Abstract:
From the traditional native chicken soup of the Igorots, pinikpikan has evolved into
something exotic that must be tasted for one to experience 'authentic' Cordillera food.
Once considered both ritual and everyday fare by Cordillerans, it has become a fixture
in Baguio City restaurant menus. The squeamishness with which 'outsiders' used to
approach the dish has been replaced with a tourist curiousity to try what is 'real' and
that which reflects local culture. As restaurants and eateries have appropriated the
soup to promote local culture, so have poultry sellers introduced shortcut methods in
preparing the dish. These reflect the 'citification' and commodification of pinikpikan.
In partaking of the dish, one takes pleasure in tasting the 'real' and imagines the nos-
talgia that surrounds the experience, which is actually a simulated reality. This article
explores the cultural logic behind the phenomenon.
