Tinapa the Poor Man's Food

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After all the feasting and gorging during the Christmas celebration, I opted to have a simple breakfast the following day. It consisted of black coffee, "Sinangag na kanin" (garlic rice) I made from leftover steamed rice and a viand of slice tomatoes with Tinapa (smoked fish). You can also serve it with a sauce made of spiced vinegar (vinegar with garlic and chili pepper) or "calamansi juice"(Philippine version of lime) with soy sauce. But I omitted the sauce because I was still lethargic from all that celebration. Tinapa is a traditional Filipino dish which is often describe as a "poor man's meal". The smoked fish are usually Bangus (milkfish) or Galunnong (blackfin skad). We buy it in wet markets where ambulant vendors sitting on the wayside with their "bilao" (large woven bamboo tray) of Tinapa wait for customers. It only cost 25-30 pesos ($0.50) for 4-6 pieces of fish depending on its size and availability. 5 star hotels and restaurants also serve this Filipino dish but at outrageous prices! Strictly for tourists and the jaded appetite of the rich who might decide once in a while to switch from western and foreign cuisine to the humbler Filipino "poor man's meal".