All set for the Cebu Like a Local Through Food, Faith and Time tour. Jeeves de Veyra
CEBU CITY — A bowl of tuslob buwa, a ride on a tartanilla, a stop at Magellan's Cross and unlimited Cebu lechon are all part of a new tour designed to help visitors experience Cebu beyond its postcard attractions.
Developed by the Cebu Food and Wine Festival, the Cebu Association of Tour Guides Inc., the Cebu Association of Tour Operators and the Department of Tourism-Central Visayas, the Cebu Like a Local Through Food, Faith and Time tour combines a food crawl with a walking tour through some of the city's most historic neighborhoods.
Raymond Fernandez, an association member with 20 years of experience under his belt, recounts that the group has always wanted to make a dedicated food crawl tour. What they ended up with was much more with history, religion, and traditions woven in with the food and flavors of the city.
This new tour shows a side of the Queen City that is largely unfamiliar for those who only know the province for the beach getaways of Mactan, or the urban city centers.
Casa Gorordo. Jeeves de Veyra
The tour takes off in the early afternoon at the Casa Gorordo Museum. The museum is an old Spanish house restored under the care of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation. Guests are given a glimpse how the old rich of Cebu lived. This portio is grounded in history with discussions veering towards culinary customs and traditions at the dining room and the kitchen. The house tour concludes with merienda where Cebuano snacks like puto maya are served alongside hot cups of sikwate.
Cooking ginabot. Jeeves de Veyra
After the museum is a short walk with possible stops at different cardinerias with bites of local street food. The group chanced upon someone cooking ginabot, the Cebuano version of chicharon bulaklak with the requisite sampling afterwards.
Heritage Monument. Jeeves de Veyra
A walk around the Cebu Heritage Landmark is a clever way to encapsulate the history of the province from the time the Spaniards landed on its shores to the business and cultural center it is now. This collection of massive cement, bronze, and steel sculptures were made by Eduardo Castrillo, the artist behind the EDSA People Power Monument.
Here, Fernandez reveals that “Cebu” means “to barter” in the local dialect. The island has been a trading hub even before Magellan landed on the island and that is why the island’s food and culture has so much influence from the Chinese, the Spaniards and the Malays.
This was followed by a short van ride through the downtown business district reminiscent of Chinatowns around the world with low rise buildings with facades of decades old establishments.
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Tartanilla. Jeeves de Veyra
The van drops off tour goers at the Tartanilla terminal where this horse-drawn carriage with side facing seats weaves through busy streets to Cebu’s Carbon market.
Carbon Market. Jeeves de Veyra
This is the busiest market in the Visayas and with the CCLEX in the background, it makes for a contrast of old and new.
Fernandez leads the group up and into the heart of the market pointing out the dried fish area, the vegetables and fruits, the handicrafts area, and the fruits. This is where the tour might take a breather for those who want to buy souvenirs. Going out into the streets, one will find trucks dropping off produce from the farmers in the highlands, and seafood from the provincial coast and nearby Bantayan Island.
Basilica Minore of Sto Niño. Jeeves de Veyra
Magellan’s Cross. Jeeves de Veyra
A short walk gets the group to the City Hall and the “faith” part of the tour. Hernandez talks about the Spaniards landing in the province at Magellan’s Cross, and the rise of Catholicism at the Basilica Minore of Sto Niño.
Puso Village. Jeeves de Veyra
The tour concludes with food at the nearby Puso Village. This is an expansive indoor food park filled with stalls cooking local dishes.
Tuslob Buwa. Jeeves de Veyra
The tour’s price includes servings of tuslob buwa, Cebuano street food made with pig brains and liver. Guests are taught how to cook this on the table and to properly eat it by dipping “puso” of rice into the gravy-like dish.
Unli lechon. Jeeves de Veyra
Besides that, having unlimited servings of Cebuano lechon is part of the package. One can see and taste the difference of this version without using any of the usual liver sauce with the recommended pairing of vinegar. Participants can roam around Puso Village to try out other Cebuano specialties like linarang, chori and more of the dessert served at the first stop.
There is a bit of walking to be done during the tour so participants are well advised to wear comfortable shoes. Bring an umbrella as there will be outdoor areas, a fan because it does get hot, and a tumbler as there will be places along the way to refill water.
The Cebu Like a Local Through Food, Faith and Time tour is currently priced at P2,800 per person. For reservations, please contact Syrah Queblatin (+63 917 311 3009) or Emilie Baniel- (+63 927 576 8384). Payment details will be given upon reservation.