Hi there, folks! It's been a while, and I definitely miss doing this kind of thing - sharing bits of my experiences.
This year's Ilocos Sur Trade and Food Expo features tawid (heritage) and kultura (culture) of the various municipalities in the province of Ilocos Sur. It is part of the celebration of the Ilocos Sur Kannawidan Festival 2023.
The said expo is located at Govantes Dike, Vigan City (just a few meters away from Ilocos Sur Capitol). It is composed of 204 exhibitors and sellers. It is filled with amazing handicrafts, research-based products and innovations, mouthwatering food and refreshment, dry goods, RTWs, and even floriculture nurseries.
Together, let us discover the Exciting Wonders of Ilocos Sur!
Before even going into the entrance, various plants already welcome the people. Once I'm inside it already, it felt like I was transported to another place where unique and innovative products came in one place. It seems narrow, especially the aisle, but it's worth the view. Not only does it satisfy my eyes, but it also provides me with more information about each municipality that features its very own One Town One Product (OTOP).
As found out in the study of Absolor et al. (2022), the economic impact of the "One Town, One Product" (OTOP) initiative in Ilocos Sur as a whole is substantial. Impacts on employment and product quality improvement were found to be fairly significant. As these findings show, low levels of education and participation in organized groups need not be a barrier to creating jobs and maintaining product quality.
In line with this, the following are the things I saw at the expo.
Cervantes | Ginger Products
The municipality of Cervantes is known for its ginger products shown above. Let's take for example the Ginger Tea, which can be combined with honey to make the taste better.
Aside from Cane Vinegar, Sta. Maria also showcases its Balicucha products at the expo. It is made up of raw sugarcane syrup, which is boiled down for hours and then pulled and shaped until it becomes like what can be seen in the photo. After that, it is then set aside to harden. This sweet delicacy is best eaten after a meal.
A roof filled with a bunch of cloves of garlic. That's how Sinait showcased its main product. The municipality is known to be the Garlic Center of the North. Every 1st to third of May, the Garlic Festival is held to showcase the ingenuity and hard work of the Ilocano farmers, particularly in producing quality cloves of garlic.
The municipality of Sta. Catalina displayed various organically grown vegetable crops that are abundant in the place. As seen in the photo, there are cauliflower, onions (which have been so expensive lately), eggplant, among others. Seems like a bahay-kubo? A sort of.
As I walked further, I reached Nagbukel's exhibit. As seen in the photo, there are gigantic models of papaya beside the municipality's seal. Most of the products were processed papaya.
You might have heard about one of Vigan's famous delicacies already. But this is Vigan Longganisa, which never gets old. It can be served any day because not only is it delicious, but it is also worth the price. Further, it is also used as an ingredient in the famous delicacy treat-Vigan Empanada.
It really feels heartwarming and satisfying to look at the various product our province has to offer. I am grateful because times like this give the opportunity to let everyone know more about the presence of such products.
Further, as much as I want to spend a long time checking the products, I cannot do it further because of the number of people there. Of course, I want to be considerate and save time as well. Hence, I proceeded to next as soon as I had a glimpse of each municipality's product.
Aside from the aforementioned products, a lot more can be seen and bought.
From the greeny leaves to the colorful flowers from bougainvillea plants, your eyes will be satisfied. Plantitas and plantitos are surely excited about it because who wouldn't? Anyway, plants provide a variety of benefits to us. Beyond their aesthetic value, it also has benefits to idividuals mental health-something that some people can't see.
The following things are various crafts made out of passion and creativity.
If you are the type of person who enjoys being at a place where various crafts are presented, you would feel that familiar feeling if you are right in front of these crafts made by the locals. The Buri crafts from San Juan come to mind upon seeing these things, which can also serve as displays at home. It is a pleasure to think how Ilocanos are so simple yet so creative at the same time. These products are more than just manifestations of such a statement.
Let's move on to Cane Vinegar as well. As the name implies, it is made up of sugar cane. It's not that sweet, but it adds up to the fresh and sour taste of the product.
If there is sour vinegar, there are also some sweets. One of which is this product made out of cacao, and it is called Federico Tablea de Cacao. This sweet delicacy can also be used in champorado, a sweet chocolate rice porridge.
As I walked toward the end, there I found various stations of food and refreshments. To tell you honestly, it was very tempting. From mouthwatering desserts like ice cream, different flavors of milk teas, buko shake, shawarma, takoyaki, among other heavy foods, I end up buying pork sisig as my stomach craves it. It is just once in a while, though, and besides, I felt tired walking several meters observing the expo, so I just considered it as a treat for myself.
Indeed, it was a pleasant experience. It is a breath of fresh air because it's been a while since I went out for something aside from academics. The said expo will be available until the 14th day of February, so there's a lot more chance to spend time there.
The Author: