Kamo nga mga taga-abroad, kadumdom pa kamo kang tawag nga dapog?
Amo diya ang dapog sa akon uma. Ti, na-gets ninyo? For those who have totally lost their memories of the places they came from, let me explain.
Dapog is the Kinaray-a term for stove; or the place where cooking is done. It is like a table topped with soil, and on top stands a sig-ang, sometimes clay but usually welded iron. On the sig-ang is placed the caldero, kettle, or pans. Under the sig-ang is placed firewood or charcoal lit with fire.
With the current use of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) or electricity, dapogs are no longer vital parts of the Filipino home. Besides dapog is messy with soot, smoke stains, cinders and ashes.
But my late Owaw would never eat rice cooked with the use of LPG. She would request that her rice be cooked on the dapog using firewood or charcoal. She said the taste was different. It was better with the use of firewood and on the dapog.
I tried hard to determine the taste difference in rice cooked with the use of firewood and the one with the use of LPG. After years of knowingly and unknowingly doing the test, I still cannot discern the difference.
But, anyway I just want you to relive the days we still had dapogs in our homes. Of course, dapogs still exist in houses in the Philippines.
Ti diyan sa abroad, may dapog man kamo? Waay gid haay!@
Monday, October 13, 2008
Ang Dapog
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mimosa Pudica or huya-huya
Huya-huya, known in science as Mimosa Pudica, is a creeping weed considered as a pest. It grows uncontrollaby everywhere in the farm, blocking paths because its thorns can cause cuts and allergies on the skin.
Lately, I saw in amazon.com and other websites that the plant is being sold from US$ 2.00 to US$ 20.00 depending on the location where the plant is to be delivered. It is considered decorative and is recommended for home use. It is especially attractive because of its sensitive leaves which fold up when touched. Its flower is also tauted as marvelous, and ranges in color from pale pink to fuschia.
Huya-huya grows profusely over my perimeter cyclone-wire fences, and wherever that is untouched by my caretaker.
With my latest discovery over the internet about this plant, I am reconsidering my predator attitude towards it. This plant could be my way to filthy richness. Think of the hundreds or thousands of these thorny weeds, which need no maintenance and extra TLC and grows endlessly even if you uproot or burn it, all over my property. If I get US$ 1.00 for each specimen, think how rich I will be. I will have a house bigger than my neighbors who are either seamen, working in the Middle East, or married to a foreigner. I am delirious by just thinking of the possibilities.
So, while before I seethed and grumbled as I uprooted each huya-huya I saw on my way, now I look at where I pass, careful not to step on any huya-huya. Sayang. And as I reach the property of my neighbors, I unleash my ire and uproot whatever huya-huya I can reach in their properties. Kay basi makita man nanda ang nabasa ko sa internet. Basi madugangan pa anda manggad. They may laugh now as they think I am helping them clear their lots. But when I get to ship to the US my expensive huya-huya, I will have the last laugh.@
Friday, June 20, 2008
ISAW and DUGO
Is there isaw or dugo abroad?
Isaw is barbequed marinated chicken intentines. Please don't squirm yet. Dugo is barbequed hardened chicken blood. Don't yuck-yuck there! In fact I only discovered lately that it is blood. I disregarded it before because I thought it was pork liver (see above photo), and therefore more expensive. The raw material may not come from the malls, but they sure attract a lot of avid foodies inside our subdivision. Students buy and nibble some on their way home. While many office workers who come home late buy a few as their viand for the evening.
The isaw stand comes to life late afternoon when students are just coming home from school and when the grown-ups are about to grab some ice-cold beer, or for the financially-challenged, to utang a lapad from the nearby sari-sari store. Indeed, the stand is supposed to sprout where a beerhouse thrives. Sarap daw talagang pulutan. At 2 pesos a stick, how can you complain?
My kids love isaw. While many tambay-types are crazy about dugo.
When you buy, you select which sticks you wanted, and the vendor will grill them for you. Once your orders are ready, you inform the vendor which sauce you prefer - the sweet one or the hot one. The vendor will then brush the desired sauce over the steaming hot and mouth-watering chicken whatever. You then have an option to eat your isaw/dugo straight from the stick, or you insert it in between slices of bread to have a tasty sandwich.
Now ask: Is there any part of the chicken which is not sold or eaten?
Ti may isaw man kag dugo barbeque sa abroad? Waay gid haay. @
Monday, June 9, 2008
Kon tig-tarambo
It's June. And it's the rainy season. Time for bamboos to form new shoots. In Kinaray-a, it's tig-tarambo.
Tambo is young bamboo shoots which can be cooked into mouth-watering dishes. I especially like tambo nga may gata, with shrimps or crabs and tugabang. Sorry, wala ako picture. And sadly, nobody in our house knows how to cook this dish. We either buy from the school canteen, or we wait for neighbors nga galwan kami ti isa ka karan-an.
Tambo can also be pickled. Grabe daw galaway na ko. Kapin pa kon native nga langgaw ang gamiton. Atsara na, dapli pa.
But tig-tarambo also means the coming of hordes of flies. Mga langaw. Sa Cabatuan, bisan diin lang, grabe ang langaw. Agto kaw sa refreshment parlors para magkaon pizza, baw grabe langaw. Don't order anything with raisins or pasas. Basi magkaon ka, abi mo pasas pa gali langaw na. Kadiri. Iba gani, sa balay nanda nagakaon sa sulod ka mosketero. Para waay langaw.
Ti diin nagharalin ang mga langaw? Ti waay gid timo kamaan nga raku poultry houses sa Cabatuan? Pamangkuton mo mga tag-iya ka poultry, waay tanda ti langaw sa anda poultry. Ti ang baho? Can this not attract flies? 
Here's a picture of the softdrink I ordered. I was about to sip from my straw when I saw some moving matters inside the bottle, swimming on my softdrink. Langaw! And I was not the only victim. The others too, especially those who had Mountain Dew or Seven Up. Their softdrinks were not dark colored so you can really see the flies trying hard not to drown inside the bottles. Just pray that those who own the drinks also see what you see.
What then is the purpose of houseflies? Aren't all creatures having their own purposes for being?
I think the answer is simple. The flies would like to tell us not to drink softdrinks anymore. Softdrinks are unhealthy. Drink simple water instead. And you stay away from most diseases. @
