Pampanga Cuisine | remembrance of things awry

Wanting to cook

February 6, 2010 at 8:00 am (Family Traditions, Gonzalez de Sulipan, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Traditions, Personal, Random memories, The Global Crowd, The Ilonggos, The Manilenos)

The very sharp and uberchic Maria Regina “Regina” Lopez Araneta and her husband Enrique “Rick” de la Fuente Teodoro [ a first cousin of Gibo Teodoro ], whom I call “Tita Regina” and “Tito Rick,” visit Manila every January from Vancouver, Canada, where they are based. Tita Regina always brings me a bagful of chic and yummy goodies, which always includes a good book. Last year, it was “Paris Tales” stories translated by Helen Constantine. This year, among the comestibles was a bottle of expensive French black truffles and the book, a New York Times bestseller, “My Life in France” by Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme.

For the first time in my life, I finally read a book that interested me so much it made my mouth water and, surprise of surprises, actually made me want to cook… !!!

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As a Capampangan, as an Arnedo, and as a Gonzalez, I was born into food. Great food. And lots of it. As a Capampangan, I have a daring Chinese-type palate, and will eat and enjoy practically anything that’s edible. As an Arnedo, I have a marked preference for classical, rich French and Spanish dishes, also French- and Spanish-inflected Filipino dishes, bursting with generous, high-quality ingredients, cooked carefully, skillfully, even slowly, with unparalleled expertise; I also enjoy entertaining dear friends at long “degustation” lunches and dinners with processions of elaborate dishes. As a Gonzalez, and it was the late Brother Andrew Benjamin F.S.C. who was the ultimate embodiment of it all, I thoroughly enjoy and revel in imported culinary excesses of the first order, almost suicidal indeed, which ultimately lead to disease and death: a hundred oysters in one sitting, twelve pigeons from a “Pastel de Pichon,” thick Wagyu and Angus Beef steaks medium rare, frightening platefuls of Jamon “Jabugo” and Jamon “Bellota,” twelve pieces of “Tocino del Cielo,” a twenty-piece boxful of “Fauchon” “marrons glaces,” an entire pitcher of “Chocolate eh” for merienda… [ notice the absence of leafy salad greens, although I eat those too for health's sake ]. That’s why I always took food for granted. I never even bothered to go into the kitchens, although we kiddies always pestered the staff for goodies. Unlike my eldest brother who was always with his gangmates out in the streets, or my younger brother who was always in the staff quarters with the male staff, or my sister who was always in the bedrooms with the “yayas,” I was proud that my natural domains as a child were the living room, the dining room, and the library. In those rooms, I reigned supreme. Only because nobody was there. Of course, there were many visitors and endless meals, but other than those times, I was alone with beautiful things and beautiful books. I was perfectly happy.

A million thanks to you

December 10, 2009 at 12:10 pm (Blogroll, Gonzalez de Sulipan, Arnedo de Sulipan, Reyes de Arayat, Quiason de San Fernando, Personal, The Past, 1800s Filipinas, 1900s Philippines, 2000s Philippines, 2007, Current Events, Past Events, 2008, The Pampanguenos, The Manilenos, Design and Decoration, The Global Crowd, Pampanga Traditions, The Ilocanos, The Negrenses, The Ilonggos, The Davaoenos, The Cebuanos, The Laguna Tagalogs, The Tayabenses / Quezonians, Domestic Travels, Foreign Travels, Escaler de Sulipan, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Art, Filipino Art, 19th century Filipino Art, Humor, Angst, Tristesse, Random memories, Brother Andrew F.S.C. of De La Salle, Manila Houses, Architecture, Religious Traditions, Family Traditions, The Tarlaquenos, Rodriguez de Bacolor, 2006, Comedy Relief)

Dear Friends,

As that Pilita Corrales ditty from the 1970s went: “A million thanks to you…” A million thanks to you indeed, for today “Remembrance of Things Awry” — http://www.remembranceofthingsawry.wordpress.com — reached the 1,000,000 hits mark since starting in August 2006 [ 1,000,402 hits --- not counting me --- as of 8:00 p.m. ]. I know it’s “peanuts” compared to the great Filipino blogs which already have millions of hits. But then, we all know this blog isn’t for everyone, right?

