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Although I'm not a picky eater, whenever I visit a new place, I always look for opportunities to enjoy the food in the way the locals do.
It's always an interesting and valuable experience to have on a trip.
A Vietnamese pork offal porridge stall in Puerto Princesa - Photo: Giang Nguyen
We landed at Puerto Princesa Airport on Palawan Island (Philippines) at 10 am and were instructed to walk outside the airport to find a bus to El Nido.
Located not far from the airport, right on the main road lined with trees, is a travel agency nestled among several small houses.
While my travel companion went to inquire about renting a vehicle and some information for the trip, I took my camera and strolled around the city. Several tricycle drivers (a type of motorbike with three wheels and a fairly large cargo area for passengers) parked along the road winked, struck up conversations, and invited us for a tour of the capital.
Because they had to wait for the truck to finish loading before departing for En Nido, everyone declined. It was also lunchtime, so they needed to find a place to eat.
Filipino street food
Right next to the travel agency was a small general store. At first glance, it resembled the makeshift stalls selling all sorts of things in Vietnamese villages, with goods hanging from the walls or in the doorways.
On a row of tables were several trays and a series of clean, covered pots, while outside there was an open space and a long bench under the awning.
In the other corner, there were also tables and chairs, with bananas hanging from the tabletops. Curious, I asked to see what was inside the pots, and found a variety of dishes including salads, stir-fried vegetables, rice, soup, meat, and fish.
The two owners were busy setting plates and serving food to customers. The restaurant wasn't overly crowded, but it was busy enough. Several tuk-tuk drivers stopped by for a meal. Some elderly men, probably from nearby, also came in. There were even Western tourists passing by who stopped. And our group, too, decided to have our lunch here.
Later, when I had more time to travel to the Philippines, I realized this was a typical example of a budget-friendly rice restaurant in the country.
A Western tourist stops in front of a cheap eatery in Puerto Princessa - Photo: Giang Nguyen
A cheap eatery that also serves as a convenience store - Photo: Giang Nguyen
The shop displays pots, pans, and trays of food on a long table by the window. Customers buy and eat right outside, although there are also separate tables and chairs inside the shop for service.
Each shop also doubles as a small convenience store selling snacks, fast food, drinks, cigarettes, and cosmetics, primarily serving locals and passersby.
Each person in the group chose a few dishes for themselves, including white rice, soup, vegetables, and side dishes. In appearance, the dishes looked quite similar to typical Vietnamese street food.
Vegetable soup, red onion and tomato salad, braised meat, fried fish, or fish in sauce. But the cooking methods and seasonings are Filipino style.
For example, braised pork is slow-cooked with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, onions, pepper, and salt. Mixed vegetable soup contains tofu, tomatoes, onions, and diced mung beans, cooked with tamarind or lime. Many dishes are cooked in sauces, so it's easy to understand why there are so many pots on the table instead of trays.
Vietnam and "pork offal porridge"
We were eating and chatting with other diners in the restaurant. When they learned we were Vietnamese, some people in the restaurant exclaimed "pork offal porridge," which surprised everyone.
It wasn't until the night before we left Palawan that we understood why the locals mentioned "cháo lòng" (pork offal porridge) when referring to Vietnam.
It turns out that Palawan has a large Vietnamese community that has been doing business and settling there for a long time, even forming Vietnamese villages. Along the road near the airport, there are quite a few restaurants with clearly written Vietnamese names, all selling "cháo lòng" (pork offal porridge). Thinking we were going to enjoy our favorite dish in a foreign land, the whole group was shocked when every restaurant owner showed us a menu with the word "noodle" (rice noodles, pho).
After visiting several restaurants and doing some research, I realized that the "cháo lòng" (pork offal porridge) that the people of Palawan call it is actually pho, the Vietnamese dish.
Chicken pho, beef pho, pork pho, even self-service pho. It seems that in the distant past, when Vietnamese people came here to live and run food businesses, there was a big enough misunderstanding that in Palawan, locals always call their favorite pho dish by the name "cháo lòng" (pork offal porridge).
A simple, everyday meal - Photo: Giang Nguyen
What a surprising and memorable story during my exploration of Palawan!
