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Sunday, November 20, 2011

WELCOME DINNER IN CARAMOAN, CAMARINES SUR

My Bicol trip was very memorable in so many levels.  I don't even know where and how to begin to blog about the experience - honestly, I'm having a hard time finding the right adjectives to describe it.  I guess I'm going to have to expand my vocabulary by seeking Mr. Thesaurus' and Ms. Merriam Webster's combined help so that I can supply captions to pictures as well as words to form sentences accurate enough to encapsulate into my blog an epic vacation.

WELCOME DINNER IN CARAMOAN, CAMARINES SUR

I came to Bicol to meet Vince's relatives for the first time, and tagged along with me my six other family members including our rugrat, Pakoy.  I was glad to have finally met Vince's lola who cared for him until he was about 7 years of age, as well as his uncles, aunts, cousins, and the rest of his extended family there.  We stayed at their ancestral abode - the same house where Vince spent his childhood days in Bicol.

The dinner that welcomed us wiped off the long, exhilarating and tiresome journey from Manila to Ili, Caramoan.


The classic wooden round table held a succulent feast which included crabs, dinuguan (pork blood stew), ginataang sitaw at kalabasa (string beans and squash with coconut milk), caldereta (a form of beef stew with tomato sauce), fish stew, home-made gelatins, and suman (native rice cake wrapped in banana leaves).

A seafood lover's delight!
 

These purple yam-flavored rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves are called Suman Arroyo.
With all the scandal that ex-President Gloria Arroyo (GMA) is currently facing,
I bet, if only the suman could speak, it would desperately beg for a name change.

The warm reception did not end at the dinner table but extended to every space we occupied and throughout the rest of our stay.  I am very thankful for my husband's family's hospitality towards me and my family during our Caramoan vacation.  I really appreciate them treating us as guests, and at the same time, making us feel at home and that we belong :)

Photo credits to my father-in-law who is a photography afficionado

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To read more of my Philippines 2011 vacation, please click:


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To read more of my travel stories, please click:  TUESDAY TRAVEL

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To read more foodie adventures, please click:  GASTRONOMY MONDAY

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My share for:

FTFBadge

41 comments:

  1. LainyNovember 20, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    YAY! That sounds a cool welcome and accommodation from Dr. Vince's side of the fam, KM. And oh! The sight on the table! LOL! Hinahanap ko ang laing, hahaha!

    Bicolano ba si Dr. Vince? My Mom is full blooded Bicolana. Her parents were from Catanduanes :-) Napadpad sa Mindanao dala nga ng work ng Lolo ko sa government kaya hayun, pati mga kapatid nya nagsisunuran na, hahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Arvin U. de la PeñaNovember 20, 2011 at 10:09 PM

    bumisita sa iyo...di pa ako nakakapunta ng camarines sur....layo mula sa amin,hehe..

    ReplyDelete
  3. LainyNovember 20, 2011 at 11:47 PM

    Ay!

    Sad to know about the disapproval by EC. About the code, I don't see it installed here at your blog. That's probably the reason why it was disapproved. They have a widget scanner that manually checks the presence of the widget code at the blogs.

    If you're not on vacation mode na or if you can find the time, re install mo lang uli ang widget code para masend ko na yong 1K credits mo :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. KMNovember 20, 2011 at 11:53 PM

    i removed the widget a week after i got notified that i was disapproved. sige, i'll reinstall it and see what happens ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownNovember 21, 2011 at 1:07 AM

    ay...sarap ng alimango KM!

    you are right justice delayed, justice denied - already 7 years, when I was in college I was lucky I had a chance to visit the farm workers...hay, ang hirap ng buhay nila duon

    ReplyDelete
  6. chanoNovember 21, 2011 at 1:53 AM

    kaw na! nafefeel ko na ang saya ng bakasyon mo d2 sa pinas. talagang nisusulit mo ha.. enge alimango..yummy.. :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. KMNovember 21, 2011 at 4:56 AM

    @ Lainy, yes, Caramoanon pareho parents nya. He was born there too and stayed there until he was 7, tapos nag move sa Manila, pero lagi pa din sila nadalaw sa Bicol :) Have you ever been to Bicol, Laine?

    @ Arvin, saan ba kayo? Salamat sa pagdalaw sa blog ko :)

    @ Reese, sarap nga talaga nung alimango. Kaka-miss !

    @ Chano, naubos kagad yung alimango. Hehe!

    ReplyDelete
  8. krizzaNovember 21, 2011 at 5:48 AM

    It's nice to know that you were able to meet Dr. Vince's family for the first time. It was really a nice gesture from them to prepare a scrumptious dinner for all of you. I'm also fond of the native dishes of Bicol region coz my Mom is a full blooded Bicolana at lumaki akong mahilig sa maanghang at sa mga gata na ulam. Yummy! Namiss ko tuloy now :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. LainyNovember 21, 2011 at 6:37 AM

    Ang sweet at ang bait naman ni Dr. VInce. Bumalik pa kung san sya nanggaling. Saludo ako!

