The Pilgrim's Pots and Pans

The past few days I was in a workshop in a resort along the coast of La Union facing the South China Sea. Although the food was nothing spectacular, it was substantial and I couldn’t really complain. We had more than enough yet one evening, as I sat down to work on a document, I just had to satisfy a craving. I had to have balut. To the uninitiated, balut is a 15-17 day old cooked fertilised duck egg. Definitely not for the squeamish.

The resort of course did not have the delicacy on the menu so out into town I went. Balut is usually sold by itinerant vendors and not knowing where their route, I had to ask the lady at a variety store. A bit embarrassed that I just wanted directions, I bought some puffed rice snacks (which bring pleasant childhood memories) and proceeded to find the balut vendor.

A few minutes later, I was back in the cabin and shared the grace with my roommate. She was laughing at how my craving compelled me to go out late in the evening. I don’t get do that everyday yet when it strikes, it’s hard to shake off.

The puffed rice wasn’t the crispiest I’ve had and the balut not the freshest nor tastiest but then I was satisfied. I am easy to please.