Lapit na piyesta; Kadupdup

Last weekend I went home to Cabatuan. Overhead banderetas and streamers welcoming politicians and guests straddle the roads. Lapit na gali fiesta sa Cabatuan. Indi abi ko pirme gapuli. Pirme lang gaulan. Badshot gid ang karsada sa Duyanduyan, Sta. Barbara pakadto sa Talanghauan. Daw turugban. It's a big burden to wash the mud-covered car each time.


What can be seen in Cabatuan? May agri and trade fair, which as usual displays farm produce, plants, home-made foods, crafts like curtains and wood furnitures, etc. Like the past years. The day we were there, may ara search kang Miss Tinuom. And I was offered a ticket for a reserved seat in the street dancing competition the following day. May mga street stalls nga nagabaligya mga cheap things nga daw cross between a Korean store and an ukay-ukay. May ara man Miss Cabatuan coronation night. Kon ano ang mga aktibidades kang mga una nga tinuig, amo man gihapon tulad. Mga hitsura lang ka tawo ang naglain. Kon ano ang makita kag masaksihan sa iba nga piyestahan, amo man ang makita kag masaksihan sa Cabatuan. Mga hitsura lang ang naglain. Hu-humm (panguy-ab).





What I have mentioned are the highlight activities. And this is supposed to be a patronal fiesta. Raku mamiyesta sa Huwebes para magkaon, maglagaw, mamasyar sa mga friends kag paryente. Pero pira lang ang ma-agto kay feastday ni San Nicolas de Tolentino? Kag pira lang ang magahanda nga nakadumdum kay San Nicolas? Pira ang bisita nga maabot para mag-simba?

Sa amon balay, indi daad kami maghanda kay wala mahimos. Si Nanay na lang naman naga-estar sa balay. Our eldest Bro is based in Manila. The other Bro, sa UK na ga-estar. One Sis sa USA na. Diaspora baga. Kag ang Huwebes may klase kag may obra. Pero mahanda kami kuno because: 1) Basi may mabisita kay Nanay. After a near-fatal stroke, waay na nagahalin sa balay si Nanay. Kag ginabisita na lang ka mga friends and paryestes. 2) According sa isa pa ka Sis, daw kalain man nga wala handa. 3) Basi may magtalang nga bisita ang mga kahinablosan.

Note that among the reasons why we make handa, there is no reason remotely pertaining to the patron saint. But are we not just symptomatic of the reality in this Catholic, fiesta-loving country? May ara gid bala nga naga-isip sa patron saint kon ma-miyesta?

Kadupdup

Do you remember kadupdup? Or have you heard of kadupdup?

The last time I heard the word kadupdup was when my older Bro was still a bachelor. And now, owaw na siya. May apo na. Now, after so many years, I heard of kadupdup again in the agri fair in Cabatuan. One booth was selling kadupdup.

So what is kadupdup?

Kadupdup is a fungus, a vey small mushroom growing on wood or bamboo. I remember kadupdup growing profusely during rainy days on the surface of the bamboo posts in our perimeter fence. Our owaw would gather them and cook them with egg, wrapped with banana leaf - the original tinuom. It smelled and tasted like meat with hints of bamboo, or wood, or wherever it came from.

As I know, kadupdup just grows by itself on wet surfaces of decaying bamboos and wood. And now, ginabaligya na?

I saw classmate Terry buying a glassful of kadupdup. Daw masunod ako sa anda balay so I could eat and taste again kadupdup. But it was getting dark. And we were about to go home to the city.

But my kids begged me to stay longer. They wanted to visit the perya. So we took our supper at my mother's place. We had kadyos cooked with dahon ka kamote, okra, papaya kag may subak nga sinugba nga bangros. Grabe. Gatalbo ang pinggan. First time ko man ka kaon ka dya in months. Seasonal abi ang kadyos.

I dropped my kids at the perya and went straight to Gene and Esay's barbecuehan. Gene gave me a bottle of SanMigLight. Across the street was a lifesize picture of the current Miss Cabatuan. I was informed she was a daughter of a classmate. I took a picture of the picture.



Gene and I talked about life, family, friends. Sa friends, duha na lang kami bilin. The others went to some far away places to find their dreams. Miss namon si Mr Tuvilla. But somehow I felt happy. Some people may be away from their families now, to eke out a living. I am here with my family. Like others, there could be problems. But I still have time to sit beside the street with an ice cold beer, watching people passing by. Wow, astig. And I still have time to think of inconsequential things like kadupdup. Haneps. Happiness is supposed to be about simple things.

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