Beach Bum
Beach Bum L. U. Foodpark
(My daughter Ana’s treat😘)
San Juan, La Union started to be on the map a few years back as the ‘surfing capital of the north’. The thing I like about that is the idea of ‘surfing’ in a small province like La Union may seemed to be absurd for some, but the steady increase in influx of local tourists proves it is not. And so aside from cozy, little resorts built one after the other to accomodate tourists, small food businesses grew in number. Competition was not so fierce initially, these days, it has become that. For a while, only a few coffee shops and the like opened their doors to tourists, and were able to offer their services for prices steeper than the normal. After all, what choice did the tourists have? So even the locals who wanted to experience something ‘new’ could not afford to eat in any of the shops.
Family bonding to us means eating out. Not splurging, but we have the most interesting and funny conversations over food. Naturally, we have gravitated towards San Juan, from our home in San Fernando. It was not just because it is only a few minutes away, but well, because they have smoking areas there. San Fernando no longer allows smoking in public places. Anyway, we have gone to several food places and we have admittedly have favorites. One place has this lovely view of the beach and the sunset, they serve good food and the waiters spoil us.
My daughter, Ana, wanted us to try this new place, ‘Beach Bum’ the other night, and so we went to check the place out.
‘Beach Bum’ is a foodstrip-type of establishment located along the national highway: stalls offering a variety of types of food from steaks, chicken, ramen, to fruit shakes, beer,
soda, and versions of streetfood. The stalls form a square, where the center is the ‘eating’ area: simple, wooden benches and long tables; in some parts, plastic tables are chairs are propped, while some stalls have barstools.
We chose to eat ‘streetfood’ and ordered ‘isaw’, a kind of shrimp kebab, and chunks of rectangular-shaped version of ‘fishballs’. Ana was wondering why she paid more than she expected and asked the stall vendor: turned out the shrimps were a bit expensive. My sister, Beks, walked to some other stall to get us drinks and came back with disposable glasses of something green which was delicious: cucumber-lemon juice.
We used barbecue sticks to eat, and I took in the experience. A couple near us was seated on a ‘roundie’, yoga-style. (I don’t know how else to describe it.) They looked they were having a pleasant time. The place was teeming with people, hovering above are snippets of smoke from grills, the gorgeous sky, plus the artisan walls and decor all around us. I felt like I was in a very large beach party, the noise from chatter blending just right with the reggae music on the large speakers. Several men and women wearing blue shirts are stationed in strategic places, assisting all customers, and clearing up tables. They are unassuming and polite.
People of all walks of life came in and out, in their flipflops and housedresses. Some looked like they came straight from the beach without showering, sand clinging to their arms and legs. I could not distinguish locals from tourists; which is the best that ‘Beach Bum’ has to offer. It is a place where all can blend in, whatever dialect one speaks: English, Tagalog or Ilocano and in whatever ‘accent’ (yes, there are different Ilocano accents); whatever people choose to wear or look like; however they come, in bikes, expensive cars or simply walked by. They are all welcomed warmly by the homey, ‘chill’ ambience.
A group of kids eating spicy noodles (that outrageous fad nowadays) were now desperately trying to outdo one another as to how much of the ‘spice’ they can take from eating the noodles.
I whispered to my sister, ‘why don’t they just get a match and light their tongues on fire and be done with it?’. She started conversing with the young men casually, giving them a tip or two on eating those ‘spicy noodles’. Ana asked her is she knew the kids. My sister did not know them, of course, but Beks is that way. She cannot seem to stop talking. That is what the ‘Beach Bum’ is all about: it is a place where people can go to eat, not be bothered by what to wear, how they look, or what ride to take. And it is the place to genuinely ‘hang out’, with friends, and with those who are not actually friends. Under a simple, clean, decent roof.
(My daughter Ana’s treat😘)
San Juan, La Union started to be on the map a few years back as the ‘surfing capital of the north’. The thing I like about that is the idea of ‘surfing’ in a small province like La Union may seemed to be absurd for some, but the steady increase in influx of local tourists proves it is not. And so aside from cozy, little resorts built one after the other to accomodate tourists, small food businesses grew in number. Competition was not so fierce initially, these days, it has become that. For a while, only a few coffee shops and the like opened their doors to tourists, and were able to offer their services for prices steeper than the normal. After all, what choice did the tourists have? So even the locals who wanted to experience something ‘new’ could not afford to eat in any of the shops.
Family bonding to us means eating out. Not splurging, but we have the most interesting and funny conversations over food. Naturally, we have gravitated towards San Juan, from our home in San Fernando. It was not just because it is only a few minutes away, but well, because they have smoking areas there. San Fernando no longer allows smoking in public places. Anyway, we have gone to several food places and we have admittedly have favorites. One place has this lovely view of the beach and the sunset, they serve good food and the waiters spoil us.
My daughter, Ana, wanted us to try this new place, ‘Beach Bum’ the other night, and so we went to check the place out.
‘Beach Bum’ is a foodstrip-type of establishment located along the national highway: stalls offering a variety of types of food from steaks, chicken, ramen, to fruit shakes, beer,
soda, and versions of streetfood. The stalls form a square, where the center is the ‘eating’ area: simple, wooden benches and long tables; in some parts, plastic tables are chairs are propped, while some stalls have barstools.
We chose to eat ‘streetfood’ and ordered ‘isaw’, a kind of shrimp kebab, and chunks of rectangular-shaped version of ‘fishballs’. Ana was wondering why she paid more than she expected and asked the stall vendor: turned out the shrimps were a bit expensive. My sister, Beks, walked to some other stall to get us drinks and came back with disposable glasses of something green which was delicious: cucumber-lemon juice.
We used barbecue sticks to eat, and I took in the experience. A couple near us was seated on a ‘roundie’, yoga-style. (I don’t know how else to describe it.) They looked they were having a pleasant time. The place was teeming with people, hovering above are snippets of smoke from grills, the gorgeous sky, plus the artisan walls and decor all around us. I felt like I was in a very large beach party, the noise from chatter blending just right with the reggae music on the large speakers. Several men and women wearing blue shirts are stationed in strategic places, assisting all customers, and clearing up tables. They are unassuming and polite.
People of all walks of life came in and out, in their flipflops and housedresses. Some looked like they came straight from the beach without showering, sand clinging to their arms and legs. I could not distinguish locals from tourists; which is the best that ‘Beach Bum’ has to offer. It is a place where all can blend in, whatever dialect one speaks: English, Tagalog or Ilocano and in whatever ‘accent’ (yes, there are different Ilocano accents); whatever people choose to wear or look like; however they come, in bikes, expensive cars or simply walked by. They are all welcomed warmly by the homey, ‘chill’ ambience.
A group of kids eating spicy noodles (that outrageous fad nowadays) were now desperately trying to outdo one another as to how much of the ‘spice’ they can take from eating the noodles.
I whispered to my sister, ‘why don’t they just get a match and light their tongues on fire and be done with it?’. She started conversing with the young men casually, giving them a tip or two on eating those ‘spicy noodles’. Ana asked her is she knew the kids. My sister did not know them, of course, but Beks is that way. She cannot seem to stop talking. That is what the ‘Beach Bum’ is all about: it is a place where people can go to eat, not be bothered by what to wear, how they look, or what ride to take. And it is the place to genuinely ‘hang out’, with friends, and with those who are not actually friends. Under a simple, clean, decent roof.
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