The Pilgrim's Pots and Pans

By Cora Castellvi

(Below is an entry sent in by a Filipina-Canadian reader of her encounter with Sen. Aquino as they ate and talked about what else but food!)

Ontario, Canada – IT WAS FALL, 1981. Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was the guest speaker at a symposium organized by a group of young Filipino-Canadian professionals in Toronto. I just wish I had something with me at that time to record the event and the next 24 hours when Ninoy was in town before he went back to Boston, where he was in exile with his family.

The evening was charged with so much energy. Ninoy spoke with so much passion and fire, for about 3 hours, non-stop – and only glanced at his notes, every once in a while to start a new topic.

He did not complain about the discomfort he was feeling right then. It was roughly a few weeks before when he hurt his ankle and he was walking with a little limp and was using a cane.

It was a night to remember and not to be forgotten by hundreds of us Filipino-Canadians who watched intently and listened to Ninoy outline his vision of a free and just Philippines.

One of Ninoy’s requests was to see the breathtaking Niagara Falls on the Canadian side, and we gladly obliged as it was an opportunity for our group to spend a few more hours with him. Oh, how he was delighted and was mesmerized by the size and the power of the Falls. We stopped for lunch on the way back to Toronto and when the waitress came to ask us what we wanted for dessert, I ordered Apple Pie with Old Cheddar Cheese on the side. He said “makanian la palang mamangan Apple Pie deng Canadian (so that’s how Canadians eat Apple Pie)?” he remarked with that impish smile. This started the conversation on food and acquired taste.

Here was the man who the night before passionately spoke, with so much conviction and knowledge on international events and the home country, and now discussing with gusto Kapampangan cuisine. He said, “how about camaru (mole cricket)?” – and “adobong hito keng tanglé” (catfish adobo with alagaw). He remembered so many dishes that he yearned for during his years in jail.

He related how it was so difficult during the 7 years and 7 months that he was incarcerated to even think and imagine food, especially Kapampangan food and delicacies. And about the time when he was on hunger strike sometime in 1975 and the guards were cooking tagilo or balo-balo (buro or fermented rice and shrimps) outside his window to break his spirit. It was very cruel, he said.

“Maybug kung maté (I wanted to die),” he laughed – “Biru mung mag-hunger strike ku, manggisa lang balo-balo at mamiritung pindang usa (Imagine I was on hunger strike and they were sautéing balo-balo and frying cured venison)” – and the smell drove him crazy, he said with a laugh.

We cannot imagine the torture it brought to Ninoy at that time.

Aug 21, 1983 — Like thousands of our countrymen that date changed the lives of many overseas Filipinos.

Cora Castellvi left the Philippines 38 years ago but is very very much in touch with her homeland. Her roots are in Floridablanca, Pampanga and still speaks and writes Kapampangan fluently.