00:00What happened?
00:02I would like to invite you to a place where there is a restaurant that serves a special dish.
00:11It is a special dish of eels, which is very good for your bones.
00:18A dish of eels?
00:20Of eels, yes.
00:21For the bones?
00:22Are they eels?
00:23Yes.
00:24Are they the same as eels or something else?
00:26No, eels.
00:28That's how you say it?
00:29Eels.
00:30Yes.
00:31And that's good for the bones?
00:32Yes, for the bones, for the system, and it also gives you energy.
00:38That's all we need.
00:40That my bones recover and we need a lot of energy to keep traveling too.
00:43Hey, and is that of the eels here common?
00:47No, it's not common.
00:49What happens is that it is prepared only in that place
00:53because there was a man who discovered that these eels can be prepared as a very delicious dish.
01:02And is that man going to be here tomorrow?
01:04No, he's not going to be here tomorrow.
01:06What happened is that he died four years ago.
01:08He died?
01:09Did the eels do that too?
01:11Did the man die?
01:17Are we going to see each other tomorrow?
01:18Yes, yes.
01:20I'll be there at five in the morning.
01:22And where?
01:24Well, the restaurant is called Yentoes Pazijal.
01:27What's your name?
01:28Jonathan.
01:29Jonathan.
01:30And you?
01:31Jorge and Francisco.
01:33Francisco, Pancho.
01:34Well, nice to meet you.
01:36Let's go.
01:38Look, it looks like we're arriving at the hotel.
01:48Help me.
01:49I'm coming, I'm coming.
01:53Everything for my leg.
02:07It looks better in the photo.
02:09What? It's air-conditioned, look.
02:12It has four and a quarter floors.
02:14It's great.
02:15It's beautiful.
02:18And the beach.
02:26Before dawn, the local fishermen prepare for a day of work,
02:30carrying nets and traps made by hand, known as bubo.
02:40And we are ready to discover the authentic flavor of Cebu
02:44with one of its most emblematic dishes, eel soup,
02:48which is also caught in this place.
02:50Guys, over here.
02:51How are you?
02:52Hello, how are you? Good morning, how are you?
02:54How are you, Jonathan?
02:55How are you?
02:56Hello, how are you?
02:57How are you?
02:58More or less.
02:59Yes.
03:02Sit down, sit down.
03:04What are you eating?
03:05Well, I'm eating something that is prepared here.
03:09It's a soup called vacasí.
03:11The vacasí.
03:12The famous vacasí that is made here.
03:13Yes, that's the famous vacasí.
03:15The tradition says that we have to catch the eels
03:19and then we bring them here to cook them.
03:25And these eels have to come out at this time, at six in the morning?
03:28Aren't there eels that come out at night?
03:30No, no, no.
03:31It's just that all these eels, or this type of eels, come out very early.
03:37So we have to be here very early.
03:39Oh, what I was missing, right?
03:40Early morning eels.
03:41Yes.
03:42That's my specialty.
03:43My specialty, getting up early.
03:48Be careful, be careful.
03:50This is wonderful, because this water is salty, right?
03:52Yes.
03:53The best thing.
03:54They told me...
03:55It's anti-inflammatory.
03:56Yes, they told me that putting my feet in salty water is anti-inflammatory.
03:59I have swollen feet, they look like empanadas.
04:02Oh, look at that egg you had there.
04:04Yes, I have a giant egg.
04:06It has a beautiful skin color.
04:07Why are you so toasted?
04:10I'm as white as a pancake.
04:13But I'm not toasted, I'm that color.
04:15You're kind of green.
04:18I'm about to shit.
04:20Let's see.
04:21But, Wadon, stop.
04:22But, there.
04:23But I can already see your 108 kilos backwards.
04:27You know, we flew to get here.
04:30Oh, fuck.
04:31Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.
04:33Be careful, be careful.
04:34That's it, we're in.
