Turo-turo (Point-Point System)

The Best of Turo-Turo

Turo-turo or literally meaning point-point is an old and ongoing tradition of Filipinos.  Turo-turo is a way of letting the food seller know what you want with minimal explanation.  This does not mean it is a quiet affair.  Filipinos do not do quiet.  Philippines is a friendly nation with outgoing people who like talking to anyone, including to foreigners.

I love turo-turo because it is really home-cooking, which you do not cook yourself but most often than not by your enterprising neighbours.

Turo-turo meals can be bought anytime of the day and sometimes even very, very late at night.  The cooks are already busy with the days food before the sun is even up.

You can buy breakfast such as lugaw goto, a more delicious version of the Chinese congee.  There is also champorado, a chocolate rice pudding which is delicious eaten with a fried dried fish called tuyo.  This combination works because the sweetness of the chocolate rice pudding is enhanced by the saltiness and crispiness of the tuyo.  Yum.  I am missing this already.