Lechon

Homer: Are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

- The Simpsons

Nothing makes a Filipino feast more festive than lechon! Uly was craving some, and since we were having our families over for his birthday, it seemed like a good excuse to get one. Technically we only got half, but we didn't think we could finish a whole pig, even with both our families in attendance. We wound up still having more than enough leftovers for everyone to make paksiw, a dish using leftover lechon meat and sauce. I gotta say, I'm glad we wound up getting the "butt" half...seems like it has way more meat and tasty crispy skin than the "head" part.

We ordered the lechon at this place called Nayong Filipino, just a few minutes away...one of the benefits of living in Union City I guess. We normally go to Lechon Manila for lechon by the pound, but since it closed we were glad to find this place, which only lets you order either a half or full lechon.


Nice piggy...

But of course, it's not a real Filipino party unless there's a sh*tload of food. Uly and I made some grilled bangus (milkfish) as the "lite" option of the day. My mom made her famous lumpia, and Leah made some yummy caldereta (Filipino beef stew). For dessert, Uly's mom brought some crema de fruta cake and bibinka.

Needless to say, the party ended with most everyone in a massive food coma. Gotta love filipino parties!


More messy than our usual spread...but still good eatin'!