Live in the Philippines

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Birthday Bash!

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Well, since you read my last article, I’ve aged another year!  Yep, my birthday was on Saturday!  I normally don’t enjoy having a birthday party or anything like that.  In fact, I can’t really remember the last time I had a party for my birthday, other than just enjoying a good meal with our immediate family.  But, this year, Feyma suggested to me that we invite a friend over for my birthday, and I agreed.  As it happened, after that, I kept thinking of other friends that I wanted to invite, and it kept growing!  It still was not huge, just very close friends, and a couple of new acquaintances that I had recently met, but wanted to get to know better.

It all started about a week ago when I was reading one of the blogs that I normally read called Market Manila.  It is a cooking/food blog written by a Filipino fellow who calls himself “Market Man”.  MarketMan always features some really scrumptious food, and I enjoy following him.  Well, anyway, MarketMan recently featured an article about “Liempo on Bamboo a la Marketman,” or his adaptation of “Balamban Liempo” a creation from Balamban, Cebu.  When I saw the article, the pictures of his creation looked absolutely delicious!  I immediately told Feyma that I wanted to try it, and she agreed readily.  As a matter of fact, this is when she told me:

What if we cook this for your birthday and invite some friends over?

So, that is how the birthday party idea was born!  Feyma started searching for a full liempo, which is the rib cage area of a pig, including the ribs and everything.  The ribs are cut out from the cut of meat and used to make soup or something later, if wanted.  The liempo cut is then marinated, and spices are put on it.  Read Marketman’s article to get the full scoop on how it is cooked – I’m more into the eating than the cooking, which is obvious!  See pictures below of the process of cooking the liempo.

For the party, we invited my Bisaya Teacher, Bebe Metillo and her family, and also my long time friend, Michael, who moved to Davao last year from Israel.  Lucky, a German who is also a Bisaya student attended too.  One person whom I met last week for the first time is LiP reader Preben Christensen and his wife Glen, who are visiting the Philippines right now.  Preben and Glen took us out for dinner at De Bonte Ko last week, and we enjoyed their company so much that we wanted to get together with them again before they left Davao, so this was a perfect chance!  Also, another regular LiP reader and commenter had just arrived in Davao the day before my birthday, John Coldwell, aka “John from Austria” so I also invited him to join us.  So, like I said, not a huge party, just a couple close friends, and new friends that I wanted to get to know better.

My brother-in-law, Jhun Ortiz came up from GenSan for the party too, he did the cooking of the Liempo, which I greatly appreciated!  Thank you, Jhun!  My nephew, Deo, and my kids also helped with the cooking of the Liempo too, so thanks to all of them for the help!  Of course, thank you to my nieces and household helpers who did much of the “inside” work, and getting everything ready for the party.  And, of course thanks mostly to Feyma, as she got everything rolling, and was the driving force behind the party.  Hey, I even helped a bit myself!  Thanks to me? Ha ha.

So, that’s what we did for my 48th birthday!  It was a great party, great people, great food… first class all the way.  Thank you very much to Feyma, and all the family who put in work to make it a special day for me!  On the Pork Liempo, I really have to say that this was the best pork I’ve eaten in my life!  We will certainly be cooking this again, and again!

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Comments

  2. Happy Birthday, Bob. That’s a tasty looking meal. It’s cooked very much like the whole baby lecher from Cebu … pretty much unique … they are in such demand that they are flown in to Manila every day on Cebu Pacific. Even with all the pigs and all the cooks we have here (there) in Luzon, Cebu lechon is the king.

    • Thank you, Dave! You are so right… a lot of people who were here commented that it was their first time to have a lechon baboy that didn’t have a head or feet! It looked like it was indeed an entire baboy without the head! But, to be honest, it tasted way better than a lechon baboy. And, Cebu is certainly the lechon king!

    • Hi Paul – Thanks! Hey, you must not have gotten that PLDT hooked up yet! Either that, or you are not paying extra for the Smellivision option! It works great!

  4. Happy Birthda, Bob! That’s a great photo of you turning the liempo. You absolutely must frame that picture! Paul’s right about not being able to smell that food over the internet. Anyway, Happy 48!!

    • Thank you very much, Henry! I was working hard on turning that liempo, but my brother-in-law chased me away, I think I was not working as hard as he thought I should!

  5. Happy Birthday Bob
    I sent this article and the pictures to my friends in Cabanatuan and they promised to cook it for my when I get there next week.

    I wish you health and happiness

    Tyleen

  6. Belated Happy Birthday Bob, glad you had a nice time.

    That pork looked really nice…lot’s of meat on it! I’ve tried lechon Baboy a few times now, but each time struggled to find any meat amongst the acres of fat and gave up. Unfortunately, I don’t like the skin or “crackling” as some call it. But your liempo looked great!

    So, I just turned 49 in January, we are not far apart really! My next birthday will probably be in Australia, where we are moving very shortly, so maybe at 50, we will cook some liempo for my 50th.

