adobong baki

... gisahin mo sa lamas. dayon, butangan ug toyo ug suka.
murag adobo gyud.

so goes the tindera as she gave her instructions on how to cook up a feast for tonights meal. and the main course, adobong baki!

my love affair with field frogs started when i was still young. i was, probably around 7 or 8 then, in pangasinan, summer. tita babes got some from tito vi's rice fields, and announced proudly that we are going to have a delicacy for dinner. it would be monggo na may sahog na palaka!

interesting. i was there when they skinned each tiny frog, got all of its innards and removed the head and all. no wonder biology class came easy.

since then, i have been on the look out for opportunities to get to eat it again. my time in mindanao gave me the most chances to get to taste it again. from pamulaan's sahakeen, to kabacan market's random showings. i must say, i am now looking forward for dinner.

when they said that it tastes like chicken, they weren't joking. but anything that cannot be described in the terms of the layman, is described as such. here is my shot:

it looks close to a dismembered balut chick. but only this time the limbs are longer. the flesh is white and the smell is fragrant. it mixes well with the aroma of garlic, onions and ginger. after i loose some more inhibitions, i bring it close to my mouth. anticipation sets in and i take a bite. i begin to bite, but not thoroughly, avoiding the bones that are being separated from the flesh.

then i open my eyes and say: nye para din namang manok!

for a lack of a better term.

this writing has made me hungry.