A school cafeteria lunch

I just realized that though I've featured quite a lot of food in my blog, I've never posted any Filipino food. So I've decided to share my lunch with you: lechon kawali. (Please pardon the plate—it's from our school cafeteria.) Lechon, or litson—if used without a second word specifying the meat—is a whole roasted pig and is usually served only during special occasions. Lechon kawali, which probably started as an attempt to replicate lechon at home, means pan-roasted pork, though it's not really roasted. It's pork belly with the fat and skin still on (very important!) boiled with salt, pepper and garlic until tender, drained and patted dry, then deep fried. (No, it's not very healthy at all, and I just know I'm going to get a scolding from my husband as soon as I publish this!) My dipping sauce was liver sauce, though some prefer a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and sili (capsicum pepper). Then of course, there's the ever-present rice, a staple of every Filipino meal. Rice here is not treated as a side dish—it's not meant to be eaten separately, but together with the main dish. Tomorrow, I'll show you what my side dish was.