WITH our country near the equator, it is no longer surprising that it is perpetually hot all year round. The running joke in our household is that the Philippines has two seasons--hot and hotter. Filipinos find ways to cool off by taking a dip in the pool, swim in the beach, head off to the nearest climate controlled air-conditioned mall to chillax, or eat halo-halo.
Ask any Pinoy worldwide and we are darn sure they are familiar with this iconic treat, often topped with purple ice cream and leche flan. Halo-halo is an icy Filipino dessert classic, which ironically warms the hearts of many with glowing pride and touch of nostalgia. Yep, practically every Pinoy has tasted this sweet concoction of shaved ice, evaporated milk, and its permutation of accoutrements.
The halo-halo even got the stamp of approval from the late American celebrity chef and television personality, Anthony Bourdain. The adventurous eater tasted and critiqued this dessert at Jollibee in Los Angeles for his old show, “Parts Unknown.” It actually earned his thumbs-up and rightfully so!
In Uptown Cagayan De Oro, there are two new halo-halo joints that I always go to. It’s almost a “sin” not to share the information and extra calories with other people. For my birthday, two close friends gave me an assortment of icy dessert flavors from the By Clarkie food stall, which is right across the Stonestown gym.
What makes By Clarkie unique is that it comes in different varieties like: original halo-halo, mangoes and cream, knicker bocker, and choco mallows to name a few. Upon further research, they apparently have a small branch in Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental, and in Alubijid, Misamis Oriental. Since my kids first tried these icy delights, we have been hooked.
The other reason for our ice craze is Ebing’s halo-halo in Lane 101. This is the more classic type with shaved ice, ube ice cream, and the usual toppings. But what makes it extra special is the “yema spread” that’s interspersed with the different layers.
Their original store is apparently in Bulua. What makes the Uptown store nice is that there’s a relaxing outdoor seating area under a canopy of trees.
Halo-halo’s literal Tagalog translation is “mix-mix.” It is blending of ingredients that represents the diverse cultures that influenced the Philippines from Malay, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and American.
The multi-awarded writer Gilda Cordero Fernandez perfectly sums it up with this parallelism: “Our culture is not based on contradiction but on integration. We have the ability to gather all those multi layers of halo-halo and create a great mix out of them.” And we Pinoys are exactly that!