When in Ilocos, do as the Ilocanos do, which, for the most part means eating heavily. At any given time of the day, Ilocanos are likely to be nibbling at a snack or heaving feast.
Sometimes, if a visitor is lucky, he or she gets invited to a “padaya”, a generic term for a festive party where celebrants pull out all stops and serve Ilocano food in all its abundance and glory. Among the most popular dishes are “pinapaitan” and “pinakbet”. There are also empanada, longganisa and bagnet.
But today, I’d like to feature a more underrated and probably not everyone’s favorite noodle dish, the Hi-bol.
Please, don’t cringe. I’m here to explain this.