Konted's Make My Day 2: La Paz Batchoy

La Paz Batchoy

I call her Ilongga girl. She is petite, with such a light weight that you can easily lift her without much effort. She is light-skinned, almost flawless. She likes, sometimes, a few bottles of San Mig Light beer paired with chicharon that has nothing in it but air. When Ilongga girl gets tipsy, she grabs the microphone and, with good timing and suggestive body movement, starts singing: Goodbye Joe me gotta go me oh my oh...Me gotta go pole the piroque down the bayou...My Yvonne the sweetest one me oh my oh...Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou...Jambalaya and a cross fish pie and fillet gumbo...Cause tonight I'm gonna see my cher amio...Pick guitar fill fruit jar and be gay-o...Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou.....

Next is her story telling. They are stories repeated many times over. Of how she misses her hometown of Concepcion in the province of Iloilo. Of how, at a very young age, she hitched a ride to La Paz by befriending a delivery van driver. And at the public market, she had two bowls of steaming hot La Paz Batchoy. And, from then on, she talks about La Paz Batchoy as if it is the best noodle soup in the world. It becomes a refrain. And on her birthday, she prepares La Paz Batchoy for a few friends.

La Paz Batchoy is a soup dish that originated from the district of La Paz in Iloilo City. It consists of miki noodles mixed with beef or pork or chicken strips, spring onions and bits of chicharon with hot broth poured into it. Innards and eggs are sometimes added. It is best eaten when served hot. The broth alone tastes good even without any condiments added. La Paz Batchoy is the soup dish that made the district of La Paz famous. La Paz has been interchangeable with Batchoy.

One summer day, some years back, Ilongga girl approached me. She wanted to get married but she lacked the required documents: Kulang papers ko. Malayo ang Iloilo. At parang di daw pwede kasi underage pa ako, 17. Tulungan mo ako. So I talked to the Mayor who was a friend. Problems were threshed out and a civil ceremony was scheduled. The day came and, upon my request, the Mayor officiated. I was the lone sponsor present. There were no guests as it was supposed to be a 'secret'. No celebration whatsoever. Ilongga girl wanted it that way. But a few days after, a big cauldron was sent to our house with a big bilao. It was La Paz Batchoy, steaming hot and the aroma filling the air. And it came from Ilongga girl. Her way of saying thank you. It was so good that I had burnt tongue for two days.

- Konted

Ted's La Paz Batchoy outlet at the Ali Mall in Quezon City

You don't wait long as waiting time is 5 minutes.

A variety of Batchoy to choose from: Beef Batchoy, Beef Miswa, Beef Sotanghon, Beef Bihon, Sotanghon Batchoy, Bihon Batchoy, Special, Super Special, Extra Super.