In relation to my Rizal paper... I haven't edited this much so...GOOD LUCK!
Pepe's Viands: Jose Rizal?s Favorite Dishes and Other Stories
By Diana A. Galang
As part of its commitment to preserve and promote the country?s cuisine, and to commemorate Dr. Rizal?s 108th death anniversary, TASTE hereby offers stories (factual and fictitious) on his favorite food, and matters relating to the culture of the Philippine kaluto.
Favorite Dishes
During Rizal?s time, hotdogs and pancakes were yet unknown. But in his writing, sardinas secas (which is nowadays called tuyo) and a cup of rice, paired with hot chocolate (tablea de cacao, prepared as a hot drink), would comprise his breakfast.
Documents from the national archives show that, for lunch, our national hero used to enjoy Ayungin (prepared many different ways) with several plates of rice.
In addition, Rizal?s favorite viand was guinisang munggo, which he used to enjoy with his beloved Josephine Bracken (who learned to make bagoong as they lived in Dapitan during his exile).
Food And Thriftiness
Popular historians have written a lot about Rizal?s travels abroad, and one anecdote deals with his thriftiness when it came to food.
According to Jose Alejandrino?who was Rizal?s companion in Belgium?before checking in a hotel, our hero would ask the hotel?s booking attendant the cost of a room with and without meals. To conserve his meager funds, Rizal would always book a room without meals. This frugal but wise man would use the money he saved to buy alcohol, tea, and boxes of biscuits to fill his stomach and give him energy, sustaining him through sleepless nights while writing his great novels. Yet he willingly shared the biscuits with his roommate when the need arose.
Food And Sustenance
In one instance, because his allowance from the Philippines (usually from his Kuya Paciano) was delayed, Rizal skipped his meals.
But he did not want his landlady to know that he didn?t have money for food. So at mealtimes, he would go out and roam the streets of whatever foreign land he was in, and try to while away the time finding the inspiration to write his books. It was in this way that Rizal discovered the true face of different societies and cultures, and learned to appreciate the way of life in different countries, on streets he had roamed.
His diary shows that Rizal would usually look at restaurants, cafes, and bakeries. An hour or two after what was supposed to be mealtime, he would come back to his room with a proud face, never betraying a hint of being hungry.
Yet, Rizal was also able to enjoy the lavish cuisines of different countries, thanks to the invitations of affluent people who were amazed by his cleverness and skills. In many instances, it was because of his good writing that he was invited to many grand conventions.
Current scholars note that Jose Rizal, despite a stomach that was usually empty (especially during his struggling years), was full of knowledge that he used intelligently until his death.
The Chinese In Rizal
During the revolution, many Filipinos abroad craved native food, Rizal among them.
Pancit was easy to prepare, and Filipino migrants and travelers loved to cook it?hence, it was a favorite siesta food of Rizal. In addition, panciterias were popular in the country. There?s also the theory that he was part Chinese.
Based on the accounts of Alejandrino, Rizal would save enough money to cook quality meals. He always made sure to have a good meal on weekends, and to this end, he would buy ingredients
for pancit and cook it. In one instance, he had an excess of noodles, so he divided the sahog and stored it. Thus for three days, he and Alejandrino ate pancit.
The Magic Spoon And The Calamba Lechon Story
There is a story about Rizal?s magic spoon, which he used to bring with him every time he attended parties given by people he didn?t know very well.
It is said that Rizal believed that the spoon could neutralize all the poison in the food served to him. Rizal was said to have made the spoon himself from a horn given to him by an injured mountaineer whom he treated while he was hiking in the mountains near the Heidelberg.
This mountaineer claimed that the power of the horn came from the goat leader, distinguished from the rest of the herd by a single horn on its forehead. This goat leader would dip its horn into water to neutralize poison. The rest of the herd would wait for the leader to do this before drinking, as much of the spring water in the mountains of Germany was contaminated by the roots of poisonous plants and minerals.
Another story says that when Dr. Jose Rizal returned to the country from Europe, he was said to have been invited by his friends from Calamba to a picnic in Los Ba The gathering at the foot of Mt. Makiling was very lively and Rizal performed some of his magic tricks. Because the party was given in his honor, he announced that he would contribute a lechon for his friends to feast on. He then went into the forest and returned with a boar.
People were amazed by how he caught and tamed the wild animal. But according to the story, the magic didn?t end there. Rizal touched the animal and it died. After a while, he asked for a pail of cold water, which he poured over the pig, and all the hair slid off. With his forefinger, he drew a line on its posterior, and all the entrails came out. He then shouted, "It is ready for dressing and roasting." The guests agreed that it was the most delicious lechon they had ever tasted.
Rizal And Cuisine
Rizal is best known for his political writings, novels, and poems emphasizing his stand for equality, and his anger at injustice during the time of the Spaniards. As he struggled for justice, he never failed to mention Philippine cuisine in his revolutionary novels, making extensive mention of the prevalent cuisine of the time in the novel Noli Me Tangere.
Among the items mentioned were coffee, tea, and salabat. Rizal also showed the cooking techniques and preparation for seafood through the character of Tia Isabel. In the Noli, Tia Isabel noted, "Ang ayungin ay para sa sinigang, ang bia sa escabeche, ang dalag at buan-buan para sa pesa? Iihaw ang banak na nakabalot sa dahon ng saging na nilamnan ng kamatis."
Even a cursory examination of the text clearly shows that Rizal was featuring the cuisine of his time; some scholars even took his details and images as symbols for a revolutionary statement. But that?s not important anymore; we are now free. And we owe it to you-know-who.
posted by Your Royal Highness. @ 12:46:00 PM
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