The Sins in Iloilo Cuisine

Iloilo City, the Philippines

April 18 and 20, 2011

Though the name Iloilo may have come from the word ilong, the vernacular for nose, the province is known for another facial organ – the tongue. Not only because its local cuisine is a delight to the taste buds, but for a molluscan species endemic to the waters around the island: diwal. The Ilonggo word means to stick out one’s tongue. That pretty much describes the appearance of this mollusk. When its shell is pried open, its elongated body hangs out limply like a tongue.

Diwal: Tongue in Shell

Transfiguration in Miag-ao

Miag-ao, Iloilo, the Philippines

April 19, 2011

Miag-ao Church, built in the late 18th century in the province of Iloilo, is a magnificent marriage of colonial and folk art. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with three other churches in the country, all of which I had already visited. But more than checking it off my heritage site list, the church’s flamboyantly-designed facade, its singular claim to fame in a country dotted with baroque churches, is for the books and that alone calls for a go-see.

Miag-ao Church