04:36Wadon, all this so that your feet get better at once.
04:39I hope so.
04:41Be careful, Wadon.
04:42If we get close, we're going to have to...
04:44Get me out.
04:45We're going to use the eels to eat at night instead of...
04:48No, look.
04:49We're going to move a little bit.
04:50We're not going to fit in there.
04:52What happens is that this is a small boat that is going to sink.
04:57We are not the thinnest of...
04:59These little kids are half fat.
05:01I think it's going to sink.
05:02Hey, I hope the eel soup is good.
05:04Yes, it's very good.
05:08The properties are...
05:09It is a rich fatty fish, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and vitamin A.
05:13I need that.
05:14It is the eel that promotes the development of sexual organs.
05:18You also need it.
05:19It acts as an antioxidant.
05:21It's true, it's true.
05:22And it takes care of our taste and smell.
05:24It's perfect for me.
05:25And for me too.
05:26Come on, then, let's make the sacrifice of going to look for eels.
05:35THE EEL
05:46Be careful, man, because it's...
05:47Hey, have you seen an eel?
05:49No?
05:50Hey, it's very slimy, so be careful.
05:52Something bit me.
05:53Yeah, well, wait a minute.
05:55Give me your hand.
05:56Let me get comfortable.
05:57Get comfortable.
05:58Give me your hand.
05:59Stand up.
06:00On the count of one, two, three.
06:01Up.
06:02That's it.
06:03Are you going to throw me like that?
06:04No, but if I have to carry all my weight, man.
06:10I'm shaking, man.
06:11It's a matter of...
06:13Look at a starfish.
06:14Where?
06:15Here, man.
06:17Look.
06:18How beautiful.
06:21Stars.
06:22Stars.
06:23Look how beautiful.
06:25Let's give it back.
06:26There it is.
06:27Look at the spot.
06:28How beautiful.
06:29You left it upside down.
06:33This is not very paradisiacal.
06:35It's beautiful.
06:36It's native.
06:37Well, it's not paradisiacal, but look where we are, Francisco.
06:40Yes.
06:41What are you going to tell your grandson?
06:42Hey, I took a bath on a beach.
06:43Or are you going to tell him, I went to hunt eels?
06:48We still have to go to the Palawan.
06:49Hey, I haven't seen a single eel.
06:51Me neither.
06:52Nothing to eat.
06:53Now we are putting our feet in the middle of the algae and I see that a crab is biting me.
06:56Yes.
06:57An eel.
06:58An alga.
06:59The last eel I saw was one that peed on the tree.
07:03And there came an eel.
07:05Damn, Nora, wait for me.
07:07I feel like I'm stepping on something.
07:10These traps made with bamboo and reeds are strategically placed in the mangroves and estuaries
07:16where the eels hide between the roots and the vegetation.
07:20With patience and skill, the fishermen wait for the right moment to capture these slippery inhabitants.
07:27A process that requires both knowledge of the environment and respect for nature.
07:37Look, look, look, look.
07:39Look, with the head.
07:42Look at it.
07:43Look at the detail, look at the detail.
07:45It's very angry.
07:46Touch it.
07:47It's like a little brunette.
07:50That's the famous eel.
07:53It bit me, it got into my eye.
07:56Oh, look.
07:57No, I already know it, we're not going to eat it.
07:59But how is it possible?
08:00No, because you eat things when you don't know how to cook them.
08:03The eel soup that we are going to eat in a little while,
08:07did this man invent it or is it a food that is always here from the people of the Philippines?
08:13Yes, it was him.
08:14He invented it and then other places copied it.
08:18But not with the same recipe.
08:20No, not with the same one.
08:21So we are in the right place.
08:23Look, it's not for nothing, but your foot deflated a lot with the salty water.
08:31And with our basket full of eels, we head to the local restaurant of Entoy,
08:35where they will transform into the famous soup.
