Skinny Dipping

I first read about chicharon in a photo story in Reader's Digest. It showed a little shack, with people stopping by and described the crunchy, salty, deep-dried pork skin. I wondered what would entice people to eat something so bland (note that I did not say 'unhealthy'), but when I finally tasted my first chicharon, I found it quite a treat. It was puffy and crispy and crunchy and what had to be a lot of salt rubbed into the skin.

Last November when I went to Singapore, I made a special trip to that sanctuary of all things Filipino - Lucky Plaza. I bought corned beef (the Filipino version is sweeter), instant beef noodles and of course packs of chicaron. They cost about S$4 and were a hassle to pack, being so knobbly and odd shaped, but I carried them back to KL which is only now slowly seeing something of a porky dawn of enlightenment.

The 'nasty bits' sometimes make yummy treats1

I made sure I gave a packet to Erin's old nanny, who is Filipino. My father also got some. I decimated three packs, leaving a last one in the pantry for emergency rations. Unfortunately, chicharon is still a cottage industry product and the sealing methods used are rudimentary at best. So when I opened the last bag, I found it distinctly limp and horribly chewy. I set it aside for dog demolition, but when I came home from errand running, Kit had slow roasted it back to some of its original glory. While there is some trace of rancidity (lard is organic, after all!), the crackle was good, and the salt high was yummy.

The lesson however is to enjoy chicharon fresh and not hoard.