I always look back and remember the places i've been, people i've met, and food i've tried from all over the Philippines, thanks to my previous job as an associate project manager in a marketing company. One of the most memorable (and fun), where I met the nicest people and the most peaceful community (as contradicted by the media, where it is believed that terrorists lurk) is Zamboanga City. Believe it or not, the city is really peaceful, I even managed to went around (in a motorcycle with Em) at 12 mn (after having my fill at a private resort at the foot of a mountain)! There maybe some bombing incidents there, but as much as we were terrified of the City because of the feared Abu Sayyaf, the Chavacanos also dread Manila, because of crime (rapes, murders, snatchers, gangs, burglars, etc) and chaos (protests, demolitions, etc). This actually made me think: Manila may indeed be more of a threat!
The moment my boss (Sir Shine) told me that I will go to Zamboanga, the base managers of Cebu and CDO called me and told me to be extra cautious "dapat hindi ikaw ang pinadala...naku baka kung anu mangyari seyo dun!" (the bombing of a plaza there is still fresh from the news). To top it all, Sir shine kept bugging me! (It goes like this: Oh jen magpaalam ka na sa pamilya mo, pati sa bf mo! Baka hindi ka na makabalik a! Pwede ka umatras if you want....yada, yada, yada...). But heck I can't back-out! While I have sleepless nights trying to think of not going, the adventurous side of my brain kept me excited (Imagine that! going to Zamboanga?! I'll brag about it to my cousins when I return!) So there it goes, I find myself seated in a 1 1/2 hour plane ride to Zamboanga City.
orange, even while raw
Fast forward and Mrs. Edith Ouano of Zamboanga was nice enough to tour me around (with her lovely daughters) at a local market and waddayahknow! Glistening on a table, with their attractive orange color, were the large and plump CURACHAS! Also known as spanner crabs (also abundant in Australia and Hawaii), Curacha which in Chavacano means ipis is a sight to behold! It looks like a cross between crab and lobster, heavy and large, (with the smallest the size of a large crab!). Pardon me, but I think they look more like GARAPATAS! Anyway, Ate Edith bought about 4 kilos, then a large tuna "panga' (priced at only Php110). Just so you know, seafood here is really cheap. Freshly caught from the open waters of Jolo, you will find large Lapu-lapu, tuna, and maya-maya at the cheap price of tilapia here in Manila! And take note, they don't eat tilapia or bangus, for them it taste like mud and you can not see them on their local market. Shet tataba ako dito!
looks like a garapata ei?
Back at their home, the Curacha is simply simmered in garlic and sprite, the flavor and aroma of curacha embraced the entire kitchen! With a lot of fat (aligue), imagine how much rice I ate! As opposed to other crabs, the mother-load of the meat is concentrated on the body, not on claws!Then the tuna panga is marinated in toyo, calamansi and pepper, grilled and turned out to be the juiciest grilled tuna I've eaten! Superb! Ate Edith was even nice enough to cook several batches of Curacha for me to take home, along with a large box of mangosteen. Mama and ate were delighted!
Note: Curacha is available in Alavar restaurant, i think the Timog branch is still existing. Also, a friend spotted the availability of Curacha in a market in Nasugbu, Batangas. Must visit in Zamboanga is the beautiful Sta. Cruz island with its rare pink sands, which I'm dying to visit when my leave is approved.
