Mrs. Lillian Lising Borromeo demonstrates how
San Nicolas (Saniculas) biscuits are made for GMA 7’s 100% Pinoy

We’re now irrevocably into the summer season, if the fire in the bamboo grove by the riverbank is an indication. Each year, since I can remember, parts of the riverbank near our house would burst into flames from the dry bamboo leaves. For us children, it was an excuse to stay up late if the fire happened at night and come to school very late the next morning, knowing the teachers would understand how we “watched over” the ‘lipatu’ that might go to our houses while the fire was being doused, hehehe!

Nowadays we still have to be vigilant over the summer months, just like last night. It was the riverbank’s first fire of the season and there might be more to come, even just from the spontaneous combustion of the dry bamboo leaves.

But summer also brings more activities. I look forward to interviewing more, ehem, senior citizens and record their memories of food and tradition. One of the priorities on my list are old breads and biscuits such as galang-galang and masa that were once made at home, sold and eaten on special occasions. You see, many of these are the biscuits of ordinary citizens, the ones that will seldom be found in the annals of history precisely because they are out of the recorder’s radar. They are not the food of the alta sociedad and will someday soon, be lost to oblivion.

Fortunately, many TV shows with a magazine format are now keen on featuring such food. I must’ve witnessed more tapings from different networks in the last two weeks than I have had in my whole life and there seems to be more to come.

Speaking of TV shows, I had an insight looking at their researchers’ notes last week. It seems like they quote heavily from the internet (who doesn’t nowadays?) and I was simultaneously flattered and appalled to find some of my particular articles in their scripts. Flattered is self-explanatory but why appalled? Readers of this blog know that half of what I say is hypothetical due to the lack of authoritative literature on the subject. Now, if you take my musings as authoritative, then heaven help us!

Anyway, this is just a warning to those who read and quote me. Please do it with a grain of salt and lots of caution. On my part, from now on I will also try to be even more careful with what I say, lest I help spread misconceptions.

Still related to the topic of food and the internet, it amuses me no end that mainstream media now refers to blogs for their research. Sometime back, established writers and TV networks referred to blogs as “disruptive” and had no authority because they had no filter, no editor. Well, I suppose there’s some truth in that statement but I wish they weren’t so sweeping in their generalisation.

FYI, many blogs including those that are focused on food started gaining popularity because those in the mainstream media did not address the needs of their readers and viewers.

That was why I thought of documenting lutung camatis, sabo tinapa and a lot of others. Perhaps that original idea will make me search out the best tidtad and buldit silio.