    I have never been to Bicol ever, KM. Hopefully one day, magawi :-) May tita ako, yong eldest ng Nanay namin, sinuyod ang Catanduanes sa paghahanap sa mga relatives namin don. Nagtagumpay din naman sya.

    Alam mo bang halos isumpa ako ni Windy nong time na nagtanong-tanong sya tungkol sa mga old folks ko eh halos wala akong maisagot. Kaya hayun! I did my homework and asked my Titas and Titos pati narin Lola na almost 90 na, kapatid ng Lolo ko. Kaya medyo nagkaroon nako ng alam sa pinanggalingan ng pamilya namin, hehe!

    ReplyDelete
  10. anneyNovember 21, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    Such a warm welcome from Vince's relatives! Ang daming lafang! I'm sure busog na busog ka!

    ReplyDelete
  11. RovieNovember 21, 2011 at 11:04 AM

    You're in-laws is so cool! Ang swerte mo sis for having them...

    Hindi halatang pinaghandaan ang inyong bakasyon huh. Ang sasarap ng pagkain! Kakainggit ka!

    By the way, florence visited mi this afternoon after 16 long years of not seeing each other. May EB din daw pala kayo next week...

    Good to have you back in the blogosphere... Mwah!

    ReplyDelete
  12. RovieNovember 21, 2011 at 11:04 AM

    You're in-laws is so cool! Ang swerte mo sis for having them...

    Hindi halatang pinaghandaan ang inyong bakasyon huh. Ang sasarap ng pagkain! Kakainggit ka!

    By the way, florence visited mi this afternoon after 16 long years of not seeing each other. May EB din daw pala kayo next week...

    Good to have you back in the blogosphere... Mwah!

    ReplyDelete
  13. KMNovember 21, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    @ Krizza, ya, lalo na kasi close si Vince sa lola nya dahil alaga sya noon nung bata pa sya. Bicol origin ka din pala. Tara, luto na ng laing jan :)

    @ Lainy, naku, asar talo ka pala kay Windy. LOL. Buti na lang din pala at nagtanong si Windy, at least naging assignment mo sya to trace your roots ;) Pasyal ka ng Bicol if may natitira pa kayong relatives dun. Sarap mag island hopping dun :)

    @ Rovie, actually yung family ni Vince nasa Canada/US na talaga, so mga uncles/aunts/cousins and lola nya ang binisita namin dito sa Bicol. Pero tamang tama din na umuwi din kasi yung parents-in-law ko, so nagkasabay sabay kami ng uwi, kaya talagang pinaghandaan ng lola ni Vince itong bakasyon na 'to. Nag hire sila ng cook at helper talaga para lang sa vacation namin. Super appreciate ko nga talaga yun eh :)

    Buti naman pala nagkita na kayo ni Florence. Oo nga, busy busy ang babaeng yun, kaya pagbalik na nya kami mag EB :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. KMNovember 21, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    @ Anney, ay naku sinabi mo pa, lafangga kung lafangga talaga ginawa namin jan. Hehe!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Seow weiNovember 22, 2011 at 7:12 AM

    Such a lovely welcome dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Chubskulit RoseNovember 22, 2011 at 9:17 AM

    Glad you like Bicol! I am from Bicol and I have been to Caramoan before when I was working in Nabua Cam. Sur. Did you guys go to Legazpi to see Mt. Mayon?

    My Orange

    ReplyDelete
  17. imrizNovember 22, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    aw, truly pinoy hospitality. sarap ng sumannnn! type ko, pero ung name HINDI, haha

    ReplyDelete
  18. michelleNovember 22, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    why do uhave to torture us with those yummy foods?lol. visiting for orange tuesdays. hope u can visit mine too. www.realdealgeneration.com.

    ReplyDelete
  19. UnknownNovember 22, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    I was shocked about the picture that come out from the internet I couldn't believe it was her. Sad to see they look like that but if they only used their power to goodness and honesty they will not be like that. Great photos of the crab and suman!

    Orange Tuesdays

    ReplyDelete
  20. RovieNovember 22, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    Nakiki Orange Tuesdays din dito habang may time pa... Hehehe...

    ReplyDelete
  21. teJanNovember 23, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    ayy wow;) the crabs.. the suman ba yan..hhehe..miss pinas tuloy;)

    visiting from orange sis.. see yah;)

    ReplyDelete
  22. January ZeleneNovember 23, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    glad to hear you had a happy vacation at your hubby's place. :)


    Visiting from Orange Tuesday
    Grizzly Orange , Fire Drill, Water Leaves

    ReplyDelete
  23. ChieNovember 23, 2011 at 10:51 AM

    yay! very mouth-watering, the crab! suman arroyo, hmnn i'll give it a try hahaha

    visiting here po from OT

    ReplyDelete
  24. Mel_ColeNovember 23, 2011 at 3:24 PM

    wow, the filipino foods that i really missed eating! so yummy sis! I want one of that crab. Visiting from Orange Tuesdays.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Leah H.November 23, 2011 at 11:43 PM

    Yummy!! My fave crabby, crab, crab:)

    Visiting for OT! Hope you can visit me too:)

    http://www.heavenly-dreams.com/orange-tuesday-001-painted-pumpkin/

    ReplyDelete
  26. PaulaNovember 24, 2011 at 1:08 AM

    Hi,

    Sarap ng food ha. I miss the province we used to have seafood at our table everyday.
    Btw, I'm inviting you to join BC Bloggers. You can go here for more info:
    http://www.mommydiary.net/join-bc-bloggers-here

    ReplyDelete
  27. KMNovember 24, 2011 at 6:59 AM

    @ Seow Wei, thanks again for dropping by!