A Million Thanks to All of You!!! And of course, a million thanks to wordpress.com, the blog host.

Now, are you ready for the “Toto Gonzalez Show” on the Net??? Hahahah.

Cheers!!!

Toto Gonzalez

11 Comments

Comedy Relief: Daddy’s Wake II, August 1990

December 5, 2009 at 5:29 pm (Gonzalez de Sulipan, The Manilenos, The Global Crowd, Pampanga Traditions, The Laguna Tagalogs, The Tayabenses / Quezonians, Pampanga Cuisine, Humor, Angst, Tristesse, Random memories, Religious Traditions, Family Traditions, Personal, The Past, 1900s Philippines, Comedy Relief)

As is usual in the Philippines, the last night of a wake is the “gala night,” and everybody makes it a point to be there.

During the last evening of Daddy’s wake, there was quite a social crush because everybody who was anybody was there…

At that time, in 1990, it was not yet fashionable to have wakes and funerals with full, hotel cafe-style buffets and liquor bars catered by “Le Souffle,” “Via Mare,” “Sugi,” “La Tasca,” the way it is de rigueur now for society funerals in the 2000s. But my Daddy’s being a Capampangan wake, and a Gonzalez one at that, had the equivalent of all those full buffets with a barrage of good food from the house, from Brother Andrew’s [ Lola Charing's ], and from Gene’s Cafe Ysabel. One could have spent the day at Beda Gonzalez’s wake and be full to the rafters. One Capampangan lady, Lola Amalia U.-L., brought home from the wake an entire balikbayan box filled with wrapped slices of Brunn butter cake. Harharhar…

“Condolences, comadre, condolences…”

“Our prayers for Beda, comadre…”

“We’re always thinking of you, comadre…”

My beleaguered mother Pilar was saying goodbye to the three sisters of her sister-in-law when the tall, 6’0″ Jo Panlilio opened the door and strode majestically into the chapel [ as in a society ball ], in the process throwing the three sisters off-balance as their big handbags fell to the carpeted floor and burst open…

Aaayyy…

OUT rolled cans and cans of sodas and juices, mixed nuts, canapes in paper napkins, wrapped sandwiches, various pastries, wrapped slices of cake, chocolates, candies, and so much else in FULL VIEW… of everybody else!!!

It was sooooo embarrassing for the three sisters and they didn’t know what to do…

“AY… BUKING!!!” sighed one sister, her mouth agape.

To which my grieving mother innocently offered: “Ay, marami pa niyan sa loob! Gusto niyo pa?”

Harharhar!!!

7 Comments

The Patriarch’s House

August 22, 2009 at 3:24 pm (1900s Philippines, 2000s Philippines, Architecture, Design and Decoration, Domestic Travels, Gonzalez de Sulipan, Manila Houses, Pampanga Art, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Traditions, Personal, Random memories, Religious Traditions, Rodriguez de Bacolor, The Global Crowd, The Manilenos, The Pampanguenos, The Past)

“Maleldo 2009″

April 13, 2009 at 10:11 am (Gonzalez de Sulipan, The Pampanguenos, The Manilenos, Pampanga Traditions, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Art, 19th century Filipino Art, Random memories, Religious Traditions, Family Traditions, Rodriguez de Bacolor, Personal)

2 Comments

Reunion Runs

January 20, 2009 at 3:43 pm (Gonzalez de Sulipan, Arnedo de Sulipan, Reyes de Arayat, Quiason de San Fernando, The Pampanguenos, The Manilenos, The Global Crowd, Pampanga Traditions, The Ilocanos, The Negrenses, The Ilonggos, The Davaoenos, The Cebuanos, The Laguna Tagalogs, The Tayabenses / Quezonians, Escaler de Sulipan, Pampanga Cuisine, Humor, Angst, Tristesse, Random memories, Brother Andrew F.S.C. of De La Salle, Family Traditions, The Tarlaquenos, Rodriguez de Bacolor, Personal)

We are having clan reunions left and right and it is becoming quite maddening… specially if one [ like I ] belongs to several!!!

