Iloilo Dinagyang 2011 - A festival of faith and food

Weeks from now, Iloilo City will again dance to drum beats and get into a frenzy as it welcomes everyone to Dinagyang 2011. A top tourism event and among the most popular festival in the country, Dinagyang is a 3-day of non stop fun, activities, events and it's one of the best times to eat, drink and be merry in Iloilo City.

Apart from the ati-ati contest and cultural presentation, among the highlights of the festival is the annual Dinagyang Food Festival held along Delgado St. Here, everyone can savour the best of Ilonggo cuisine as more than 40 participating hotels and restaurants showcase their best dishes in tune with the celebration. Two years ago, I wrote this article for a local daily and it can still serve as guide of what and where to eat for Dinagyang 2011.

So mark your calendars now an get ready to experience on of the best festivals in the country. See you in Iloilo City for Dinagyang 2011.

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Schedule of Activities:

October 14, 2011, Friday
2:00 P.M. LOCAL LAUNCH Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2011 Freedom Grandstand

Tribu Pan-ay from PAMUKAW held last Monday, Dec. 20.

December 20, 2010, Monday
2:00 P.M. PAMUKAW Assembly Area: Promenade passing Iznart, J.M. Basa to Freedom Grandstand

January 4, 2011, Tuesday
2:00 P.M. Model Ati Dinagyang Warrior 2011 Presentation

January 7, 2011, Friday
2:00 P.M. Model Ati Dinagyang Warrior 2011 Talent Competition

January 9, 2011, Sunday
1:00 P.M. Model Ati Dinagyang Warrior 2011 Finals

January 14, 2011, Friday
2:30 P.M. Mass for Opening Salvo of Tribe Dancers San Jose Parish Church
3:00 PM OPENING SALVO Judging Area

January 14-16, 2010
Iloilo Dinagyang Golf Competition 2011 Sta. Barbara Golf Club

January 15, 2011, Saturday
7:00:00 AM SQUEAK Parade Route

January 16-23, 2011
Dinagyang Photo Exhibit

January 16, 2011, Sunday
10:00AM – 3:00PM DRESSING UP DAGOY

Scenes from the Dinagyang Food Festival

January 19-23, 2011
2:00 P.M.-12 MN Iloilo Hotel Resort & Restaurant Association (IHRRA) Food Festival Delgado St., Iloilo City

January 21, 2011, Friday
8:00:00 AM TAMBOR TRUMPA MARTSA MUSIKA Freedom Grandstand
7:00 PM LUCES IN THE SKY Part I

January 22, 2011, Saturday
7:00:00 AM Mass for Kasadyahan San Jose Parish Church

Tribu Kasag - 2010 Kasadyahan Champion (from ExploreIloilo)

8:00 A.M. 2011 KASADYAHAN Competition Freedom Grandstand and other stages
2:00PM SPONSORS MARDI GRAS Judging Area #4 to Freedom Grandstand
7:00 PM LUCES IN THE SKY Part II
7:00 PM Religious Sad-sad to Sr. Sto. Niño San Jose Parish Church

January 23, 2011, Sunday
6:30 a.m Concelebrated high mass for devotees, Tribes, Gov’t. Officials, LOMAS in attendance San Jose Parish Church

Dinagyang Street Dance along the main streets of Iloilo City (c/o Google)

8:00 A.M. 2011 Dinagyang Ati CONTEST Freedom Grandstand and other stages
7:00 P.M. Awarding Ceremonies Freedom Grandstand

January 24, 2011, Monday
5:30 P.M. Thanksgiving Mass with all members of 2010 Iloilo Dinagyang Festival Working Committees

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

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Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the usu

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

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