I've been living in Cebu for almost 3 years... And somehow, one local dish still managed to confuse me.
I traveled to Cordova looking for something called Bakasi. People kept telling me, "If you visit Cordova, you have to try it."
When the plate arrived, I froze for a second. "So... this is eel?" Back home in Japan, eel usually arrives neatly prepared. No head. Almost no bones. This one looked completely different.
The first bite surprised me. It was delicious... but every few seconds I had to stop because of the tiny bones.
Just when I thought the adventure was over, the couple sitting next to me noticed my confused face. They started introducing me to other local foods. First they handed me something and said, "Sea cucumber." I stared at it. "Cucumber... from the sea?" They laughed.
Then another dish appeared. "Lato." In Japan, we call something similar umibudō. For a moment, it felt like two different cultures were describing the same ocean in completely different languages.
Somewhere between comparing food names, joking about Bisaya words, and accidentally asking one of the most dangerous relationship questions in the Philippines 😂, we completely forgot we had just met. Before leaving, they even shared their Mountain Dew with me.
I came to Cordova thinking I was searching for a famous local delicacy. Instead, I ended up collecting conversations. The bones in the Bakasi never really scared me off — what stayed with me was a couple I'd known for maybe ten minutes, handing me sea cucumber and lato like it was the most natural thing in the world, and then a bin of Mountain Dew like we'd been friends for years.
Maybe that's why I keep exploring Cebu. Sometimes the food starts the story. But it's the people sitting at the next table who end up becoming the unforgettable part. Still, I never did get all the bones out of that Bakasi, and I'm still not sure I fully understand what makes a stranger's table feel like home this fast.
Still Learning.
Still Exploring.
One local table at a time.
The dish that started the trip isn't the reason it's still worth telling.
| Date | October 20, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Location | Cordova, Cebu |
| Event Type | Local Food Challenge |
| Access Method | Local eatery, roadside table seating |
| Food Featured | Bakasi (spiny eel), with impromptu tastings of sea cucumber and lato |
| Cost to Attend | Cost of a local meal — no entrance fee |
| Rarity | 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ — A known Cordova specialty, but rarely seen served this way outside the town. |
| Bayanihan Index | High — strangers at the next table adopted me mid-meal, sharing food and a can of Mountain Dew within minutes. |
There are probably a dozen other words for the same ocean I never got to ask about.