According to the Western astrologers, in recent years there has been a “planetary alignment” of some sort in the universe which is causing people to gather in family / clan reunions. I don’t take planetary alignments seriously but it must serve as an explanation to all these ever-increasing family and clan reunions… !!!

Last November 2008, the Hizon-Singian Clan of San Fernando, Pampanga had its once every two years Reunion at the residence of Pilar “Piluchi” Luciano Ocampo-Fernandez at the old Fernandez [ Fernandez de "Compania Maritima" ] Compound in San Juan.

Last 13 December 2008, a Saturday, the Cacnio Family of Apalit, Pampanga celebrated the 80th birthday of their doyenne, Esther Mercado Cacnio-Atienza, with a joyous Clan Reunion. They were so generous to invite their Gonzalez, Arnedo, Espiritu, and Mercado relations as well. It was amazing to see a senior relative, former Quezon City Mayor Adelina Santos-Rodriguez “Imang Daling” still so attractive and fit even in her 80s!!!

On 14 December 2008, a Sunday, the descendants of Augusto Diosdado Sioco Gonzalez [ 1887 - 1939 ] of Sulipan, Apalit, Pampanga gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of his only surviving daughter, Natividad “Naty” Gonzalez-Palanca [ born 14 December 1918 ]. The Holy Mass was celebrated by [ Cubao ] Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, D.D. and her second cousin, Bishop Federico “Freddie” Escaler. Tita Naty was a senior Gonzalez family member beloved for her kindness, uprightness, and generosity and was revered, but most importantly loved, by the whole family. It was a wonderful occasion with an almost complete attendance by that particular branch of the “Gonzalez de Sulipan” Clan.

The Ongsiako and the de Santos Clans had a Reunion in Makati.

On 11 January 2009, the Coronel Clan of Santa Rita, Pampanga [ cousins of the Valdes de Pampanga Clan; the clan owns the classic PreWar house where the tearjerker classic "Tanging Yaman" was filmed ] had their Reunion 2009.

Last Sunday, 18 January 2009, we had the annual “Valdes de Pampanga” Clan Reunion [ as differentiated from the ValdeS [ with an "s" ] de Manila of the Tuason- Legarda-Prieto-Valdes Clan and the ValdeZ with a “z” Clan from Ilocos Norte ]. We did have some pretty Spanish mestiza members of the Valdes de Manila Clan because it’s slowly turning out that there are actually blood relations between the two Valdes with an “s” Clans. The Valdes de Pampanga Clan has _____ branches: the Ignacio Valdes [ Yellow group ] — the Camilo Quiasons, the Edgardo Yaps, and the Sergio Naguiats; [ Blue group ] the Armand Fabellas, the Bates, the Africa Reynosos, and the Ely Narcisos; [ Red group ] the Guanzons, the Florencia Coronels, and the Lita Lilleses; and the Roman Valdes [ Green group; Valdes de Bacolor, Pampanga ] the Carlos J. Valdeses, the Erlinda Gonzalez-Rodriguezes, and the Raquel Gonzalez-de Leons. It was held at the new gym of the Fabellas’ Jose Rizal University “JRU” along Shaw Boulevard. We honored our Valdes relatives who had passed away in the past year 2008: Remedios “Remy” Valdes-Panlilio, Carlos “Charlie” J. Valdes, Armand V. Fabella, Milagros ___, and Mandy ____. There was a nice lunch followed by a great set of games conducted by Justa Yap Bautista and Martin Reynoso which got Everybody going!!! It was completely easygoing and needless to say was a lot of fun!!!

