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ZambalesForum (ZF)
Discussion Group's selected
message thread year 2001
The Goddess of Ancient Italian Agriculture All ZF: Ladies and gentlemen of the ZambalesForum (ZF), it is my pleasure to introduce Mrs. Ceres Busa and daughter, Danae. In picture no. 2, Mrs. Busa is shown interacting with a Dharma wheel of Tibet in the Asian Reading Room. Tibetan cultural and religious traditions hold the view that Dharma wheels have a calming and healing influence on the environment and human beings - qualities that are greatly needed in our world today. ZambalesForum (ZF) John Reyes
**** Crush ng Bayan ----- Original Message ----- All ZF: ZambalesForum (ZF) John Reyes -----Original Message----- From: Paul Perez Hi guys, Sorry, I just can't resist sending you my pix to qualify for the "Crush ng Bayan" hehehehehhe, here goes: photo6.jpg: im the 2nd guy from the left: Puerto Galera, Long Island snorkeling. photo36.jpg: guy at the left wearing black. Batad, (Banaue) Ifugao Rice terraces, photo taken by Mike Arroyo, with us is Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, during her visit to Batad. 10.jpg: Standing atop Sto. Thomas, Baguio, overlooking PMA and the rest of Baguio City photo1.jpg: 4 guy (wearing green) from the Left. Photo taken at LAX (Los Angeles Airport) before my departure from LA to Phil exactly last year. At the left part are my cousins who are working in Disneyland and at the right part are my cousin who are living in Cerritos, CA. The one holding me is my ever dearest Tita Violeta, my mom's older sister. I hope I will be qualified for the "Crush ng Bayan" award.... hahahahhaha! regards,
**** Balot -----Original Message----- From: Ugalde Gaylord L DLVA Ting, Thanks. Gaylord and all -----Original Message----- From: Ting The wayward nature of the itik (native Filipino duck) must be the reason for an unusual Filipino delicacy - balut - a fertilised egg with a partially developed duckling, which is eaten boiled. Balut is a very nutritious snack food, which most Filipinos appreciate. However, non-Filipinos generally take a bit of convincing before taking their first bite. The itik is a poor mother. She does not sit on her eggs to warm them up till the time they are hatched. Hence, the eggs have to be incubated by man, which in the Philippines has been traditionally done in a home-scale hatchery called a balutan. Only the strong-shelled and apparently fertile eggs are selected for balut-making. These are detected by "candling" and also by snapping the shell hard enough with the fingers to cause breakage of the thin shells. The selected eggs are first incubated between bags of toasted palay (whole rice grains with husk) or ipa (rice husk) to stimulate the body temperature of the mother duck (42½C). The set-up is then layered with sako (burlap bags) to serve as insulators. Complete development or hatching takes place within 28 days of incubation. After six days the eggs are tested and those discovered to be infertile are itlog na maalat (salt-cured) or sold as sariwa (fresh). Those which are fertile but have failed to develop at normal speed are detected and separated on the 14th day of incubation. They are boiled and sold as penoy. Their appearance is similar to a hard-cooked duck egg. Eco, those containing dead embryos, are spoiled and have no market value. The balut are those incubated up to the 18th day and which contain a healthy living embryo. Like penoy, they are boiled and eaten as a snack food. In fact, these two are sold together just as one is given a choice of coffee or tea. Filipinos are used to the calls of young street vendors peddling their wares: "Balut . . . penoy!" The methods described above are the traditional cottage-level methods of balut-making, which are still prevalent today. At various times, suggestions have been made to mechanise the process using an incubator similar to the ones used in chicken egg hatcheries. Such a system would be more efficient; temperature control is more accurate and it would eliminate the cumbersome procedure of heating the ipa or palay. However, country folk still have to be assured of its commercial feasibility. Balut and penoy are traditionally considered aphrodisiacs. While it is true that they have high nutrient values, (containing proteins, vitamin E and minerals and provide a source of energy) there is no hard evidence to prove this. Aphrodisiacs or not, balut and penoy are enjoyed by millions of Filipinos. For the non-Filipino, an adventurous spirit, a desire to explore the unknown and the ability to be open-minded are essential to the enjoyment of balut. A combination of saltiness and tartness, softness and crunchiness, a sensation of sweetness, the degree of resistance to the bite, the viscosity and stickiness are the rewards. Today, the humble balut has been slicked over, enveloped in puff pastry, oven-baked, perfumed with various spices and undergone so many transformations that it is a minor miracle that the poor thing still manages to remember that it really is nothing more than a duck's egg. Any self-respecting balut will tell you that it is best served and eaten plain. Here's how: Take a freshly boiled balut in one hand. Make sure you have the "flat" bottom of the balut facing you and tap it lightly on any hard surface until you see hairline crack form on its surface. Remove bits of shell until you have a cavity the size of a penny. Inside the cavity you will find a paper-thin film of white tissue. Remove this. Drop in a pinch of rock salt, place the opening to your lips, tip your head back and slurp up the broth. Delicious. Widen the cavity by removing more bits of shell until you have enough exposed to be able to bite off a sizeable chunk of the balut. Don't forget to sprinkle more rock salt. Go on eating until you get to the bato (rock) or the hard white portion. Discard. When you get to the bottom, there will be a little more broth left over. Drop in a minute pinch of salt and drink up. from Chefs in the Philippines **** Gatas ng Kalabaw --- In ZambalesForum....... polim@p... wrote: Hello! I am a new member of ZF. I was born and raised in Botolan but is now based in Manila. Every now and then, I do visit Botolan and enjoy its beautiful beaches and sunset. And everytime I visit, I indulge myself with seafood, cashew, pastillas, mangoes, and gatas ng kalabaw. This mean more hours at the gym upon my return. I see to it also to be there during Holy Week and participate in the procession. The feeling of being christian is really there seeing all the activities around. |
I think that's it for now and I am looking forward contributing my share of ideas especially topics on good governance, education, drug menace and environment. Zambales has been neglected for many years now. Best
