By BLOOEY P. SINGSON
A toast is often made in the spirit of joyous celebration, but for Navy ensigns Elmer Cruz and Emerson Rosales (PMA Class of 2000), two of the hundreds of soldiers that participated in the 2003 siege now popularly known as the Oakwood Mutiny, many a toast has been made in the face of adversity: in the line of duty, far away from their families and the comforts of home, and worse, in detention, awaiting the sentence that would seal their fate.
Incarceration has a way of drastically changing people’s lives; it has also inspired countless of prodigious works, including the letters of St. Paul, Machiavelli’s ‘’The Prince,’’ Cervantes’ ‘’Don Quixote,’’ National Artist for Literature Amado V. Hernandez’ notable body of works including the poem ‘’Isang Dipang Langit’’ and novel ‘’Luha ng Buwaya,’’ and Ninoy Aquino’s collection of letters. Cruz and Rosales put a new spin on this list with their very own contribution, a book that proves that when the going gets tough, the tough gets… cooking?!?
Fresh from the quarters of the Magdalo detainees comes Anvil Publishing’s ‘’Pulutan: From the Soldiers’ Kitchen,’’ a compilation of 100 recipes for pulutan, the Filipino type of food consumed during drinking sessions.
Some recipes were formulated by Cruz and Rosales themselves during their various camp assignments and time in detention, as well as contributions from their fellow detainees, the soldiers’ families, and even their guards.
OPERATION COOKBOOK
Journalist Ellen Tordesillas was covering the hearings at Camp Aguinaldo early this year when Air Force officer Lt. Ashley Acedillo introduced her to Cruz and Rosales, who promptly showed her a bound copy of handwritten recipes originally titled Drunkards Delight.
"It was just after the holidays," Tordesillas recalls, "and at one of their Christmas parties, the soldiers realized they had prepared so much food. They realized then that among themselves, they had enough recipes for their own cookbook, and so Cruz and Rosales decided to take them down for a compilation," Tordesillas recounts.
Excited by the novel concept, Tordesillas sought the help of Anvil, publisher of her bestselling book ‘’Hot Money, Warm Bodies,’’ and of Yvonne Chua, journalism professor at the University of the Philippines and formerly of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalist (PCIJ) to co-edit the book.
Since the detainees were restricted from communication with the outside world, it was a challenge for the editors to confer with Cruz and Rosales, but ingenuity prevailed. Every time a hearing was called for the soldiers, the editors would consult with the soldiers, gathering materials and giving recommendations.
"The other reporters covering the hearings were actually curious about why we were spending so much time with the soldiers," says Tordesillas. "We had to fend them off, telling them there was no scoop. Suffice it to say that everything related to this project was done according to military rules and regulations."
"Court hearings are tedious. We are at the courtoom before 9 a.m. and the hearings suually last up to noon. During breaks, we interviewed our co-accused for their own pulutan recipes," write authors Cruz and Rosales in their introduction.
Several months later, they had completed ‘’Pulutan,’’ not just a compilation of recipes, but of anecdotes of life on the field and in detention camp, and even stories of the soldiers’ families.
PULUTAN IN THE
SOCIAL CONTEXT
The book explores pulutan as a phenomenon unique to Filipino culture, not only filling the stomach during a drinking session, but as food for sharing, establishing bonding and camaraderie among those who partake of it.
"Pulutan is very Filipino, which probably explains why there is no English word that captures the concept of pulutan," explains Tordesillas. "It is not quite finger food, not an appetizer, and sometimes, it is even a meal on its own, because when pulutan runs out, it signals the end of the drinking session. And when you’re absent from the drinking session, you get roasted as pulutan."
The recipes are divided into sections according to food groups or cooking methods. There are sections devoted to goat, seafood, and recipes calling for gata (coconut milk), and sections for fried pulutan (including a recipe for Calamares a la Trillanes contributed by LTSG [now senator] Antonio Trillanes), inihaw, kinilaw, lechon, and soup. There is even a section on unique delicacies (Not your Usual Parts) featuring dishes such as bopis, paklay, papaitan, and many more.
"We devised a five-star system to rate each dish based on the following standards: "1" for pulutan like peanuts, crackers, chips, and junk food; and "5" for A-1 dishes like kilawing kambing," the authors write.
Highly notable is the section on exotica (Lasang Exotic) that the soldiers came across as they moved around the country, with recipes calling for dagang bukid, sea cucumber, sea urchin, pagi (stingray), tamilok (woodworm) and other unusual creatures.
"Occasionally the book reveals the soldiers’ kapilyuhan (mischievousness), with recipes entitled, ‘Kiss My Chicken’s Ass’ (chicken isol) or ‘French Kiss’ (beef tongue), ‘Balls 2 Men!’ (cow or goat’s testicles), ‘Insectxotic’ (kamaro, field cricket, or salagubang), and ‘Kapalmuks’ (cow skin from the face)," adds Tordesillas.
More than just a compilation of recipes, Pulutan is an inspiring story of overcoming adversity. Pulutan will never be the same for Filipinos again.
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