A Kinunot Story

The Story is told that Donsolanons are "kinunot" connoisseurs. Go to the marketplace in late afternoons and find an array of kinunot dishes from shark meat to manta/sting rays laid out ready for a sampling fest for prospective customers, bystanders, kibitzers taking advantage of free 'tastings'. This ritual is done as soon as dusk falls. 'Tasters' troop to the gallery of kinunot and other ginataan dishes like "linatik na pasa-pasa", "adobong lumod", "laing", etcetera to choose the most "kasiram na" dish. Note this: only one fork is used for sampling the kinunot dish passing from mouth to mouth, unmindful of the so-called health hazards. There was no finding anyway (at that time) that using one fork for a multitude of mouths killed anyone of contagious disease, promise!

Do you believe that the fiercest man eating predator of the deep, the shark, scampers away in terror upon seeing a diver with a bunch of malunggay leaves in his hand? Donsolanons have a delightful way of crafting jokes about everyday life especially so when it comes to kinunot and other gata dishes. Do you know why sharks are scared crazy and allergic at the sight of malunggay? Because malunggay, even before it gained prominence as a super-nutritious food, was already an indispensable ingredient in cooking kinunot dishes. Kinunot is obtained from shark meat or manta/sting ray. Decades ago, the Catondolan deep was swarming with sharks (the whale sharks were then rather camera shy), dolphins, manta/sting rays, whales, and the whales which spout fountains out of their backs (now can only be seen in Discovery Channel), and other wilds from the deep. And, do you know that Catondolan was like the famed Tubbathaha Reef with all the works of a beautiful world down under. When I returned from the city decades ago, I wept at the desolate state of Catondolan. The new generation of Donsolanons has been robbed of such a beautiful treasure and heritage; but thanks to the Butandings which made their presence known only now after half a century of being elusive from prying eyes, the tourism carried the mystical world of Donsol on. They carry with them the lesson that abuse of the environment is critical to contributing to Global Warming. With their coming, the Donsolanons were made aware that what we love to eat as kinunot meat are now listed as endangered species. But, how can you resist naman this mouth watering exotic ginataan dish mixed with the nutritious leaves of malunggay and the unbeatable siling labuyo swimming in thick coconut milk? Sige nga!

A Kinunot Recipe:

1-kilo shredded shark meat
2 regular size coconut
2 cups malunggay leaves
8 pcs. chopped green siling labuyo
5 pcs. chopped red siling labuyo (optional)
1/2 tsp. crushed black pepper (paminta)
3 cloves of crushed garlic
5 large size lemoncito or kalamansi juice
2 tsp. of salt for taste

Procedure:
1. Blanch or grill over charcoal the baby shark, then skin it and shred the meat finely. Put into bowl.
2. Press the grated coconut to produce about three cups of thick cream (maliputok). Put into bowl.
3. Put into bowl malunggay leaves, the chopped green sili, crushed red siling labuyo, and crushed black pepper and lemoncito juice and two tsp. of salt.
4. Finally, pour the coconut milk into the kawali and throw in the other ingredients.
5. Stir the gata continuously until coco milk boils to a frothy cream.
6. Then, put the shark meat mixing it thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients. Let the white meat absorb the hot, hot stuff with it and slowly dip the precious malunggay leaves into the whole caboodle. Follow this in a minute with lemoncito juice to enhance taste.

In about three minutes, the super kinunot dish is ready to be served. Happy sampling!

Snippet 6/14/08: Chemical Alert

My gorgeous daughter, Menggay,
Your stack of beautifully designed curtains have got to go.

If you haven't read yet the Philippine Daily Inquirer page A-7 dated 6/14/08, you should hearken to the article of Ms. Jocelyn Uy citing the harmful effects of PVC shower curtains which I am quoting herewith:

"The dangerous group of chemicals in PVC shower curtains was found to emit as many as 108 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air that were found to be carcinogenic and may cause damage to human liver, respiratory track, reproductive system and central nervous system (CNS)."

A member of the Eco-waste Coalition and Chair of the Mother Earth elaborated that aside from VOCs other chemicals, such as phthalates (yes, this is really the spelling of the chemical and I don't know how to pronounce it either) and organotins, can harm people and they are found in other household objects common to everyone's life--phthalates are found in soft elastic rubber, e.g., eraser on the end of a pencil or any other eraser. Hear this: chemicals such as touline, cyclohexanone, methyl isobutyl ketone, phenol, and ethyl bensene are found in the air within 28 days after a shower curtain was unwrapped and hung. Do you know that only ethyl is familiar to me? (From rubbing alcohol solutions, of course.)

By the way, phthalates, also found in PVC plastic medical devices have been linked to reproductive problems including shorter pregnancy duration and premature breast development in girls; sperm damage and impaired reproductive development in males.

