After Yolanda: Cheerfully Rating the Different Brands of Sardines in Palo, Leyte

Nanie Vallejera Ragay  is a DILG Governance Broker in Palo, Leyte, just south of Tacloban. Palo was one of the hardest hit towns, and like elsewhere in Eastern Visayas, life after Yolanda is … well, a little different than it was before.  Nanie decided that after a month of sampling the different brands of sardines, it was time to celebrate the post-Yolanda food fad …. Mabuhay ang pagkaing sardinas!

by Nanie Vallejera Ragay

I am no Doreen Fernandez but with sardines being the hottest food fad in town, I will attempt to present an objective and honest narrative description of these canned delicacies that have served as the main cuisine in each dining table (well, at least for us) these past few weeks after Yolanda.

555 – the fish in this brand is full of scales that stick to your teeth and gums upon eating

Hakone – good fish quality, good sauce too.

Golden Cup – the fish is a bit ok but the sauce is too diluted and pale

Swan – the fish is ok too and the sauce is muggy or thick in consistency but falls a bit inferior to Hakone

King Cup – the manufacturers use tamban fish and therefore, very scaly and malangsa but can be removed by putting in at least three big onions upon sautéing.

Mega – not so appealing to the taste buds and there is fewer volume of fish copared to other brands.

Ligo – this is the most challenging brand ever. No matter what condiments or spices you put, the fishy smell is still there. Seems no culinary trick can ever fix this stuff. Perhaps Marcy Ramos has a secret trick, who knows?

Youngstown – there is something in the way the fish are processed that characterizes this brand. Why, the bones of the fish are still hard that they prick your gums and throat. In the dialect, nakaka bukog.

People are absenting themselves from their jobs and spending long hours falling in line, rain or shine, just to get their packs with these canned delicacies. Pinagpipilahan to, so who would say they don’t taste great?

Mabuhay ang pagkaing sardinas!

And here, just for fun, are some sardines commercials from the Philippines