i met up with some of my high school classmates whom i have not seen personally for a few years back when i was on my vacation last march. it was a way of reminiscing our good old high school years, specially the fun moments we had together.
it was also a good chance for me to tick off one of my 10 things i have not done before item when everyone was asking to decide where to have our late dinner. the mall we met up was just near barrio fiesta, a filipino restaurant that is famous for the dish, crispy pork knuckle or crispy pata. i then suggested the place and they agreed, unknowingly, they did not know my real purpose.
it has been years since i last ate pork. i stopped eating it when i was in junior high school, the reason still unclear even to myself which is straightforwardly odd! to cut it short, let’s not talk about it and focus on the crispy pork knuckle itself. hehe.
crispy pata is the hind leg including the knuckles of a pig boiled in broth with spices, drip dried or drained, rubbed again with spices and then is deep-fried until golden brown. here is the famous crispy pata of barrio fiesta. crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. i wonder how much percentage of cholesterol one serving has.
i ate a piece and the taste reminded me of my ma’s lechon kawali (pan-fried roasted pork) that she cooks before. though it tasted good it did not mean that i will go back on eating pork again, it was just a self-dare for myself for my list. another thing, i also stopped eating beef more than four years ago – and i think that deserves a separate post. 😀
sensory replays 
lets cross out YOGA in your list, soon!
.. try natin sa july chyng, baka matuloy na tayo nun!
ANG SARAP! (kailangan all caps to emphasize with feelings! hahaha! …miss na miss ang crispy pata!)
done with this, now go back to being pescetarian.
.. masarap nga doc! haha. i think i can no longer be considered pescetarian for i went back on eating chicken pero totally no red meat.
c’mmon, try some tender juicy steak next time!
(insert evil laugh here) *just teasing*
.. pag-iisipan ko! haha.
pa-epal lang po! i agree with kuya doc cousin gelo! ANG SARAP! i still don’t get how people can give this up. :p
.. hi iya! masarap nga! pero minsan talaga you have to let go of something to make another one better – like kung may high cholesterol ka na! 😀
you must have a strong resolve to be able to abstain from eating pork and beef for all these years. culinary celibate ka na ngayon LOL.
.. i may be a bachelor bert – but i’m never celibate!
.. oh, you meant culinary! 😀
wow.. nakakainggit naman yan.. nagcracrave naku nyan ng 2 taon d2 sa place ko.. miss ko na ang pork.. 😦
.. hi jen! masarap naman kasi talaga ang pork dishes. pag-uwi mo sawain mo pagkain.
damn rob, a year without pork? god, i don’t know how you do it buddy. you’re awesome.
.. not even a year pm, almost 20 years! 😀
isang slice na bite size ng crispy pata ay magpapahilo sa akin, kaya i don’t eat it too. pero minsan, nakakatukso talaga. hahaha.
.. high blood ka rin, lito? ako nga under maintenance na eh, di pa ako kumakain ng baboy nyan ha. 😀
that’s odd to think you’d shy away from pork and not know the real reason. go dig deep into your subconscious. it’s buried there somewhere.
i haven’t eaten that in ages either. with me it’s more shying away from fat and cholesterol – i won’t wait until i get a problem to stop eating it.
.. possibly something traumatic happened between me and a pig. hehe.
that crispy pata looks fiiiiiiine. a friend in college urged me to try being a something-you-eat-only-chicken-and-fish-tarian and i managed okay for a few weeks until my mom served us crispy pata. crispy pata is my kryptonite.
.. most likely i’ll also get tempted! i practice that kind of diet ayla, no red meat or the lacto-ovo-pollo-pesco diet. used to be pescetarian but it became too difficult for me to manage here at work.
whoa!!! miss q na pork!!! drool!
.. yes it’s drool worthy, riz!