08:54I am surprised that in this country, and especially in this area,
08:59which is very touristic and is growing,
09:02there are still these groups that are super isolated.
09:06They are like small communities that revolve around small trades.
09:13All the people here more or less live with this.
09:16Here they take care of the resource.
09:18They have not overexploited the eels either.
09:21No, no.
09:22For example, between a very small one, they let it go.
09:25They return it.
09:26Of course.
09:27That is, it is a trade that has been maintained for several generations.
09:29Yes.
09:30How beautiful.
09:31Shall we go for the soup?
09:33Very well.
09:34Let's try that delight.
09:37How many eels do you have to eat to be more or less good?
09:40More or less, I think five.
09:42Five eels per portion.
09:44Yes.
09:45I'm sorry.
09:46I would release them.
09:48Oh, you've eaten worse things and you're going to be sorry now.
09:51Let's go with this.
09:52Let's go to the...
09:53To the...
09:54To the...
09:55To the...
09:56To the...
09:57To the...
09:58To the...
09:59To the...
10:00To the...
10:01To the...
10:02To the...
10:03To the...
10:04To the...
10:05To the...
10:06To the...
10:07To the kitchen.
10:08I'm going to introduce you to the daughter of the owner, right?
10:09Of the owner?
10:10Yes, the owner.
10:11Of the owner.
10:12Her name is Janeline.
10:18How are you, how are you?
10:19How are you?
10:20How are you?
10:21I'm nice to meet you.
10:22Nice to meet you.
10:23Nice to meet you.
10:24Here we bring the eels.
10:28The first thing we have to do, according to her, is that we have to wash the eels
10:32so that they are all clean and then we put them in here.
10:36And when do they come to life?
10:40In the fire!
10:44This soup is cooked slowly,
10:46with a broth that combines aromatic herbs,
10:49local spices, vegetables and a lot of dedication.
10:54Well, it's been worth it.
10:56It's been worth it, let's eat.
10:59Ginalina Escabas has taken over the family business
11:03after her father's death.
11:05She has committed to maintaining the authenticity of the recipes
11:08and the quality that made the restaurant famous,
11:11proudly wearing the torch that her father lit
11:14and making sure that in Toys Bacchus & Hans
11:17it continues to be a symbol of the rich gastronomic heritage of Córdoba.
11:23It is said that this soup has an aphrodisiac effect,
11:26which is like the Viagra of Cebu.
11:28Is that true?
11:40Yes, that's what people say,
11:42that after eating the soup,
11:45the eel wakes up.
11:48Yes, yes.
11:50The eel wakes up.
11:52Yes.
11:53And it fills up.
11:55Twenty years trying the eel.
11:59There must be something there.
12:01Have you tried this soup before?
12:02No, I haven't.
12:03Well, it's going to be the first time.
12:05Unfortunately, I can't because I have allergies.
12:08Do you have an eel allergy?
12:09No, to seafood.
12:11But the eel is not seafood.
12:13It's not seafood, how do you know?
12:15No, but...
12:16What do you eat?
12:18What do you eat?
12:19What do you eat?
12:20Are you serious?
12:21Are you serious?
12:22Yes, are you serious?
12:24No, no, no.
12:25Are you serious?
12:26No, yes.
12:27I'm not making this up.
12:28No, I believe you.
12:30We're going to try it because we don't have any type of allergy.
12:34Entoy started the business with a small food stand
12:37that sold eel soup in the 80s.
12:40Over time, its business grew,
12:42becoming a popular restaurant
12:44for both locals and tourists.
12:48Entoy's success has helped put Cordoba on the map
12:51as a gastronomic destination,
12:53attracting visitors who want to try the unusual dish.
13:01This restaurant is an excellent example
13:03of how food can be a bridge
13:05between the history, culture
13:07and economic development of a community.
13:11Let's see.
13:12I'm going to show it to you.
13:14Look.
13:17How do you eat the eel?
13:19Oh, the eel is whole.
