FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

I got a pack of Ma Mon Luk egg noodles from Iloilo Supermart - a 250gm pack consists of 6 dried noodle "patties"  and costs around PhP50.  I suddenly had cravings of the noodle soup served in some Chinese restos that I decided to make one at home.  But mine turned out to be more of a pancit canton.  Didn't want to use artificial broth cubes, so I just cooked the noodles and luckily we had some chopsuey leftover that made a perfect mix.  I just drenched the noodles sesame oil, put on the toppings and added more I found on in the fridge like these Spam cubes. The result was a mix of delicious flavours and good aroma (from my fave sesame oil) - that gave me a fully  satisfied tummy from an on the spot experiment.

Victorias . Mention this Negros Occidental component city and it makes me think of two things.  First is SUGAR . It is home to Victorias Milling Company - the Philippines largest sugar refinery at the same time the world's largest integrated sugar mill.  And second, is HOT SARDINES . I can still  remember this iconic brand wayback in the late 80s and 90s, in its bright yellow labeled cans.  Opening a can or bottle of Victorias  Hot Sardines or Bangus, I can still vividly recall the contents swimming in rich soya or olive oil. And as far as I can remember, I  always have that sublime gastronomic experience each time we have a Victorias meal. I considered it a luxury back then as it was among the really few oil-based products in the sea of tomato-based canned sardines.  Years passed and with more new competing brands out there, Victorias has still maintained its quality and tastes deliciously the same - as always.  A TASTE OF NEGROS   With a good portion of my taste memories  having