On Sunday, 25 January 2009, there will be the annual “Rodriguez de Bacolor” Reunion. It will be held in a Sibal Building in Quezon City. I received the Reunion Menu of homestyle Kapampangan dishes by text from Cousins Evelyn Dayrit Rodriguez and Vita Rodriguez-Laki and it sounds really good!!!

On 28 February 2009, Saturday, there will be a “Gonzalez de Sulipan” / “Gonzalez de Baliuag” [ Descendants of Fray Fausto Lopez, O.S.A. and Maria Amparo "Mariquita" Gonzalez y de los Angeles ] Reunion on the occasion of the 69th birth anniversary of Brother Andrew Gonzalez, F.S.C. at Gene Gonzalez’s “Cafe Ysabel,” # 455 P. Guevarra Street, San Juan. It is being organized by the Dr. Virgilio Sioco Gonzalez branch of the clan [ the Cebu branch ], and that means Arch. Jackie Gonzalez Cancio – Vega, Charo Gonzalez Cancio – Yujuico, Dr. Vicki Gonzalez Belo, David Gonzalez de Padua, Dr. Donna Gonzalez de Padua, et. al.. Entrance fee is Php 1,500.00/xx per person so that the food will be “suitably Gonzalez” and also to raise some funds for the “Gonzalez Doble Zeta” organization. Gene Gonzalez will recreate “Cocina Sulipena” [ Old Sulipan Cooking ] for his Gonzalez Cousins. Since “Cafe Ysabel” only has a seating capacity of 120 persons, attendance will be limited to 20 persons for the “Gonzalez de Baliuag” [ the Soledad Gonzalez -Mariano Gonzales, Jose Gonzalez - Francisca Carrillo, and Francisco Gonzalez - Maria Lloret branches of the Clan ], and 90 persons for the “Gonzalez de Sulipan” [ the Joaquin Gonzalez - Florencia Sioco branch ], only ten descendants each for the ten Gonzalez – Sioco brothers Dr. Fernando, Dr. Jesus, Dr. Emilio, Atty. Augusto, Octavio [ died young; no issue ], Dr. Virgilio, Atty. Francisco Javier, Dr. Bienvenido, Dr. Joaquin, and Congressman Fausto. So let this be an announcement to our cousins!!!

This is the Philippines after all, where Everyone is related!!!

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“Noche Buena” 2008

December 25, 2008 at 1:00 pm (Angst, Brother Andrew F.S.C. of De La Salle, Family Traditions, Gonzalez de Sulipan, Humor, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Traditions, Personal, Random memories, The Manilenos, The Pampanguenos, Tristesse)

UNHAPPY CHRISTMAS PAST

Up until Christmas 2002, before my “brilliant” uncle Brother Andrew [ Brother Andrew Benjamin Gonzalez, F.S.C. of De La Salle University / Macario Diosdado Arnedo Gonzalez, 29 February 1940 - 29 January 2006, youngest brother of my father Augusto Beda Arnedo Gonzalez ] sold off Lola Charing’s elegant old house and donated the entire proceeds to charity, we gathered there for the family’s main Christmas dinner on the evening of the 25th. Since Brother Andrew had to be with the Christian Brothers’ community at the De La Salle College along Taft avenue during Christmas Eve, Lola Charing moved the family gathering from the evening of the 24th to the 25th. And it became a family tradition after he was finally assigned back to the De La Salle College Manila in 1969 after years teaching in De La Salle-run universities and colleges in the USA and then De La Salle Bacolod, Negros Occidental. Thus, we grandchildren grew up observing the family’s main Christmas dinner on 25 December instead of the 24 December “Noche Buena” observed by everybody else. Until now in 2008, we are still disoriented when we celebrate our main Christmas dinner on the evening of 24 December like all normal Christians and Catholics.

