December 5, 2011 Pleasures- Spiritual, Aesthetic and Epicurian

There were eight of us in the car, including the host and hostess, Mario and Midz De Roxas. We drove from San Jose to Lucban for early mass and a climb up the mountain to the Shrine of The Hands of Christ- hundreds of tall steps. We lit candles and let our intentions drift up with the flames and smoke.

Mare Bb and I .

Back in the car, we rolled slowly through lovely, little old towns, where the neighborhoods of antique houses with gracious kopis windows gave way to more recent buildings. I have a heart for the old ones, but the new ones are indication of economic optimism-  so I try to appreciate them. We wound our way over the mountains, through the dense and endless tropical forests. We would pass a bamboo hut here and a cluster of cement houses there, past a few bigger, colorful houses with some stone decoration on them and then a grouping of tiny bamboo huts further back off the road into the woods.
All along the way, wherever there is a house, you're apt to see people outside, men, women or children, moving in a relaxed yet purposeful way. Often the older children and the adults are caring for little ones. There are always children around and they're always being cared for. I have never seen a child being yelled at or treated harshly here. I have also only seen a child being petulant once and that was a wealthy, indulged child. I've heard babies crying and seen children melt down from tiredness but that is just life. The response to it is what I notice as so peaceful.
The company in the car was relaxed and peaceful too. We were all just enjoying the hours of visiting the churches on our tour, each selected for a certain reason. We went to Laguna, a beautiful Spanish-era town and caught the practice of an exceptionally good youth choir.

 

The rectangle in the foreground is a basketball hoop.
Can you see the vegetation on the facade of this church? Everything here is under siege of the tropical climate and growth. From every bit of every building to my eyeglass cases to my clothing- there is evidence of constant disintegration. What a challenge to keep things in good shape. Some materials, like bamboo, look clean and perky over time. Stone and cement, like this, look like the earth would reclaim them in about 20 years. Beautiful, poetic, haunting.
Bamboo ceiling:

After this church we went to the Shrine of Padre Pio, a famous healer and advocate of the poor and immigrants. That is mostly outdoors and it emanates serenity.  We took our time at every stop and we all seemed to drift back to the car at about the same time each place.
In the Philippine tradition, we ate merienda (snack) in the car. I've learned, here, that when food is presented I don't ask questions, I just say "Yes, please!". I taste just about everything, but don't eat a lot, that way, I'm always ready to eat the next time, which comes about 2 hours later. This time, however, I ate the delicious tuna salad with pineapple sandwich made for me and then had another urged on me. Just as I'm finishing I hear that we're approaching the special destination-restaurant. The restaurant is a type called Palaisdaan, or Fish Farm. It is comprised of individual eating huts, each separate and afloat, connected by walkways. Fish, mostly talapia and koi fill the water. The fish is caught and prepared immediately for serving. So the ambiance is a delight, the fish is delectable and then one more thing- the traditional way of eating with one's hands- "kamayan" is encouraged. I've used my fingers to eat fish since my first day in Dinalupihan; it is about impossible for me to separate the bones out with spoon and fork. But I usually use the silverware for most of the meal. This day I just set them aside and followed everyone else.
There were about seven ulan- main dishes- brought out and the table looked like a cover for Bon Apetit!. This was world class food and service. There was also a clear broth soup and, of course, rice. Oh! and one of my (many) favorites, buko shake, which is like a fresh-pineapple smoothie.  We served ourselves rice and then some of the main dishes. To eat neatly, you must mix a little of the ulan with the rice, mush them together a little until it is sticky and then you can pick it up and get it into your mouth without grains of rice falling onto the table or down your front. So I ate kamayan for the first time!

From the left: Mario and Midz De Roxas, Mare Bb, Ana, Merly, Jo-Anne and I.

Jo-anne and I tasting our first snails.
And, also a first, I ate snails! I've always heard how good they are and Carmen and Mui are enjoying the ones in France so I wanted to get in on this. I wasn't the only novice, so Mario, our host, taught both of us how to suck the bigger end to get the snail out. I knew they had to be good for so many people to be willing to do this to eat them. They are! Delicious! As the meal was ending Mario had the strolling musicians come to our table and play traditional songs. What lingers most from this wonderful day is the peace. 

I was thinking of you when I lit these, dear family and friends. Peace to you all, to all who will be missing and all who will be present with us this Christmas and New Year's.