regards, -----Original Message----- From:
Johnnie Reyes Lito
and all ZF: Gatas ng kalabaw. In Salaza, Palauig, Zambales, it has gone the way of the bibingka, the pinipig, and the patupat. I looked for these items in vain that I recall from my childhood memories of bucolic Salaza. Gone are the palasebos in the plaza during Salaza's fiestas: the kalo-kalo, and the first, second, and third canvassing dances where you pin money on your favorite candidate's dress while she's dancing to the melody of "Tennessee Waltz". Also gone are the escrima on stage that featured plays straight out of Shakespeare, and brass bands from Ti-ti-on that played "Blue Danube" and "Tales from the Vienna Woods". I missed seeing the Salaza of old, when, during the rainy, rice- planting season, the dalagas, the dalagitas, and the dalagindings dressed in their pretty and colorful tapis and guys with their guitars, ride their carabaos to the fields, laughing and flirting along the way. Whatever happened to mancha flora and sumulong breads? John
Reyes **** -----Original Message----- From:
Ugalde Gaylord L DLVA Johnnie,
Lito, and all, bibingka, patupat, linipig. These do bring back memories. My wife and I continue to make (on occasion) bibingka, puto, kutsinta, lubi-lubi, kalti, tambu-tambong, baduya, etc. The kids like them, and so do our visitors. We seem to be the ones most often to bring these things when there are gatherings. If there are fresh banana leaves to be bought, we make those that like to be made with banana leaves. So much for now. Gaylord **** Those were the Days --- In ZambalesForum@y..., bradpans@a... wrote: In a message dated 7/27/2001 12:17:38 PM Pacific Daylight Time, ....jreyes@l... writes: To this day, I can still see as clear as day those fat eggplants, huge tomatoes, and the green lushness of letsugas that grew out of the vegetable plots of Mr. Trinidad's 5th grade class. I wonder if schools still do this. The last time I was home they don't plant at schools anymore because somebody else is benefiting from it after dark... "It is not how long you live that counts but it is how you enjoy your life" Willy
"bradpans" Francia **** From:
Johnnie Reyes Willy
and all ZF: Those also were the days in the Salaza of my youth when salbatanas, bugnay, and palsu-ots were our PlayStation, and "mansa plura" (mancha flora bread) and Bulaklak magazine were the food of choice for the stomach as well as the mind. The Salaza sari-sari store that I remember was the place by the side of the dusty national road where I used to beat Lolo Pasyo Dacula in game after game of dama, and a place to be at the end of each working day for every Carlos Bulosan of the barrio, freshly washed of mud from the fields and sleekly pomaded, to raise a glass or two and dream of all the great things they would someday do. Both are gone now - the elementary school vegetable plots and the sari-sari store of those sweet yesteryears - unfortunate victims of progress and social transformation. It is in this frame of mind that the ZambalesForum (ZF) >discussion group was born to personify the spirit of the old Philippine barrio sari-sari store, a cultural reference that we can all understand. In this sense, ZF is more than a conduit for the dissemination of information among its members. With a deep sentimental yearning to reclaim the memory of days long lost, it oscillates between solemnity and brashness. In one moment, it dissects "Kuna ni Nanang", an old Ilokano folksong, in one moment it pleads for the greening of our denuded forests. Though the sari-sari store is no longer how it used to be, deep in our hearts our yearnings for the old barrio are still the same. John
Reyes **** -----Original Message----- From:
sonnybusa Dear
Johnnie and Adorable Friends from Afar, Yesterday, I went as far as Candelaria, Palauig, Masinloc and tried the route going to Tarlac via Botolan. Although the road was leading somewhere across the mountain, it was however off limits after a certain point. This road was cemented and driving was quite smooth. I saw nothing but the mountain to cross, the mango trees and the rice paddies. It is rice planting all over Zambales. There is nothing but the green, rich fields and the carabao plowing the vast domain of farmers. This is the cyclic life of the province as described by Carlos Bulosan. Always in my mind are the strong arms of my brown, sun-burnt brothers and sisters. "magtanim
ay hindi biro (to plant rice is no joke) Such an idyllic scene belies the quiet desperation of such a life. They share the plight of receiving only 100-125 pesos a day, sometimes. At the end of the long day, they unwind with a little shok tong (local gin) to warm their bodies that were soaked in the paddies. After their worn-out hat is hung in the corner of the house , they rest only to wake at the crack of dawn and return to the rice fields. Yet, there is a dignity and nobleness in their work. I like to think they are happy. I don't want to wax too romantic lest I be accused of naivety and condescension, but their smiles and laughter are real and their hearts are not too heavy I hope with the burdens of eking out a living from the land. Johnnie, I stopped at your little sari-sari store. I also bought fish from the vendors as the catch of the day was brought in. The tong-it was going strong at that time. I couldn't help to look at the huddled men. I took a shot of the game. Then I saw your Aunti Mely. She recognized my car and she came out. It was indeed always a pleasant visit with her. She is inviting me to go to the beach house of Tata Ben. I said that would be very lovely but we will wait until after the typhoons. For so much to love and to share, ZF will you stand by Zambales and her burden? May
pag-asa ba? (Is there hope?) |
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