An image of a massive lechon baka — roasted calf — served at a Filipino family’s New Year’s Eve dinner went viral on social media.
Facebook user John Elbert Flores Hizon shared the photo of the lechon, which appears to occupy the entire dining table, on the Facebook page “Homepaslupa Buddies 3.0.” “I just want to flex my affluent cousin Apple Flores who served a dinosaur on New Year’s Eve,” Hizon wrote in Filipino.
Commenters poked fun at the lechon’s size, with some coming up with creative names for it.
“That’s Godzilla!” a commenter wrote, while another joked, “It appears that they’ve been eating this since Christmas.”
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“That’s from Jurassic Park hahahaha,” chimed another.
Flores, who was amused that their family dinner went viral, joined in on the fun with a post sharing that there are still leftovers for those who want to have a taste of their “roasted dinosaur.”
Lechon is considered a national dish in the Philippines and is often served during holidays, festivals and other special occasions.
While lechon in the Philippines has pre-Hispanic origins, the dish acquired its name during Spain’s occupation of the Southeast Asian country. In other parts of the world, lechon is typically prepared using a piglet, but in the Philippines, it is not unusual to roast a calf or a full-grown pig.
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