Fearful of his [ imagined ] impending demise after my mother’s unexpected passing from cerebral aneurysm on 05 September 2002, Brother Andrew’s impulsive decision to sell off Lola Charing’s house was the worst thing that happened to the family, probably as tragic as when Lolo Augusto [ his father ] was assassinated at the PASUDECO Pampanga Sugar Development Company offices on 12 July 1939 [ along with Jose Leoncio de Leon, the richest man in Pampanga at that time, and Captain Julian Olivas ]. It was exactly like the nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki: like nuclear fission, it just led from bad to worse to worst to nil. Cataclysmic. It was like an Egyptian curse: Everything bad just engulfed every facet of our family life. There were emotional, physical, financial disasters all over the place. The wide swathe of destruction it caused in our family relations was akin to a world war and nothing was ever the same again. And it was NEVER about the money, it was all about principle and sentiment. In the first place, Lola Charing’s house was not supposed to be sold; she had wanted it to go down the generations as the family’s gathering place; she had left it to Brother Andrew for his stewardship to eventually pass on to the grandchildren. So let it be a cautionary tale…

Expectedly, all the anger, resentment, angst, and divisiveness in the family took its toll on Brother Andrew, the “genius” perpetrator of it all. Several members of the family — some of his favorites in fact — refused to see him permanently. De facto, he became “persona non grata” and nonexistent and it depressed him to no end. Very few members of the family came to his Sunday lunches at his new townhouse, if at all. He belatedly realized that he would not be forgiven in any way. In the form of severe diabetic complications, it all finally killed him on 29 January 2006. Not one member of the family was by his side at the ICU as he breathed his last that 5:00 p.m.. To the Filipino academe and to Manila society, his passing was a great loss. But to his immediate family, he was a failure, the “weakest link” who, with his impulsive and misinformed, badly-advised decisions concerning Gonzalez matters, caused the losses of so much of the family’s ancestral legacies.

The Christmases of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 passed and the divided family members spent the holidays in their own quiet ways. Lola Charing’s house was gone, the Christmas dinner of 25 December was gone, even the family was gone. Everything happy, joyous, and wonderful in the family became a distant, irrelevant, and useless memory.

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HAPPY CHRISTMAS REPAST

The Gonzalez-Arnedo Christmas table was a collection of family favorites from the Spanish era, American period, Commonwealth, postwar, and even modern times:

According to my brother Adolfo, the egg nog was from the Gonzalez table of the American period: my father Augusto Beda had recalled that my Lolo Bosto was the one who used to make it in his lifetime [ 1887 - 1939 ]. I mistakenly thought that the egg nog was only brought in by Brother Andrew after his studies at UC Berkeley in the early 1960s.

Brother Andrew introduced the big broiled lobsters with lemon butter sauce in 1970. There would also be broiled king prawns to supplement the big lobsters.

The classical “pastel de pichon” was from the Arnedo and the Gonzalez tables of the Spanish era. The baked turkey with traditional stuffing and giblet gravy was from the Gonzalez table of the American period; the Arnedo and the Gonzalez of the Spanish era instead had “capon” — big chickens of an imported variety — fried in large cauldrons “cauas.” There was also the “pato al caparas” from the Arnedo and the Gonzalez tables of the Spanish era. Sometimes, there was panfried French “foie gras,” courtesy of my eldest brother. The “galantina de pollo” was a feature of many Pampanga and Manila families’ Christmas tables but it was deemed everyday by the Arnedo and the Gonzalez; their versions were distinguished by blood cubes, lots of olives, and Spanish “chorizo.”

Sometimes, Tita Raquel Valdes Gonzalez-de Leon, one of Brother Andrew’s favorite first cousins, sent her fastidiously prepared “caldereta de cabrito” from the Gonzalez-Valdes table of the Spanish era.

