I came to a waterfall expecting the adventure to be out on the trail.
It turned out the biggest surprise was in a frying pan.
This time, my adventure started once again from IT Park.
After crossing hanging bridges and finally reaching a small resort, Ming offered to cook fish balls.
I watched her pour water into the pan.
No oil.
I honestly thought she was just preparing the pot.
Then she smiled and said,
"I cook them with water."
I laughed.
"A healthier version?"
She laughed too.
"We just don't have oil 😂"
That answer stayed with me longer than I expected.
For almost three years, I've seen Filipino fish balls deep-fried everywhere.
So I thought I already knew this food.
I didn't.
Watching her improvise with what she had reminded me that food isn't only about recipes.
Sometimes it's about making sure everyone can still eat.
Later, I confidently pointed at another one.
"Chorizo?"
"No."
"Hotdog."
Then I pointed again.
"So... suka?"
"Nope. water."
At that point I realized I was getting almost everything wrong 😂
I even tried selling 50 peso hotdogs to locals, proudly saying "singwenta"...
For a moment, it felt less like filming content...
and more like spending the afternoon with friends.
Then I reached for the rice.
"Don't eat that."
Apparently...
it had already spoiled.
Another lesson 😂
Running out of oil wasn't what stayed with me from that day.
Watching someone quietly adapt was.
Still Learning.
Still Exploring.
One conversation at a time.
Daghang salamat, Ming🙏
I went in thinking I already understood this food. After three years of seeing fish balls deep-fried almost everywhere, I thought I knew what to expect. I didn't.
Water instead of oil isn't a technique. It's an answer to a question I never thought to ask — what do you cook when the thing the recipe calls for simply isn't there.
Ming didn't announce it. She didn't apologize for it either. She just poured the water in and kept going, the same way she kept correcting my guesses — Chorizo, hotdog, suka — laughing a little more each time I got it wrong.
Different pan. Different afternoon. The same lesson keeps showing up — the food is often just the beginning of the story.
It made me stop for a second, standing there with a hotdog I couldn't even sell properly.
I still don't know if this is how Ming's family always cooks, or something wider about getting by in Argao, or just one afternoon when the oil ran out. That part is still unsolved.
The real discovery wasn't the frying method — it was watching someone quietly adapt so that everyone could still eat.
| Date | July 5, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Location | Coal Mountain Resort, Argao, Cebu |
| Event Type | Casual Cookout / Improvised Street Food Session |
| Access Method | Invited along by a local friend (Ming) |
| Food Featured | Water-Fried Fish Balls & Street Food Guessing Game |
| Cost to Attend | Free (Shared cookout) |
| Rarity | 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ — A resourceful fix, not a rare dish |
| Bayanihan Index | 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ — Small-group, friend-to-friend generosity |
Whether this quiet resourcefulness is a family habit, a wider Argao practice, or just one afternoon when the oil ran out is something I still don't know.