13:21And you take the head off.
13:23Yes, and I'm going to take the head off.
13:25You can eat the skin.
13:27You eat it with the skin.
13:29Well, guys, I have to leave you.
13:31I'm too drunk.
13:33What?
13:34Soldier Carran, you almost killed me.
13:36Before I leave you, I want to give you this.
13:39This is the recipe.
13:40Thank you very much.
13:41These are chili flavors for you, with love,
13:43so you can try them with your family.
13:45Oh, well, these are some snacks, right?
13:48Chorizos, peperonis.
13:50Yes, yes, yes.
13:51This is for you.
13:52With love.
13:53Thank you very much.
13:54Bye.
13:55Are you really not going to eat the soup?
13:57No, I'm not.
13:58Oh, I'm going with you too, because I have to...
14:01I'm going to take advantage of being here.
14:03No, don't start with things.
14:05Ah, the heads.
14:09Here I'm going to serve you your soup,
14:11so you can enjoy it.
14:12Hey, how do you get the head out?
14:14You cut it with your teeth, I think, right?
14:18Is this spicy?
14:19No.
14:20No, not spicy?
14:21Help me, please.
14:22I will eat you.
14:24Oh, look, you take out the gut.
14:26There.
14:27You take out the gut, and there's the meat.
14:30There's the meat.
14:31There.
14:32There.
14:33There's the meat.
14:34One, two, and...
14:35Wait, wait.
14:36Leave it there.
14:37Put it there.
14:38One, no.
14:39One, two...
14:40I don't want to look at it.
14:41No, leave it there.
14:42One, two, and...
14:43Put it there, put it there, put it there.
14:44Put it there.
14:45The lady is looking.
14:46Put it there.
14:47It's a disgrace for the lady.
14:48Put it there, man.
14:49It's a disgrace for the lady.
14:50Put it there, eel.
14:51Open your mouth.
14:52Put the eel there.
14:53Leave it there, because I want to see something.
14:54What?
14:55I want to take out that skin.
14:56Take out the skin.
14:57Give me the thing.
14:58And eat it.
14:59There it is.
15:00Look, it's like a...
15:01How do you call this?
15:02It's like a king fish.
15:03The broth is delicious.
15:04It has a lot of ginger.
15:05Now, yes.
15:06Yes, skin.
15:07You can eat whatever you want.
15:08It's the same.
15:09How is it?
15:10Delicious.
15:11Very good.
15:12Very good.
15:13It tastes like crazy.
15:14Oh, look.
15:15It has a chorizo there like a worm.
15:16No, but that's the gut.
15:17Leave it.
15:18Accept it now.
15:19It's supposed to be...
15:20And I'm the alaraco.
15:21Not you.
15:22No, but look at that.
15:23Look.
15:24There.
15:25There.
15:26There.
15:27There.
15:28There.
15:29It's like a...
15:30And then...
15:31Delicious.
15:32Delicious.
15:33Delicious.
15:34Very good.
15:35Really?
15:36Very good.
15:37It's very tasty.
15:38It tastes like crazy.
15:39I swear.
15:40Exquisite.
15:41Exquisite.
15:42The thing is that I saw the anguilla when...
15:43I feel sad.
15:44No, you don't feel sad.
15:45I'm very sad.
15:46I'm very sad for the anguilla.
15:47You don't feel sad because it's good.
15:48Eat it.
15:49You're going to love it.
15:50I'm going to put some broth in it.
15:51There.
15:52There you go.
15:53That's it.
15:54That's it.
15:55That's it.
15:56There.
15:57That's it.
15:58And eat three.
16:01No, this guy is not looking.
16:03No.
16:04Delicious, delicious.
16:07Look, taste it.
16:12Very good.
16:13I swear I loved it.
16:15Very good.
16:16Very good.
16:22Mmm, it's delicious.
16:23My body began to feel its effects immediately.
16:27Immediately.
