Side Trips: A food trip to San Miguel, Bulacan

Sometimes, the Urban Roamer finds himself in places outside the metropolis. More so since for the past five years or so, this roamer has been living outside the metropolis itself.  Consider this something long overdue.

As one of the 24 towns and cities that comprise the province of Bulacan north of Metro Manila, San Miguel is one of the towns that don’t get much of the spotlight. Save perhaps for one part of this town, the village of Biak na Bato where the truce between the Spanish forces and the Filipino revolutionaries under Emilio Aguinaldo was signed. But other than that, not many people know what else does this northern Bulacan town has to offer.

Fortunately, the Urban Roamer had a chance to check out this town at the invitation of a longtime friend/advocate for a special event. The occasion? A week or so long festivity in the town called the Mayumo Festival, which is actually the first time such an event is being in the town.

Held at the week of its annual town fiesta around the fourth/final week of September, the Mayumo Festival aims to showcase the various food and produce the town has to offer. Around the town plaza are the different businesses based in the town, showcasing some of their products for sale.

A number of these enterprises could be seen around the town plaza. But the tour I went beyond just going around that area. To get a taste (pun intended) of what San Miguel, Bulacan has to offer, we went to different parts of the town and visited some food businesses based there and check out what they offer.

A few highlights of that tour included the following:

– Tita Olive’s showing how to prepare litson manok
– A visit to a mushroom taste of the mushroom-based products courtesy of Buenas Diaz farm, itself a fairly new venture in the town
– Various kakanin treats from Tita Thess
– Sumptuous dinner at Arki’s Grille

San Miguel is indeed a town that is a good place, with good people you can meet and good food to eat.

If there’s one thing I learned about this trip, it’s that there are still towns that have their own charms that are awaiting to be discovered. And that it is up to us to go out of our way beyond our comfort zones and what we are used to.

With that said, I look forward to writing some more pieces like this one.