  7. Wow-that looks incredible. How could you ever be satisfied with Lechon again? Again, Bob Happy Birthday. Ron

    • Hi Ron – Indeed, the liempo was INCREDIBLE! You wouldn’t want to have it often, because it certainly is not a healthy dish, but for an occasional thing.. why not?

  8. Belated Happy Birthday, Bob – It’s not 48, but it’s 39 for the 10th time! (You don’t look a day over 40 in your picture – guess it’s the workout you get turning the liempo that keeps you looking young!)

    More power & more birthdays! 😉

    • Hi Paul – Thanks, my friend! I’m afraid my turning was not enough of a workout to work the cholesterol and calories in that liempo, but I still enjoyed it immensely!

  11. Happy Birthday Bob,
    I am eating a steak while I read this and wishing I had that Liempo. Maybe I can cook one soon.

  12. A Happy, happy Birthday, Bob!!!

    That’s a sumptuous feast, Bob! I’ve never heard of using lemon grass on liempo before, and I guess it was so fragrant while you’re turning the meat on the fire! 🙂

    • I assure you, it was! Ha ha… next time cook one, I will invite you over. This time, I figured you wouldn’t have too much fun hanging out with a bunch of us old folks! 😆

  18. Happy BURPday Sir Bob! Now I’m craving for a pork liempo after seeing the photos here though I’m trying to minimize eating pork..hehe!

    Regards to your family. Miss you all!

    • Hi Cidy – Nice to hear from you! I understand on cutting back on the pork… but just every once in a while… nothing in moderation is too bad! 😆

      Hope to see you one of these days! Do you ever make it to Davao? We were in GenSan today, but are already back home in Davao.

  19. happy birthday, bob! looks like you had a wonderful time.
    that liempo looks amazing. i was never curious about how it was made until i saw your pix.

    • Thank you, macky! Indeed, that liempo was amazing! Keep in mind, that was not the normal liempo like you will find at local lechon stands, it’s a special creation from Balamban, Cebu.

  20. Bob,
    Happy birthday (belated)! Really enjoy your pages here! Great job.
    I sure wish I could get a taste of that pork liempo here! Too bad they do not allow it here. My taste buds will just have to wait until our next vistit there I guess!

    • Thank you very much, Steve! I’m glad that you enjoy my site! When you say they “don’t allow it” where you are, that confuses me. Is it illegal or something? Where are you living?

      • Bob,
        I am living in Kuwait. Being a Muslim country, they do not allow for pork to be brought in or be sold here. I have been here since 2003. I look forward to my visits to the Philippines to get my share of pork while I am there!
        You might remember a few months back I wrote to you about visiting Kidapawan. We were there for my friends wedding. We met many wonderful people there and had a great time!
        We did not get to see much of Davao as I had wished, but there is always next time. I would love to try some of the places you have suggested to eat at there.
        My wife is from Bulala Norte which is a small fishing village where John Miele’s wife is from. So it was a special treat for us to come to Kidapawan. We look forward to coming there again one day. It was the first time for both of us to visit that far south.

  22. Happy Birthday! You look awfully young in that pic, must be the birthday makeover. The liempo look wicked. Now I know what it is, and how they cook it. I’ll save these pics for my cookbook. Seems like you and Feyma had a great time with friends. Alex

  23. Fond birthday greetings to you!

    I am still two years and six days behind you so maybe I still have to address you as sir. heh heh. We finally have a good internet connection here in the barrio so I get to enjoy reading your articles once again. If you get a chance while in the GenSan area give us a call. We would love to have you over for lunch. Feel free to email me for our vonage number or cell number.

    Tom and Marie

    • Hi Tom – Thank you, junior! 😆

      Ah, shucks, we missed you. We were in GenSan yesterday, would have been nice to hook up with you. We went to do our annual immigration check-in there, but came back home the same day. Next time!

  24. Bob: A very belated “Happy Birthday” to you, and wishes for many more. A SMART BRO brownout for me for 6 days, so missed your post.

  26. Happy Birthday Bob. Juramie and I wish you many more happy birthdays. Nikanta si Bebe ba ug awit? (I hope I said that right.) If so, I hope you have a video to share.

  27. Manong Bob

    Sorry I forgot to wish you a “Happy Birthday” Your birthday is 1 month ahead of mine. Anyway belated Happy Birthday, I hope you had the traditional birthday noodles to signafi long life. My Wife says this is a tradition.???

      • Bob
        Yea you know long noodles Pancit bihon lug lug etc, I don’t know, all I know is every Birthday my Wife makes me some kind of noodles. I don’t know maybe long noodles = long life. Im puzzled about this as well.
        Now I feel cheated you got some fancy BBQ on a stick and I get “Stinkin Noodles”

        • Hi Neal – Yeah, I am aware of the long noodles=long life birthday tradition, and we have done that before. I am kind of surprised… Feyma did not remind me of that this year! I’ll keep my fingers crossed!