In 1990 I went to Tacloban by bus (32 hours of commute from Manila at that time). I spent the Feast of Tabernacles there away from my biological family who spent theirs in Tagaytay, I think…if I remember right. 

The place we stayed (Baluarte Resort, again, if I remember right) is just beside the shore. Every morning small boats come to the shore with their catch. It will be cooked at nearby cooking huts.

I don’t know what the fish was called but it had large mass of unhatched eggs cooked as “sinigang” which has a bit of sour taste due to tamarind. I like the fish roe….(come to think of it, roe is the base of the expensive caviar!)

My friends (there were a bunch of us) ate with gusto with every mouthful with pressed hot chilis mixed with soy sauce and calamansi…and they were beginning to perspire…the heat of the chilis inside them…and they didn’t complain of the fiery heat all over their mouths!

How did they do that???

They taught me. Little by little, I learned…and now I’m enjoying…

How? The trick is to not let any of the chili touch your lips. Only your tongue. Difficult? Try it!