Cebu's lechon or roasted pig is indeed a very tasty treat. I could testify that lechon from Cebu really has a much better taste than lechon from Manila. CnT Lechon is indeed one of the biggest symbols of the Cebuano food industry with its slogan "The Taste of Cebuano" and its outlets are a tourist hit. Now I just thought of Cebu's lechon and why it's very tasty.
Cebu's lechon when you think of it has a unique infusion of spices. It's slowly cooked and roasted to perfection and high satisfaction. Even some people I know who prepare lechon say the process is indeed tedious but it is worth it. When I hear of all its difficult processes, I would admit that my mind BOGGLES thinking about it. It's a very meticulous process and mind you, you cannot get wrong. One wrong mistake makes the lechon a disaster. I've seen how the preparation take place... at least on Youtube. All I can say is, it's not easy.
It's no easy preparation putting the seasonings into the belly of the dressed pig. Even the dressing of the pig as I heard is a meticulous process. Roasting the pig requires constant attention and even sacrificing one's plans for the day. The roasting process must be slow and one must endure the heat. It's not an instant treat. It must be meticulously done so the lechon will come out really delicious infused with all the flavors to make it a wild trip for the taste buds.
So what lessons can we learn from preparing Cebu's quality lechon? The lesson is this - we MUST make sacrifices for greater happiness and we cannot be happy all the time. Although some laborers are enthusiastic to get their work done but they admit, they can dread certain moments at work. I mean, sweat falling down is NOT pleasant. You have to keep a sharp eye, careful timing, you can't be disturbed... you have to make sacrifices for a greater happiness later. But the end result prepares a tasty treat for the guests and the feast.
Sad to say but lechon preparation can be taken for granted never mind how much effort is placed in EVERY order of lechon to make it tasty. It's wrong, just wrong to think of fiesta all the time because preparation for a successful feast requires sacrifices. You need money to have a high quality feast. You need HARD WORK to make a feast more satisfying. Just think, which feast is greatly more satisfying... the feast of drunkards who do no work or the feast thanks to a major achievement? Even if the feast wasn't lavish or inviting the whole barrio, a celebration is only a celebration when you have earned an achievement no matter how big or small it is.
Just think what if Cebu's lechon was prepared rather sloppily? It wouldn't be famous right? You won't have foreigners wanting to taste its uniqueness. Instead, Cebu's lechon is a symbol of the results of being an enlightened Pinoy. Timing, diligence and dedication created that lechon I would be proud to endorse to foreigners to eat in Cebu!
There is this certain lechon which I found out through KMJS where it says the secret to its unique crisp, which I'd say is probably as crispy as chicharon, is that the whole carcass is being pricked with a needle. Does it ring a bell?
ReplyDeleteTo add, hopefully, they didn't spend all of their hard-earned cash in that one single fiesta and instead saved some for their everyday use...
ReplyDelete