In Search of the Perfect Polvoron

Written by Maxine Lim

Photographs by Maxine Lim

     Everyone has that one special thing that ties them to a certain place. Philippines for me is Polvoron. So what exactly is Polvoron?

Polvoron 101 
     A local delicacy and popular childhood treat, Polvoron is everything that a comfort food should for someone with a sweet tooth. Polvoron (or Pulburon in Tagalog) is a powery, heavy milk shortbread and its origins in the Philippines can be traced back to the Spanish, where it is commonly found in Andalusia.

    My love affair with Polvoron started in 2007, during the Monash University study trip to Baguio and Sagada where I chanced upon Goldilocks, the famous bakeshop/restaurant there and bought my first piece of the buttery, sugary goodness. Six years on, a trip to the Philippines as an Alumni student presented a chance to rediscover this local delicacy.

   Such is life, that when you put your mind and thoughts on a particular subject, you start seeing it everywhere. Manila, Boracay and Iloilo 2013 – I was Charlie in a veritable Polvoron factory.

My quest to find Polvoron begins here.

Moving fast against the wind – Transportation around Manila, Boracay and Iloilo.

Written by Maxine Lim
Photographs by Maxine Lim

     When we, the Monash University alumni students, decided to coincide our holiday plans with this year’s Monash Arts study trip to Iloilo, we knew that getting around was going to be an interesting adventure. Most of us were no strangers to hard travelling – the previous study trip to Baguio and Sagada in 2007 brought to mind 6 hour bus-rides from Baguio to Sagada, winding around breath-taking and hair-raising rice terrace cliffs. Evidently, five years out in the working field blurs memories of motion-sickness and makes one nostalgic for some backpacking escapades. 

    Nine days and nine types of transportation later, this is one woman’s experience in transportation from Manila to Boracay to Iloilo.