Menggay, remember Amy's husband? The one who died of liver cancer, but detests drinking alcohol or smoking? I suspect the PVC as a culprit...

Also, I have observed nine year old girls are starting to grow premature breasts. At my time, we girls in the block experienced "growing pains" at the breast area at the age of eleven or twelve, and have to bandage that part to hide them when we wear P.E. t-shirts.

How now do we live in an environment filled with deadly chemicals? I shiver at the thought...

----------------
Now playing: Countdown - Stairway To Heaven
via FoxyTunes

----------------
Now playing: Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting
via FoxyTunes

Snippets (The First)

Why Tutu? This is how they address me within the family. The name Tutu conveys sunshine for the soul and a source of warmth and comfort for the family circle. Those who call me Tutu outside the family are embraced by me and welcomed in the bottom of my heart. And, my love springs forth to them. 'Tutu' became a token of love when my granddaughter, Andromeda--she was about two years old at the time--uttered, out of the blue, this magical word. She can't pronounce Lola Marichu and so Tutu became my signature name.





In Hawaiian, Tutu means "wise and wonderful woman" and "a source of unconditional acceptance". Also a form of calling your grandparents or elders or a name of a plant (above). How coincidentally it coincided with my spot in the child's life. And, imagine that it was just Andromeda's childish alliteration of "Lola Marichu".

---

Some strange language invented by my grandchildren at the age when their tongues were just starting to untwist:

By Niki:
"I case you" -- Excuse me (We adults still mimic this when we ask to be excused.)
"Alticol" -- alcohol
(Now on her second year nursing course.)

By Andromeda:
"Kelly" -- Carry
"Kilot" -- Kirot (Filipino for pain)
"Tutu" -- Lola Marichu
"Oted" -- Lolo Ted
(Andromeda is now in her Junior year and deeply involved in her novel writing.)

By Voughnn:
"In Age Utant Inja Ererls" -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"Hah Birdie!" -- Happy Birthday!
"loko-loko-dile" -- crocodile
"Tenchu" -- Thank you
(Voughnn is now in Grade One.)

By Tristan:
"refidelatorl" -- (with a silent/blurred 'r') refrigerator
(TJ is now on his last year in Grade school.)

By Francine:
"cocratch" -- cockroach
"crokrodayl" -- crocodile
"cocratsidoyl" -- When Andromeda tried to get Francine to say "cockroach" and "crocodile" properly, she started with the cocratch first. Then, when it was the crokrodayl's, this word came out. The combined words of cocratch and crokrodayl.
(Francine is graduating from elementary school this year [2008]. )

By Alyanna:
"Pee-Pan" -- electric fan
"Pindot" -- the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)
(Alyanna is now in kindergarten.)

Snippets (The Second)

Why do I vividly remember faces and sometimes names of classmates and childhood friends and teachers who terrorized us students and persons who showed me kindness, when I can't recall most of the time the birthdays of my grand children and wedding anniversaries of my children. this is also true to my poor recollection of the birthdays of my sisters and brothers and other important occasions in the family. This is funny because the fiesta in Donsol in honor of the patron saint Joseph is etched forever in my mind. Is it because of my aging brain which withstood time at 74 thank you my God, that my whole being now is responding to the natural forces of psychological phenomena. So I asked psychologists what to call this syndrome.

Yesterday my fair-haired son Todd really made my day. We chatted through the YM about his present life in Dubai, enjoying tremendously this rare moment of mother-son talk. What made me feel good was his passion to publish my book about Donsol and our clan. Here's a revelation : Todd says that ever since he accidentally read a page from my journal at a young age, he made a vow to go on a publishing career inspired by my writing . He only shared this inner desire while he's miles and miles away from home. He's gonna publish my book he says, even if it takes only the two of us to rave about it. But without batting an eye lash I told my sister, sister-in-law, cousins, relatives and friends in the States that a super book authored by me, of course, is making its way to the press and see print before the 2010 national elections. That will really be the day! And so a silent campaign to hard sell the unpublished book is heretofore launch. Let me see, in U.K. friends of Felma and Dodi: church members, classmates and teachers of Kassie and Kandice nearing a "multitude" at latest count will surely make my book hit best seller status, di ba? What about the LGU in Donsol, surely they will buy one or two copies for their library. And I'm deadly sure most of my "supposed" friends, (and I think they make up a barangay in count) will jump with glee to eagerly read my book to criticize it to death.

I will be scholarly in my approach in dealing with the historical perspective of Donsol--geographically and demographically. Here's a teaser: Do you know that Donsol is geographically situated at the center of the Philippines--equidistant to the North and the South. I say that the Central Government, Malacañang, should have been established in Donsol due to its commanding and strategic location, in my opinion.