Everybody loves pigar-pigar

I don't know why nobody has suggested a Pigar-Pigar Festival before but it's better late than never. If bangus is indelibly the iconic symbol of Dagupan City, pigar-pigar comes at a close second for sheer ubiquitousness. I've never really discovered how it started (if someone knows, email me!) although I know for a fact that-sadly- I believe I'm older, and that it should outlive me! Pigar-pigar isn't just a dish- it's a cultural thing- well, not as distinguished as bangus, or even gastronomically superior to bangus (some will obviously disagree), but it has attained a familiarity which makes the community want to say, "it's ours, and we're never getting rid of it."

And not even if a friend had once declared, "madali naman yang iluto sa bahay, bakit pupunta ka pa dito para kumain niyan??."

Would seem true at first (beef stir-fry right, with plenty of MSG ?), but not quite. There seems to be a fine art of seasoning the beef and of putting it into the pan, at the right temperature, in the right quantities and getting the ideal pigar-pigar which is not too overdone nor too soggy. And there's the matter of beef- sorry, but it's not from San Miguel's Monterey. Local butchered beef obviously has more flavor, more character.

And who wants to eat at home when you can go to Galvan and eat al fresco in the company of hundreds of people? Part of the lasting charm of pigar-pigar is that at 2 in the morning (god forbid that you're almost drunk as a skunk) you're part of this community that regardless of social standing, savors simple fare in simple settings.

And that I think perfectly sets the tone for this year's festival.