SHOOT and SCOOT PH: Bicol's Pride (Orgullo Kan Bikol

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Orgullo Kan Bikol (OKB) or "Bicol's Pride," as translated in English, is a trade fair happening from October 4 to October 7, 2012 at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 2. This event showcases the products of the cities and the towns from provinces in the Bicol Region (Region 5).

The entrance fee is only 10 pesos, and you get to see (and buy) things from the colorful culture and heritage of the land of sugar, spice, and everything nice.

Here are some photos from the trade fair -

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Region 5 or the Bicol Region is popular for its love for pepper. Thus, this OKB logo from the booth of a famous Bicolano restaurant shows the mighty red hot chili pepper together with the text Bikol.

As I have said earlier, Bicol region is the land of sugar, spice, and everything nice. The photo below shows sugar at one of its purest form. This product is known in many areas of the Bicol region as kalamay. Since this a pure form of the cane sugar, this is free from additives and other chemicals. This is used as a sweetener for most traditional snacks, such as rice cakes. As a child, I use to nibble this with my friends after sneaking out some chunks of it from my mother's kitchen.

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Spices, specially the cayenne pepper (left - long peppers) and the notorious bird's eye pepper (right - small ones, called sambalas in Bicolano) are always welcome in any Bicolano kitchen. In the Bicol region, there is even a pepper curry called Bicol Express. This dish is made from coconut cream and lots and lots of pepper. The latest dish that Bicolanos do with the pepper is the fried pepper rolls or locally called dinamita (dynamite). Just imagine the regular Chinese spring rolls, but instead of meat or vegetable inside, you will find one whole cayenne pepper wrapped and fried in the same manner. And for dessert, one famous Bicolano restaurant even serves chili flavored ice cream. See, this region really loves pepper.

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A Bicolano dish called pinangat. This dish is made from coconut cream and taro leaves. Shredded fresh taro leaves with coconut cream and smoked fish (or pork) are neatly wrapped in whole taro leaves and tied to keep them from opening. Then, it is boiled together with more coconut cream. Another version of this is called inulukan or tinuktok. This version uses shredded crablets as filling instead of shredded taro leaves.

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Dried and shredded taro leaves packed for sale. Katnga is just one of the many names of taro leaves in the region. In the Bicol region, dialect variation happens every 10 or 20 kilometers. Starting from Legazpi City in the Albay province, taro is called natong. Then, it is called apay after 10 kilometers. Then, it is called katnga after around 20 kilometers. I have even heard that taro is called dimonyo (devil in English) in one place.

The Bicol region is also popular for its pili nuts. This nut is usually made into candies and other sweets, such as tarts. One famous Bicolano coffee shop even introduced the pili nut coffee. In addition, the pulp of the pili nut is also eaten after immersing it luke warm water for about 30 minutes. Many people like eating it with fish sauce, and some like eating it with sugar. This is eaten as a side dish or a snack and this is called tinula.

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Green pili nuts still attached in a branch. When these green oval things turn black, that will be the best time to harvest them.

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Some variants of pili nut treats from one of the pioneers in the industry.

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A new pili nut product with a nice packaging. Marigsip (or maragsip in other areas of the region) means crispy.

The Bicol region is also known for making eco-friendly reusable bags made from durable natural materials, such as abaca and karagumoy.

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Supermarket bags called ba'yong, with the stress (or simply bayong in Tagalog, without the stress), is once again "in" among the provinces of the region since reducing the use plastic bags has been heavily endorsed lately.

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These bags are not only eco-friendly but can also be fashion trendsetters.

The earth has blessed the region with natural resources which the people use to create eco-friendly things. Clay is another resource that the Bicolanos has maximized. Here are high quality home decors made from clay.

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Hand made jars / jugs / vases / urns

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Candle and incense/oil burner

Aside from the humble clay, the region has gold and other precious metals in some areas.

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The sea has also blessed the region with first class seafood and other marine resources. Even the lowly seaweed is already being processed into nutrient-packed noodles.

One specific city in the Albay province is well-known for its cutlery industry. This place is called Tabaco City. The namesake comes from the word tabak which means jungle knife. Never confuse this city for tobacco since you won't find any tobacco industry there.

Many Bicolanos are also skilled craftsmen, and many of their fine crafts are at the trade fair too. You can purchase some of their works from heavy home furnishings to simple fashion accessories there.

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A table top accessory for hanging a bunch of bananas or a bunch of Bicolano sausages, such as the Guinobatan longganisa.

As many Bicolanos are also culinary specialists, many yummy treats are waiting for you at the trade fair too.

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Scrumptious dishes and snacks are available from this booth at the trade fair. This booth is from a restaurant worth checking out once you are in the vicinity of Legazpi City. This restaurant is located in the neighboring town of Daraga which is just around 15-20 minutes away from the popular hotels in the area.