Broiled tenderloin medallions with a demiglace sauce traced themselves to the “solomillo” of the Gonzalez table of the American period. Sometimes, there was the melt-in-the-mouth “lengua en salsa blanca” from the Arnedo and the Gonzalez tables of the Spanish era but Brother Andrew considered it ordinary for Christmas and only added it upon demand of the raving guests.

While Brother Andrew deemed it hopelessly pedestrian, young ”lechon” with grilled liver sauce and a “milagrosa” rice and pandan stuffing was always a feature of the Arnedo and the Gonzalez holiday tables in old Sulipan. Brother Andrew brought in the legs of Spanish “jamon Jabugo” and American Virginia “Smithfield” ham in the 1970s. The legs of Chinese “Hoc Shiu” ham and the “jamon de funda” slathered, indeed swimming, in distinctly spiced syrups were from the Arnedo and the Gonzalez tables of the Spanish era.

Occasionally, Tita Erlinda “Erly” Valdes Gonzalez-Rodriguez [ elder sister of Tita Raquel ], also one of Brother Andrew’s favorite first cousins, sent her exquisite ”canelones” [ "cannelloni" ] from the Gonzalez-Valdes table of the American period.

For the granddaughters Shoda, Minnie, Claudette, and Rocelle, there was no Christmas without the traditional fruit salad from the Arnedo and the Gonzalez tables of the American period. It was never sweet. For the last 30 years, the homemade mayonnaise that served as its base was made with slowly-beaten egg yolks and Greek virgin olive oil, but a recent look at the old recipe of Lola Charing from the 1920s revealed that it was actually made with American “Wesson” oil.

For the grandsons Gene, Eliboy, Toto, Ompong, and Pipo, there could be no Christmas without the cloyingly rich “tocino del cielo,” a traditional egg yolk and sugar only custard [ no milk! ] peculiar to the Arnedo family of old Sulipan, the original recipe of which came from the Spanish era [ 1870s ]. As they were not yet aware of the dangers of cholesterol, the boys consumed 6, 8, 10, even 12 of the confections at a time!

After 1989, my mother brought in several traditional Spanish desserts: “tarta Madrid,” “milhojas,” “crocombuche [ French "croquembouche" / cream puff tree ],” ”yemas,” “naranjas,” etc..

The dessert table also featured many confections from Spain and France, most notably from “Fauchon.”

Unlike many Filipino families, there were no “ensaimadas,” however expensive the interpretation, on the Gonzalez-Arnedo “Noche Buena” table even if the fastidiously made Gonzalez and Arnedo versions of the traditional bread were among the best in the country. It was so everyday for Brother Andrew, regarded as breakfast and “merienda” fare, and consequently unsuitable for the Christmas dinner.

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CHRISTMAS 2008

During the last Christmas of 2007, I decided that I had had enough of sad Christmases… I informed the family — those who were still talking — that there would be a Christmas gathering at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve and that they were invited but I made it clear that I didn’t give a f*cking damn if they would attend or not. I reconstructed the family’s Christmas menu from memory, had the place cleaned up and down and left and right, the silver polished, the china and crystal washed, the linens pressed, blooming orchid plants, cut flowers, and fresh fruits purchased, and did everything else that I used to do at Lola Charing’s house back in those happy days. Surprisingly, all of the family — those who were still talking — did come eagerly, enjoyed themselves immensely, and it was all a great success. Of course, the unwanted members who had caused the terrible divisions could not come out of stubborn pride and it was just as well, for it was fully-deserved. We had all finally moved on…

This Christmas season of 2008, it would have been easy enough to have called any of the top caterers or to have reserved tables for Christmas Eve dinner at the Manila Peninsula or at the Makati Shangri-La hotels, but it wouldn’t have meant anything at all to us siblings. So we decided [ we siblings who are still talking ], putting all inconveniences aside [ and there were many! ],that we would still gather in our parents’ house, serve the Christmas food we always knew, serve it on the same silver, china, crystal, and linens, and invite our closest surviving aunts and uncles, and cousins to our little gathering.

