Capiz: the tasty, the yummy, the scrummy

Don’t get me wrong with the title. I am not trying to emulate “the true, the good and the beautiful” slogan of a former First Lady. But consider me guilty because my gush here about Capiz will be the true, the good, and the beautiful anyway.

Turning a blind eye to the conventional gawk of our tourists/travelers- museums, vestiges of the past, beaches, etc. – Capiz has its own way to market its tourism industry- no no (!), not the wakwak, manananggal and the kikik, but its mouthwatering sea foods.

I am not saying the province is poor on the cultural and historical facet. In fact, history tells us that Capiz became the Spanish’s second settlement after Cebu. Moreover, the town of Pan-ay homes the biggest church bell in Asia. Pan-ay was once the capital of the province before it was transferred to Roxas City.

PEALING THE BELLS – The writer and his foster-dad inside the 10.4 tons bell made from 70 sacks of silver coins.

Unsurpassed of course is the province’s reputation as the Seafood Capital of the Philippines. Capiz absolutely deserve the title. The lavishness and diversity of Capiz’s marine life treats vacationers with a variety of sumptuous cuisines- from baked scalloped in garlic and butter, tuna, blue marlin, crabs, lobsters, prawns, oysters and the celebrated diwal ( or angel wings which is endemic in the Panay seas), and I can enumerate more.

Photo courtesy of Ricky Diumayuga for photo 1, 2 and 5

Yes, of course, you can find this in sky-high restaurants, but still, Capiz is over it, because they serve it fresher, if not freshest. Plus, plus, plus, as all travelers would like to hear, the charge is friendlier to your pockets.

We have many reasons why we travel- to unwind, relax, escape from all kinds of glitches, and finally finding ourselves. Will not a nibble of this luscious, succulent marine sumptuousness complement it all?

I had visited quite a few tour destinations of the country- from Ilocos’ timpost Pagudpod to the Land of Promise, Mindanao- but Capiz takes a special place in my heart. Is not there an old adage saying that the nearest organ to one’s heart is the stomach?

Well, Capiz just captivated mine.

Truly, goodly and beautifully, Capiz, that tasty, yummy and scrummy province will be part of my itinerary again, soon.

Published in Manila Channel. August 18, 2012.