A Dish to Win the Hearts and Minds of the World

Anthony Bourdain once said that Sisig could just possibly be one of the best foods in the planet (true story!)

He goes on to say that this is probably the best dish win the hearts and minds of the world and as a stepping stone to Filipino cuisine.

Before even attempting to start a Sisig business, I went on youTube and just searched for any videos pertaining to Sisig.

Of course, it took me to countless recipe videos. Each with their own styles and takes on how to cook and serve the dish (and there’s a lot!).

From the very basic, to the main stream… any yes, even the very bizarre way of preparing it. I guess it’s a dish open to interpretation. But what always gets to me are those “mukbang” videos where a bunch of people from different parts of the world, travelers, foodies, youtubers tries And experiences it for the very first time. I must say, I have yet to see a video that had anything bad to say about Sisig. All their reviews of the dish were borderline perfect. And for good reason.

One of the best stories I can share about Sisig was when my friend Dave, from Bristol, England - came and visit me one time while I was living in the Philippines. We went out one night for some drinks but couldn’t find a parking space. I told him we can park in front of a restaurant within the area but we may have to stay and order something there first so we can keep the parking space. We went in, got a couple of beers and a plate of sizzling Sisig. With no expectations whatsoever, he took a small bite of it - and paused , looking very perplexed, turned to me and asked “What is this dish and why have I only discovered this now??”

I laughed and told him it’s made from some unwanted pork bits just so to see how he’d react. “Well, I’ve never had any pig that tasted this good!” Those were his exact words. During that visit, he would try and order Sisig on all the other restaurants we’ve gone coz he just couldn’t get enough of it.

When I brought up the idea of a frozen Sisig business to my friends, they were all like, “why not just do a food truck?”

I thought about that too and maybe someday. I’m not closing the doors on that idea. But I guess I figured, if you had a strong craving for something like Sisig at midnight, most likely, restaurants or food trucks would be closed. Having something stashed in your freezer, ready to cook - is the perfect solution to any craving.

Yes, it’s frozen and I agree, frozen foods have a bad rep for quality and the lack of eloquence. You can’t have a restaurant quality meal from a frozen food that is heated up in the microwave for 3 minutes. I ask my future customers to put just a little bit of an effort in preparing this product. It’s 10 minutes of your time, but trust me- it’s 10 minutes worth spending on something so gratifying.

What is my end-goal here? It’s simple…yet ambitious.

I want Sisig to be at par with dishes like Pho or PadThai. A SouthEast Asian staple food that everyone can have access to any time of the day. I want that to see that reaction I got from my friend Dave from all other people who haven’t yet tried this amazing dish the late Anthony Bourdain had nothing but praise for.