My younger lawyer brother, a connoisseur with the most discriminating palate, took charge of the egg nog because he was the one who often saw its preparation by the majordomo Benito as he grew up in Lola Charing’s house under Brother Andrew’s watchful eyes. My brother never liked the taste of rhum, finding it “rough,” and instead poured bottles of Remy Martin cognac into the milk and egg mixture. The resulting exquisite egg nog was the best we ever had.

Expertise, fastidiousness, and a penchant for the freshest seafood, meats, vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients was brought by my lawyer brother’s Korean wife to the family table. It was from her that I learned that freshness and superior varieties were paramount concerns in food purchases and preparation. She was a stickler for high quality with a capital HQ.

My eldest brother, a famous authority on cuisine, presided over the preparation of every dish: tasting, adjusting, and correcting at every turn. It was because of his direction that the food took on the traditional, exquisite flavors of family memory.

Despite all the inconveniences, as well as the global financial crisis which was gradually affecting everything in our lives, it was nonetheless a wonderful “Noche Buena” Christmas celebration this 2008. Our family was TOGETHER AND HAPPY, and that was what mattered the most!!!

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I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

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Old names, new fortunes

September 23, 2008 at 11:52 am (Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Traditions, Personal, Random memories, The Manilenos, The Pampanguenos)

I recently attended the birthday luncheon of a dear friend, a gentleman of old Pampanga, held at a top hotel. The guest list of 50 was entirely old Pampanga and surprisingly enough, entirely affluent. There were none of the newly-prominent arriviste families who currently had the run of the province. Although it was all casual and convivial — it was a luncheon after all — there was that undercurrent of sheer affluence and steely elegance always palpable when a certain class of old Pampanga get together.

It was interesting to note that while all the surnames were old and of exalted ancestry, some lineages stretching back to the 1700s — Hizon, Henson, Lazatin, Singian, Panlilio, de Leon, Escaler, Gonzalez, Nepomuceno, Ocampo, Paras, Salgado, Miranda, Dizon, Sandico, et. al. — their current fortunes were all relatively recently accumulated through new businesses, professions, and transactions: banking, mining, manufacturing, shipping, logistics, exports, information technology, real estate, jewelry, etc.. None of the Pampangos present possessed the traditional agricultural fortunes of their “hacendero” forebears. Those were definitely things of the past: Mount Pinatubo, CARP, NPA / Communism, the 1972 agrarian reform, the Hukbalahap, and the prewar social reforms had rendered irrelevant and collectively eradicated the agricultural, feudal way of life. Several of them of course, still possessed mostly unproductive tracts of land, controlled by expertly convoluted and intractable corporate structures. But they were nothing more than sentimental relics of a forgotten age. To all of those present, the past with all its glories and failures was the past, and the present was “healthier” and much more interesting with fast-paced profits and endless travels worldwide. The descendants of old Pampanga already had new lifestyles: while not exactly “out with the old,” the key words were “new, newer, and newest”!!!

