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My Banana Republic Memoirs Part XI
Still reminiscing Botolan....
At summer time, err dry season, I always looked forward to going with a
group of neighborhood kids to go frogging or mamahingâ. Pahingâ
in our dialect means frog. Frogs legs are delicacies in the Philippines too just like in France, China and in Louisiana bayou country. For those who have
not tried it - the flavor and texture as partially between chicken, lobster and
turkey. Although in our neck of the woods we didn't catch the frogs just for its
upper joint of the hind legs alone. It will be shame and a waste of time and malake
ya trabaho or much effort to spend the whole afternoon squatting and
kneeling on the rice paddies on a hot scorching sun just for its leg muscles.
Besides, the other parts in the trunk area below the neck (except for the liver
with the bile) add more flavors to the dish so we didn’t care to waste as much.
We'd go frogging every summer when the rice stalks have gone flat in the
rice paddies after a month or so from harvesting. The straws die back to the
ground at the end of the growing season, which is almost six months. The
tadpoles that grew into frogs have gone fat and bigger during the rainy season
hide under the base of the stalks to get away from the scorching sun. Of course
back then we did not know about the advantage of having frogs in our midst…
that is… that they eat the mosquitoes, flies and other nuisance insects in our
neighborhood. To us they were just plain food for survival and not so much as a
delicacy as far as we’re concerned. That’s for the rich people.
The Aunties would organize the day and time for the neighborhood boys
and girls to meet. The meeting place was usually at the sari-sari store
in the area. Those who had some household chores or errands to do first can
catch up at a later time or straggle-in.
We usually hit the closest rice paddies first to make that that we
were close to the watering hole when we get thirsty, I
meant water source (I forgot the former was for carabaos) or if someone came
looking for us (especially someone with a belt or rattan flog in their hands)…
they just needed to holler. Then as the summer wears on, we'd go further and
further away from our barrio. Of course we were not the only group who did this
so it behooved the leader to keep track where the other groups have gone
before. We'd try not to backtrack or hit the same paddies where our chance of
finding more frogs after the first go around is slim to none. Sometimes this is
unavoidable, but if none of the member of the group finds two or three frogs in
their sector within the first few minutes after arrival then it was time to move to a greener pasture.
Also it is important that places where we go were never announced ahead
of time to keep the other groups from the adjoining barrios from waking up
early and beating us to the place. So we'd just follow one of the Nanays
or Aunties. As soon as we reached our objective destination, the group will
spread apart about a double arms length from each other. Sometimes we would
converge on the place where the Auntie had decided to stop on a hunch and then
squat to look for tell-tale signs of frogs…the wet and slick sort of dimple at
base of the rice stalks or some frog droppings. If these things were dried up that means someone got the resident frogs
already, so we move on.
Naturally the younger kids would stay as close to the Aunties so when
they see a snake which hunted for the frogs too, they'd just scamper towards her.
If they were with the older kids they probably would wet their pants for the older kids would try to
catch the snake and scare them more by flinging it around. Also the older kids
would catch the large (female) frogs that got away from the young froggers and
not give it back to them but the Auntie would. By the way, this is how one can
tell a female from a male... male frogs are smaller than the female and male frogs
have thick pads on its thumbs.
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Us boys would try to wear our long sleeve shirt and long pants and a
buri hats or hilal hambalelo while the girls use their bandanas to keep
from getting “too dark”. Certainly we have never heard nor seen kneepads before and
never thought of making one from coconut husk and string. Although we used old
pillowcases to keep the caught frogs from escaping. We just tie ‘em on our
waist or drag them while moving from one spot to another.
Of course there was neither bottled water nor canned soda back then and the
clay bangâ was too bulky and heavy to haul around. So we would hurry up
and make a beeline to any pitcher pump (bombàh) or an artesian well (libon)
and take turns getting a swag of water from the salok when we find one
going from paddy to paddy.
Fences made of wood or bamboo posts with three strands of barbed wire
strung across or bamboo rails fence were no deterrent to us. When at the bamboo
fence we'd just straddle and step over them or go under the first or second
rail. At the barbed wire fence, one person would lift up the upper strand while
stepping on the bottom strand so others can duck under it and walk through. The
fences were put up to keep the carabaos out from the rice fields not the people
trespassing. As long as we didn’t break anything it was not an issue with the
owner.
We'd catch the frogs by slowly lifting up the swollen node or base of
rice stalks. The frogs do not jump until they see the hands over them so we had
to be fast to grab their body or legs. Once we catch them we do something else
that I would not rather mention… to keep them from jumping and getting away
once we caught them. Also that I won’t describe how we cleaned and dressed the
frogs before cooking since it is kind of gory. All I can say is that we used the
ashes from the wood stove to mitigate the slime.
If none of us caught enough for the family meal, we'd pool our catch and
give them to the Auntie sort of brown nosing or kissing up so we get to go with
her again. Sometimes one family will cook them and hand out bowls of the dish
to other members of the frogging party.
The recipe for frogs is the same as with braising chickens after
sautéing them in garlic, onions and ginger then simmering in their broth with a
cup of water added then adding thin slices or wedges of white squash, patula,
papaya or malunggay leaves or whatever vegetable was in season or available in
our backyard or neighbors backyard. Bok choy leaves are also good to add to. We
add more broth and veggies when there are more members of the family present at
the dinner table.
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During cooler months like in December and January the neighborhood kids
will go with the uncles to catch edible beetles or mangabaw. The abaws
were black-brownish beetles living in the burrowed ground and come out at night
to stay on the trees. This occurs once a year and they swarm the pine trees
along the lowlands of San Juan and Paudpod next
to the Bucao River during cold months.
As expected, the most athletic kid would climb the tree and shake the
limbs vigorously with his hands or feet until the beetles fall on the ground.
Sometimes we used long bamboo poles with a metal hook on the end to shake the
beetles loose from the low strung limbs while standing below. Also if the tree
were too tall, the uncles would build a fire under it and just wait for the
beetles to fly down to the fire…like a moth attracted to the lamp.
Nanay would boil them in salted water then drained
and sun dry for a few days on a bilao. We take out the hard parts like
legs, head and wings then roast them in a skillet until they are golden brown.
They’re creamy in the inside and crunchy in the outside kind’ a like deep fried
oysters.
These are few of the ways we live off of the land of Botolan.
I am not sure if our kabanwas or townsmate still do these. If they’re
not, then they’re missing something...
Bert Guiang
Tampo, Botolan, Zambales
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