Regal Vegan
I am not a big fan of vegetarian food. Actually, to be more accurate and nearer to the truth, I loathe vegetarian food because of some personally validated reasons. For on, my own food preferences and the characteristics that vegetarian dishes embody do not quite match. I somehow find only minute atrocity in eating pork, beef or poultry probably since I don't cut, slice, pound, and prepare my own food. I grew up eating, breathing, loving, and living meat. Consequently, I prefer food that have lots of flavor especially in the meat where you can really bask in the juices and aroma that they excrete. But the characteristics of vegetarian or vegan food probably offer otherwise--- based on an article I read on-line a few years ago, the diner guarantees no MSG or mono sodium glutamate and do not dwell much on the flavor. As a result, the food become bland and plain perhaps due to the lack of seasoning ingredients and enhancers. Another reason is that I was not used to vegetarian good and for this reason, I could not possibly absolutely appreciate them. I do not think I could be gratified with the food minus all the tastes, textures, and dips or sauces that I was used to. Tastes and textures such as the softness of the fat in pochero complemented by the sour, sweet and occasionally spicy bagoong; the juicy meat and crispy skin of the letchon; or simply the seductive fragrance and spicy flavors of the sauces for chicken inasal--- these kinds of things that make food a bit more entertaining and fun to eat are usually what I look and even crave for. Also, when someone says, “green, leafy, goodness”, all I could vividly picture out in my mind's eye are these wet leaves, raw and dull vegetables on a plate, and sepia-toned surroundings. I'm starting to sound like a 4-year-old kid with much ado about nothing, however all these apprehensions can still be annihilated and proven once and for all and there is only one way to do that--- to experience. So, I challenged myself to go have a vegetarian lunch on a famous restaurant in Cebu and see what transpires.
I asked my friends around about which restaurant bests serves vegetarian dishes and a majority of them claimed the same one. When I went in the restaurant, almost all the tables were taken and usually by Turkish or Middle Eastern-looking people. While I was reading through the menu, I found that none of the dishes were actually familiar to me. That gave me an ill feeling of not knowing and took me some time to come up with a decision. Later, I was able to order the most delicious-looking drink and dish. The first one to be served was the drink. It was placed inside a long glass and its color was a mixture of white and yellow-- evidently, it was a cold combination of milk and mango. Appearance-wise, this drink called Mango Lassi looked like the typical mango shake served on all restaurants but upon taking my first sip, its strong smell of soya and sour taste surged through my body and took me aback; it literally tasted and smelled like sour milk! Even my mom found it appalling and exclaimed, “Hm! Aslum!”. But then, I gave it a few more tries and it took me at least five more sips to coalesce with its flavor and discover that it had small morsels of mango on and around it. The milk used for it was also not entirely milk--- it was imbued with soya milk which gave it a more concentrated and creamy consistency. Afterward, I finally got to appreciate the quaint and pleasurable flavor it exuded. All in all, it was not bad and in fact, it had a succulent aftertaste and the way it lingered in my tongue was like that of an ice cream which leaves creases of sweetness for me to ponder on. Soon, the main dish that I ordered came and got me questioning. It was served hot, but not steaming, on a white, round-rimmed plate and inside of it was what appeared to be an artwork or an artist's masterpiece, perhaps. This dish was all-appetizing and so captivating that I just could not take my eyes off from its unique but pleasantly presented appearance. I also could not help but inquest whether or not this was truly vegetarian or if the waitress just took and served the wrong order. I took a closer look, a more vivid angle of the food and figured that all the colors and cubes were just the vegetables that were kind of familiar to me, but then what amazed me is that I did not even twitch upon discovering this. Instead, I was actually engrossed in this food, this unfamiliar dish that watered my mouth. And if you ask why, it is because on its core was what smelled and tasted like curry sauce brought to a fluid consistency that was almost like water as a base. Next, were sauteed garlic and onion that gave the mouthwatering aroma of the dish. On its center was a cup of rice, and circumscribing this lonesome cup of rice were square auspices of potatoes, squash, and chayote. In addition to those, orange carrots, white onions and beans were also present and were creatively sliced as if they were these tiny little toy candies that came in peculiar shapes and sizes, eaten and played with inside the mouth. What gave the dish a dash of Christmas air were the broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kangkong (swamp cabbage or river spinach), and turnips for the greens and tomatoes and bell peppers for the reds. They were all, again surrounded by the curry sauce which basically gave out much of the flavor and aroma of the dish. I actually gorged on my part of the dish --- since my mom and I split it for the two of us to consume --- and enjoyed it! I was jubilant that I was able to eat about two handfuls of real, raw vegetables even without the garnish of additional flavoring that I was used to. This Veggie Special was the best vegetarian meal that the restaurant served of offered according to the supervisor, and some true blue vegetarians do not even need onions and garlic anymore.
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| With the drink and the dish |
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| Mango Lassi |
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| Veggie Special |
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| With the supervisor, Ruth Matuguina |
The one word that could best describe the experience is: learning. From loathing vegetarian dishes, I learned to love it the way I would love my own television. I make use of it every once in a while, it is relatively important in my personal growth, but I do not need to actually need to be committed to it. Also, from having all the apprehensions that I used to have before, I learned to appreciate the different dishes that I have tried from all the journeys I have had in my life-- however they may appear like, taste like, and smell like because there have been abhorrent food that seemingly came from dirty sources and emitted pungent smells and atrocious tastes from some of my food journeys. Although, I expected that I would be converted to a vegetarian after this experience but I was not. Do not get me wrong, the food are delicious and I laud all of them but my mom was right about saying, “They are all delicious but I could never be satisfied from them and have the ultimate food experience because this is not what I was used to”. When the time comes and hopefully soon in the future, I think I could manage to actually be a vegetarian for a time but I think I would eventually go back to the traditional Filipino dishes within about a month or so. Especially the letchon, I probably could not resist the fiesta food, the native country snacks, or the street food that are openly sold on the streets. Thinking about it now, I realized that my feelings towards such food are similar to my feelings towards bodabils. They are prepared much like a potpourri of songs, dance rituals, comedy skits, dramas, and production numbers that come together harmoniously in one medium of entertainment. On the other hand, the middle eastern food are much like having a roller coaster ride inside your mouth; you would not know what you are expecting to experience and it takes you to various emotional extremities but in quick paces. According to a Matty Har from Beijing and a trip adviser, the restaurant, “offers a great mix of appetizers and entrees from the Middle East and subcontinent. One of the few places in Cebu to get hummus does not disappoint along with a nice selection of breads.” Also, a lot of trip advisers imply that this restaurant is one of the best places that could satisfy people who aspire to be vegetarians, are vegetarians, or simply looking for some vegan goodness around the city.
