Site Under Deconstruction

Filipino people are known for their resilience against the oddest of odds. We can be compared...

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:46:00 +0800

Filipino people are known for their resilience against the oddest of odds. We can be compared...

Our visit to Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental revealed some of the...

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:44:12 +0800

Our visit to Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental revealed some of the most common techniques that local bakers use to produce the distinct taste and texture of a bread locally known as torta. It can sometimes be fascinating to see first-hand the making of this local delicacy. What is probably more interesting is the age-old technique that local master bakers utilize to produce the perfect product.

Manang Virgie is one of the most well-known master bakers who uses recipes handed down from generations past. She has been baking torta for decades and has even taught the recipe to her children. While modern innovations in baking technology have produced a variety of utensils to make baking easier, Manang Virgie prefers using her hands in mixing, kneading and shaping the dough.

She usually starts by stirring in tuba, a local wine from coconut palms. She gently stirs it in a small basin with her hands. When she feels the tuba has been conditioned enough, she adds a generous amount of flour to make sticky dough. A little salt and sugar is also added to create the subtle taste that makes this delicacy well loved by the locals and visitors alike. The dough is molded into small balls and arranged together to form the distinct shape. They are then baked in an ingeniously made oven and cooked until golden brown.

One thing that makes this recipe unique is that the recipe itself does not have definite measurements. Manang Virgie adds each ingredient instinctively. She adds flour in the amount according to the fermentation of tuba or the time it was harvested. This in turn changes the required amount of salt and sugar accordingly. While this may seem strange for most baking recipes, it is quite common in Filipino dishes and have even been applied to Filipino baking.

The time spent with Manang Virgie revealed not only her technique of baking the humble torta, but also reflected the most basic Filipino character. Flexibility and versatility has made us adaptable to changes making us survive easily in this ever shifting world.

"The only way to rise is to dive deep"

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:35:00 +0800

“The only way to rise is to dive deep” - - clint alvior

Sand, sea, and sunsets. This was my life when I was a child. My...

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:19:00 +0800

Sand, sea, and sunsets.

This was my life when I was a child. My mother was from a small fishing village in the town of Ilog in Negros Island. She used to glean for seashells for consumption which I was lucky enough to experience as I have been visiting the place every summer when I was young. In fact, I was rather very skillful in that task. The usual gleaning trips involved some of the most awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets as it was usually the time of the lowest tides in the place, leaving vast sand bars for me and my cousins to wander around. During those times, the scene never really amazed me. I didn’t even know the word “magnificent” for description. It was common to have our eyes partly blind after staring at the orange tinted sun. It was an ordinary thing to walk on cool ankle-deep water that stretched over a kilometer offshore.

I am now a marine biologist specializing on researches on marine mollusk. Recently, a friend asked if during my trips I was able to observe a really perfect orange sun setting behind the horizon. I answered perhaps I did, and searched my recent memories for those sunsets. I couldn’t remember any vivid images, though I was very sure I’ve seen it…just where? It occurred to me…I didn’t search deep enough. Then I remembered that perfect sight. Time came when I had the chance to visit the place again, which was more often at present. So now not only me, but anyone who sees the photos would know that this little fishing village of my childhood adventures is more than just a magnificent image, it was…and still is my life.