Last week, however, I came face to face with a fearsome challenge. I was invited to go on a tour of the Fisherfarms facilities in Pangasinan, where the bangus is king. I was scared, and yet, I welcomed the challenge. Could it be my chance to finally embrace the long-dreaded bangus?

With a four-hour bus ride to Sual ahead of me, I had plenty of time to strategize. I could claim that I was too full to eat even a single bite, say I’m allergic. But no self-respecting food writer would do such a thing! After years of despising those who claimed food phobias and allergies, I couldn’t go over to the dark side now! No, the only way to conquer my fear was to face it.

After leaving our bags at the Covelandia Resort, my companions and I boarded a small boat to the fish pens. The pens were only about 18 meters in diameter, but apparently, the fishermen yank out about 30 tons of bangus and pompano per harvest! That’s a lot of Omega-3! The bangus were still undersized, so the fishermen led us to one of the pompano pens where we watched them haul in the day’s catch. As the fish tried to escape from the icy cooler to which they were transferred, I felt a twinge of pity. That is, until Fisherfarms managing director Rex Malabanan told us that we’d be having the fresh fish for dinner. After the pompano spectacle, we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a short presentation on the processing methods of Fisherfarms. Malabanan told us that we’d have the chance to taste the various Fisherfarms bangus products the next day. It looked as if my encounter with the bangus would have to wait.

At dinner, we had some grilled pompano, as promised. The flesh was so tender and sweet that to dip it in soy sauce was not only unnecessary but also downright criminal. We weren’t able to finish the 15 kilos of fish during dinner, but we sure made fast work of them a few hours later. This time, we washed them down with beer. Could a marriage between food and beverage be more perfect?

The following day, we left early to visit the Fisherfarms plant in Pulilan, Bulacan. It was the moment of truth. When we arrived at the plant, we were immediately whisked away to the conference room, where Fisherfarms president Henry Uy reiterated the company’s objectives. "We want Filipinos to eat more fish. It’s healthier than red meat. It’s a good source of protein, and it’s low in cholesterol," he said. But what about the taste? Instead of answering, Uy’s staff brought out a platter of fish cold cuts: sausages, hams, and luncheon meats. I tried the sausage first and was surprised because it didn’t taste like fish at all. It was almost like Hungarian sausage. The other cold cuts weren’t bad, but not one of them was at par with the sausage. I wanted to eat more of it, but I held back. Good thing, too, because next on the menu was…bangus!

There they were, laid out on the table: Hungarian, summer garlic, grilled, and spicy. They were all boneless, and more importantly, they were all flavorful. Granted, the Hungarian style bangus could’ve used a touch more salt and paprika, but the summer garlic bangus was spot-on. The juiciness could be attributed to the cook’s skill, but the fish was undoubtedly fresh and the spices packed enough punch without overshadowing the fish. How did they do it?

Still reeling from my gastronomic epiphany, I reluctantly left the table to put on a lab coat, boots, and a face mask for the factory tour. We saw freshly caught fish making the trip from icy coolers to a quick freeze machine where they would stay for 45 minutes in order to seal in their flavor and freshness before being packed and transported. We watched as the fish were scaled before being fed into a mill and then smoked to make fish cold cuts. We stood in awe as the workers deboned mounds of bangus for daing at lightning speed. Then suddenly, it was time to go home. As a consolation, we brought some fishy treats home, where they would be tested in our own kitchens.

I came home in a merry mood. The frozen pompano was still stone-hard despite the many hours of travel it endured. When I made sinigang out of it the following day, I wasn’t disappointed. The daing was a revelation as well. I wasn’t able to try the boneless daing during the trip, so I fried one as soon as I got home. Daing has always been my kryptonite, but this one was different. Riddled with fat and lacking the aroma of burnt garlic of most specimens, the daing made a believer out of me. I felt regret at the thought of the shunned schools of daing that have been served to me in the past. Uy admitted that Fisherfarms products were a tad pricier than their generic counterparts, but considering the technology that they use, and the taste of the final product, I say it’s worth it.

More than anything, this trip made me realize that a fish as humble as the bangus can be a gastronomic triumph. Some people fish to prove that they can subdue Nature. As an omnivore and food lover, my goal has always been to eat Nature. This time, I have managed to do so, but it was Nature that has subdued me.