PANSIT LOMI OF SANTA MARIA, LAGUNA

Regular or special?  Dine-in or take out? Susan's or El Batangueno's? What lures many to avail lomi? What's so special about it?

Originally from Batangas, this cuisine has become the people's pick. The sticky soup, freshly-made noodles and tasty toppings (atay, kikiam and pork) make it a sought-after meal even by our kababayans who work overseas.

LOCAL LOMI HOUSES
Currently, Santa Maria, Laguna 9+ lomi restaurants. We have Susan's Lomi Haus (Brgy. 4) and El Batangueno 1&2 (Brgy.4 & Coralan), Lomian de Barrio, lomi house at 'C5 road' and the lomi house near the town plaza. Surprisingly, there are lomi houses in remotest areas like

Parang and Saksak.

The number of customers who visit these stores vary from day to day. Usually, these establishments, which open at sunrise and close at late afternoon, get crowded during Sundays due to tiangge. 

Photo Above: Susan's Lomi Haus in P. Aguja Street, Brgy. 4; 
Left: El Batangueno at Victorina Street, same baranggay;
 Right: Lomi store at Parang ng Buho;
Bottom: Restaurant at J. Santiago.

Price Range. I'll go for the Regular.

HOW TO EAT IT

This food is best eaten when hot. Soy sauce, calamansi and red hot chili pepper complete this tasty treat.

Terrific food at an amazingly low price.

BEHIND THE SCENES: PREPARING THE MAIN INGREDIENTS

Ate Evelyn Pontipedra, the former manager of El Batangueno, accompanied me to the noodle 'factory' located near the market's covered court. When the workers realized that they were being documented, they were quited alarmed. One exclaimed laughingly, 'baka bukas puntahan kami ng Imbestigador (paraphrase mine).'

When the flour is mixed, it goes to the
 roller and turns into long, tender strip.

It is then put into this machine to
 be chopped into thin strands.

Voila! We have our pansit!

The last step: packing and distributing
 them to lomi houses nearby.

Days after, I visited her restaurant. Having arrived a bit late, I caught a cook in the kitchen. He is done with the meat. Yet he had been eager to show me how he prepared the other main ingredients used in this dish. They include noodles, broth and meat toppings which are separately prepared.

Outside the store, the people roamed here and there, preparing for a day's work. I realized that it's great to be in the market area during early morning for you'll have the glimpse on how hardworking our townspeople are.

(1) El Batangueno's worker's cup of coffee. (2) A lugaw stall is situated a few steps 
from the lomi house. (3) Early bird catches the worm!

(1) Market sight during early mornings. (2) A perfect meal before a day's work. 
(3) Lomi shop beside EB.

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Araw ng KaLAIYAan

Upon having a two-week break from working in Singapore, my sister decided to treat us with travel spree. We looked for spots like Zambales, Puerto Galera and other places in Luzon, and ended up in Laiya. We scheduled it this June 12, but we left Laguna the night before the said date and looked for a resort where we could spend the night. Upon our arrival in the said area, we were expecting to visit a 'classy' one, but because we were 14, we found it hard to find a budget-friendly yet exclusive spot. We ended up in a venue others consider as 'ordinary'.

Thinking that I would experience much enjoyment in high-class beaches, my thoughts were filled with regret. But as I roamed around the vicinity, I learned that there are much discoveries here compared to 'special' resorts. Here are those:

1. Colorful Boats. Boats of varying shapes, sizes and colors surprised me as I took a walk along the area's long seashore. These vehicles are owned by the residents and are used for fishing.

2. Lotsa' Jellyfish. The night we arrived the resort, I was surprised to see these soft creatures along the seashore. At first, I mistook them for 'pitchi-pitchi' (a jelly-like rice desert coated with grated coconut meat). But the caretakers told us that they were dead jellyfish. I knew that these are deadly, but they said that touching their tentacles will just make your hands itch.

3. Fish Market. These huge boat carrying freshly-caught fish usually do their operations during early mornings. It was my first time to see an activity such as this. Lively and colorful fish were being sold to the residents. 

4. Friendly Fishermen. These guys leave their nets exposed during evenings and pull them during mornings. Kuya Pogi, our driver (the one who wears white shirt), helped these fishermen in pulling the rope. He ended up bringing home a bunch of 'tawilis' fit for lunch.

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