    @ Chubskulit, we didn't have the time to visit Legaspi but I've visited Mayon Volcano before back in the 90s when it erupted. Can't forget how it looked like - its burning mouth, and rolling balls of fire down the perfect slope - just amazing!

    @ Imriz, ako din hindi ko din type ang name nung suman.

    @ Michelle, oopppps, sorry! :D

    @ Mary, I guess some people just lack conscience.

    @ Rovie, thank you! Hindi pa ako nakakapag blog walk ulit pero pasyalan ko mga blogs mo maya maya ;)

    @ Tejan, oo nga, kakamiss talaga ang pagkaing pinoy.

    @ January, thanks for hopping by my blog :)

    @ Chie, hindi ako mahilig sa suman, pero nasarapan ako dito sa Arroyo ^^

    @ Mel Cole, ako din super na miss ko 'tong mga ganitong luto. Iba pa din ang lasa talaga pag dito niluto :)

    @ Leah, seafood lover's delight indeed!

    @ Paula, thanks for the invitation. I already subscribed ^^ Will await for the instructions :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. TetchaNovember 24, 2011 at 8:45 PM

    What a lovely (and delicious) welcome treat you received from your husband's family! That simply means you are loved! I'm eyeing that suman, though. LOL! Happy FTF! http://www.delightmyappetite.com/2011/11/food-trip-friday-cbd-at-ayala-triangle-gardens/

    ReplyDelete
  29. Chie WilksNovember 25, 2011 at 2:13 AM

    Hello KM. I am back here for FTF. I love sea foods and these crabs are seducing me. When it comes to suman, i like it dipped in hot chocolate

    Have a nice Friday! I hope you could visit over at my blog and have a slice of Cafe's Isabel's BananaCake

    ReplyDelete
  30. KMNovember 25, 2011 at 4:02 AM

    @ Tetcha, the suman arroyo was very good. Yum! :)

    @ Chie, I love seafoods too! Thanks for the tip of dipping suman into hot choco. I should try that :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. kat-in-the-kitchenNovember 25, 2011 at 7:29 AM

    Ang swerte mo, welcome na welcome ka at pinaghandaan talaga..Visiting from FTF. Hope to see you at my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  32. JessicaNovember 25, 2011 at 7:53 AM

    yum...looks delish and what a sweet welcome. Perfect to unwind after a long tired trip. Dropping some love for Orange Tuesdays, hope that you can return the favor too.

    http://www.simplyjess.info/my-dolly-and-me-with-our-same-orange-dress/

    ReplyDelete
  33. KMNovember 25, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    @ Kat, pareho pa tayo ng entry ah. Crabs din sa'yo :D

    @ Wifetoalineman, thanks for the regular visits :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. ShengkayNovember 27, 2011 at 4:57 AM

    wow! as in wow!!!!
    love the suman..
    thanks for joining OT sis.,.

    ReplyDelete
  35. ♥ Willa @ Postage Journal♥November 27, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    I'm sure you had a great time with them!

    ReplyDelete
  36. JessicaNovember 27, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    great foods as always, missed that round turn table, we have that in our house too :-) Dropping some love this time for Yummy Sunday, hope that you can return the favor

    http://www.adventurousjessy.com/2011/11/lunch-at-mc-donald%E2%80%99s-restaurant.html

    ReplyDelete
  37. KMNovember 29, 2011 at 3:14 PM

    ^ thanks for the visit, guys :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. JennDecember 1, 2011 at 2:32 AM

    Wow! Never pa akong nakapunta sa Bicol! Mukhang masarap yung crab, pero mas interesado ako sa suman! Purple yam... hmmm, parang masarap!

    Thanks for linking up.

    ReplyDelete
  39. maiylahDecember 3, 2011 at 3:14 AM

    what a feast! nakakagutom....that suman's name sounds interesting, lol.

    thanks so much for sharing your welcome dinner over at Food Friday, Ms. KM
    happy weekend! :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Perfectly BlendedDecember 3, 2011 at 8:48 AM

    Wonderful family, yummy foods and great celebration!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Mommy JesDecember 22, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    ahahahah sis naloka ako sa dami ng need mo just to express how happy was your reunion :) im glad you were able to share it!! happy fam time!

    ReplyDelete

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