh has turned opaque, add some kamote tops and continue cooking till the leaves are tender. Do not overcook so the fat will not disintegrate (very important!).
May I just add a note that it is critical to use fresh bangús, preferably newly harvested, and cook straight from the wet market. Never use previously frozen fish. If you only have access to the latter, it may be prudent to discard the innards.
Filed under
Food by The Pangasinan Blog.
Lingayen City? About time Part II
By Mita Q. Sison-Duque
Source: 
April 4-10, 2006 issue
Posted by: 
VEERING toward the right at the back is the orientally architectured Princess Urduja House, the Governor’s residence, one of the few buildings in the area at one time. Named after the legendary woman warrior who once was said to rule Pangasinan, it was built 50 years ago.
On the left on the same eyelevel, one could see behind the Capitol, WWII tank and a fighter plane much simpler than today’s F-A18 Hornet or the F22A Raptor, but it did fight in a war. After the Sison Auditorium is a clump of buildings, the Pangasinan State University. An interesting area is the expanse of the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex with running fields and Olympics size pools, and an outdoor grandstand where spectators can watch simultaneous sports events, given the chance, in national sports competition.
Named after Narciso Ramos, distinguished diplomat, five-time congressman of the 5th District, the organizer with Joaquin Elizalde of the First Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., he is also the father of President Ramos and Senator Shahani. A stone’s throw away is Maniboc where the famous Lingayen ‘bagoong’ or anchovies is cured in rows of clay jars lined behind ‘bagoong’ magnates’ nice homes. These same anchovies are exported to all pars of the world where Filipinos are found. In the same neighborhood, coconut candies called ‘bucayo’ are gathered from coconut palms facing the sea and cooked to the confectioning specialty food indigenous to Lingayen like ‘tulapo’ predating the Lapid chicharon, and the Spanish-legacy recipe of masa rich ‘tameles’ help the local economy. These staples are sought after by native Lingayen folks and often times find their way to their homes across oceans hand carried like precious precious nuggets of gold having had survived the scrutiny of immigration officials.
Read more
Filed under
Tourism,
Municipalities,
Cities,
Travel by The Pangasinan Blog.
Lingayen City? About time Part I
By Mita Q. Sison-Duque
Source:
April 4-10, 2006 issue
Posted by:
TIME holds parallel perspectives. Years ago when we first brought our children home from Washington, D.C., an incident at that time stands out in memory. A little boy of 5 or 6, one of twin boys had this to say about a well-loved old hometown.
"Mom," he said as we drove our children around Lingayen the very first time. "Is this the Lingayen of all your stories?" "One and the same, son." "This one?" "We’re here!" "The one you said had all these heroes walking the streets? I don’t see any…" "At some time in the past, yes, they did. Not your superheroes…" "Oh…" his voice trailing off a little disappointed. "Real heroes found in historic books."
Still unimpressed, he asked more. "The one you said is… beautiful?" he questioned as he looked around when my husband drove the length of the boulevard turning the bend behind the Capitol. Upon seeing the expanse of the beach, he agreed. "The beach is there, all right." "It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" Silence. "Well… Mom…" he answered after some pause… "I guess so, if you love it." Minutes later, overheard as he sat scrounged beside his twin brother and his siblings… "Looks a rotten egg to me…" he said in a whisper.
"Rotten egg" in the developing vocabulary of a 6-year-old means undeveloped. And time marched on, ready or not. During the spurt of time it took to develop a boy into manhood, symbolically and in parallels, was the time it took a town to evolve into a city-worth town.
Read more
Filed under
Tourism,
Municipalities,
Cities,
Travel by The Pangasinan Blog.
