Foot and Fire

Ilustrado By Miguel Syjuco 321 pages, Novel I started out this book with high hopes of finishing it because it was written by a Filipino immigrant in Canada and while I was starting it, the story comes to my province in the Philippines and even mentions about the Cinco de Noviembre, a local historical event. Also, I want to know till the end because it was meant to be a storytelling on "a rich and dramatic saga of four generations, tracing one hundred and fifty years of Philippine history forged under the Spanish, the Americans and the Filipinos themselves." On top of that, it is a winner of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize and the local Palanca Awards among others. Here are the why's I liked it that I came to 153rd page and then fell out of love.... At first, I was entertained because of the fictionalized names which stood for some Philippine's politicians, businessmen and others as well as some it has some realistic storytelling of the dark side of Manila...

I love my hometown. Small-bodied she may be, but the Mangkasanons (A native of La Carlota named after folk hero Mangkas or Mantas) live in her crown a million varied lives from OFWs to public servants to tillers of the land to sugarcane mill laborers to fruit-and-vegetable peddlers and more. From valleys to mountains, their last names may vary but their faces are almost always familiar regardless which part they come from: “Mangkasanon indi bugalon” (A Mangkasanon is not a snob). I love that her small body is landlocked (probably the reason why she has the Bureau of Plant Industry in her bosom) so unlike all other cities of Negros Occidental that stretch beside the seas. I love that her arteries are sugarcane fields plus the fields that produce the staples from rice to cassava to corn and sweet potatoes. For her seafoods – fish, oyster and seaweed – she has the nearby towns of Hinigaran and Valladolid. For her vegetables – cucumber, carrot, and cabbage – she ha...

*** 200g Elbow Macaroni, boiled olive oil garlic, minced onions, chopped 50g Beef, ground 50g Chicken, cubed  2 pcs. Carrots, chopped 1 bunch of broccoli, chopped 25g Baguio beans, chopped Fish sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and Soy sauce Beef or chicken cube or powder  salt and pepper 1/2 head of Cabbage, chopped Do not drain the Macaroni in the pot.  In a pan, saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add the beef and chicken pieces. Let cook. Add the macaroni with the water. Transfer in the pot and let boil. Add the vegetables except cabbage. Add flavorings as per personal taste: I added Fish sauce,  Worcestershire Sauce and Soy sauce and chicken powder.  Add salt, as needed and lots of ground pepper. Let boil. Add the cabbage and cover with lid.  Remove from fire and Serve Hot.

*** 2kg Cassava 4 tablespoon Olive Oil or butter 3 Eggs 1-2 cans condensed milk 1 can sweet corn (Canned Cream Corn or boiled then grated) sugar (add, if desired) Peel the cassava, remove the hard root and ground in a blender/grinding machine for a pudding finish.  If grated, the consistency is different as it will appear like a fudge finish. In a deep bowl, put the ground cassava and the ground sweet corn. Make a well, place the lightly beaten eggs, milk, and additional sugar.  Mix well together until smooth. In a pan, put the mixture and bake for 40 to 45 minutes at about 200F. Make 3 1-inch 9X12 pan of Cassava Cake Pudding. Serve hot or chilled.

In my new Sunday's best, I want you to observe me do the subtle hand sway as I walk along the bulb-lit alleys. I want your eyes to pursue me. In my new leather stilettos, I want you to anticipate me do the lightest steps as I near the historic center. I want your gaze to trail me. In my newly bought scent, I want you to witness me do the gentlest stroll along the streets of this old Italian town. I want your mind to follow me. With my hand-held gelato, I want your buds to share it with me while we do the laziest strides together towards the piazza. Come quick, keep up with me. Gerlie M. Uy Copyright 2015. *This poem is inspired after reading Under the Tuscan Sky and It happened in Italy . Click on the links to check out my reviews on this book.