Aching Lillian's Booklaunch

I was lucky enough to get to join Mabuhay Guides Bryan Ocampo, Jeff Velasco and Bryan's friend Gelo on a day trip to Angeles, Pampanga. This trip was a milestone of sorts as it was the book launch of one of our respected resource persons and ersatz heritage home-maker Lillia Mercado-Lising Borromeo.

Aching Lillia as she is fondly called by foodies, clients, friends and Mabuhay Guides has finally culled all her recipes and compiled them into a cookbook with the most appropo title: Aching Lillian's Heritage Recipes. The book is so rich with recipes of Aching Lillian's Pampango cuisine. These are dishes which were handed down to her from her grandmother and mother as well as those which she learned from her other teachers.

I won't say that the recipes included therein are simple. They're not meant to be, really. Some recipes can take hours of preparation and lots of painstaking man-hours to prepare. The word HERITAGE actually gives the contents away. Although, there are some that could be prepared and relished in a snap. So we naturally got copies for ourselves.

I remember the last time we were with her at her ancestral home in Mexico, Pampanga we spent most of the morning writing down some of her simpler preparations. At least, I was... I still have the notes I took down. Had I known Aching Lillian was going to come up with her own cookbook, I should have waited. I however, did try making her tocino and I liked the result. One thing I found special about her is her selflessness in sharing her "trade  secrets". She will tell you exactly how a dish should be prepared without leaving any important details out. This quality was extolled by Pampango foodie and lecturer Lord Francis Musni. I would have to concur with him.

Incidentally, the launch was held at the Cafe Juan of Holy Angel University in Angeles and as we got there way ahead of time, we had time to park the car and do some exploring in the area. I have an entire album of photos to prove it. One can't help but admire the campus of Holy Angel University. The well-appointed school grounds can rival some of Manila's campuses. The venue had a staff of university students who  were actually undergoing training. Most of them, if not all,  were extremely helpful and cordial to jaded Manila visitors like us. In this instance we weren't their tour guides for HAU students like we have done in the past. We were the tourists.

The event was meaningful and relevant in that the host Lord Musni's commentaries briefly touched on Pampango cuisine and culture with some entertainment numbers to boot.  Chef Sau del Rosario's testimony was heartfelt and moving. And Aching Lillian was her usual ebullient self  making sure that all her guests were comfortably seated and enjoying the launch. When the ceremony was over, people lined up at the buffet but we bought her book so it was only natural we would line up to ask for her autograph. 

I'm enjoying reading the book although I haven't started cooking anything yet. It has so many interesting little anecdotes that make for good reading. After reading this book, I will never look at Pampango cooking the same way again. Thanks to Aching Lillian for that! This book that contains so much information, tasty recipes, and vintage photos accomplishes the goal it set out to do at the start- preserve the heritage of Pampanga's well loved and tasty dishes! 

Needless to say, when we had done with getting our copies signed we relished our food and actually even got some Panecillos to bring home. We enjoyed our time thoroughly mingling with our dear "mother" Susan Calo-Medina and  sir Johnny, Claude Tayag, Chef Sau del Rosario, and Prof. Selle Yambao. Aching Lillian although swamped with books to sign was still smiling and entertaining her guests... I don't even recall her standing up to get a bite to eat.

We made our leave and as we stepped out to the cool evening, the chapel was all lit up for Mass... We just had to make a last stop before we headed home for Manila. It was a great day for a road trip.