There was a pattern to the maintenance and expansion of all that affluence, and it wasn’t exclusively Pampango. Education was a priority, not only to further the advancement of the young, but also to maintain, expand, and upgrade their social connections. The children were sent to the schools where the children of the other ”good families” were sent. Class lists were requested and perused by eagle-eyed parents and grandparents who identified the ”suitable” friends for their children among their classmates. That meant that they would study, play, and be foolish together as well, thus cementing upcoming business and social relationships. At home, the boys were taught by their fathers the “masculine” chores from basic electricals to vehicle maintenance; the girls were taught by their mothers all the home arts from cooking to cleaning to entertaining in style; laziness was not tolerated under any circumstances. The famed, pristine cleanliness of a Pampango home [ to the point of being a lifeless showcase ] was a point of pride for many good Pampango families. Undergraduate studies were at the Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle, and for the open-minded and adventurous, the University of the Philippines. Also for college and the now-required postgraduate studies, only the top, “Ivy League” universities in the USA would do — Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, also Stanford, UC Berkeley, Duke, NYU, Fordham, Georgetown, unless the children wanted to go to Europe and attend Oxford or Cambridge, the Sorbonne, or the Universidad Complutense. Back home, marriage with another Pampango of “good family” was preferred, if only for the obvious reason that the couple’s traditionally discriminating palates would be compatible. The business connections were appreciated but properly reserved for the future. If they decided to marry “outside the race” to a Manileno or even an Ilonggo or a Negrense, then it was understood that the fiance / fiancee was also of “good family.” Marriage to an “unknown” / “desconocido” was unimaginable in the light of one’s “proper” family [ read: rich and conservative ]. Entrepreneurial business activities, even for those employed by multinational corporations, were encouraged for both the husband and the wife. The young were always encouraged to go into business for themselves. Children were well-fed with expensive comestibles to the point of obesity not only for health, but also to show one’s wherewithal to afford the best for their offspring. Perhaps owing to their distant Chinese ancestry, the Pampangos were all too conscious of business and money matters. Despite all the acknowledgments of blood relations, of affectionate regards, of graciousness, it mattered extremely what one’s businesses / corporations [ note the plural! ] and current financial standing were, because as everyone else was of the expected patrician lineage, Money — preferably big, bigger, biggest money — was the only basis for one’s social standing in the community, and with it, the respect accorded by one’s business and social peers.

And those are the values of a discreet Pampango aristocracy which has inexplicably survived to this cyber day and age… outlasting every attempt of rebellion and revolution.

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Apalit Fiesta 2008 Advisory

May 28, 2008 at 8:00 am (Gonzalez de Sulipan, Arnedo de Sulipan, The Pampanguenos, The Manilenos, Pampanga Traditions, Domestic Travels, Escaler de Sulipan, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Art, Random memories, Religious Traditions, Family Traditions)

“FIESTA” ADVISORY: ON 28 JUNE 2008, SATURDAY, AT EXACTLY 11:00 A.M., “APUNG IRO” WILL LEAVE HIS SHRINE IN BARANGAY CAPALANGAN IN A JOYOUS PROCESSION TO THE PAMPANGA RIVER — THE “RIO GRANDE DE PAMPANGA” —FOR THE ANNUAL “LIBAD” FLUVIAL FESTIVAL IN HIS HONOR. AT 4:00 P.M., THERE WILL BE A PROCESSION THROUGH THE APALIT TOWN PROPER IN HIS HONOR.

ON 29 JUNE 2008, SUNDAY, THERE WILL BE DAY-LONG CEREMONIES AT THE APALIT CHURCH WHICH WILL CULMINATE IN A LATE AFTERNOON PROCESSION IN HONOR OF “APUNG IRO.”

FIESTAGOERS CAN ALSO GO SHOPPING FOR EVERYTHING AS THE APALIT TOWN PROPER BECOMES ONE BIG “TIANGGE” SELLING EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE — “DIVISORIA SA PAMPANGA”!!!

ON 30 JUNE 2008, MONDAY, “APUNG IRO” WILL RETURN TO HIS SHRINE IN BARANGAY CAPALANGAN. THE JOYOUS AND RAUCOUS PROCESSION — ACCOMPANIED BY WATER DRENCHING — ARRIVES AT THE SHRINE BETWEEN 3:00 TO 5:00 P.M..

BE ADVISED THAT SAINT PETER’S SHRINE IN BARANGAY CAPALANGAN, APALIT, PAMPANGA WILL BE THE CENTER OF ACTIVITIES SPECIFICALLY ON THE MORNING OF 28 JUNE 2008, SATURDAY, AND THE AFTERNOON OF 30 JUNE 2008, MONDAY.

COME AND EXPERIENCE THE BIGGEST “FIESTA” IN ALL OF PAMPANGA!!!

[ TIP: MAKE A GENEROUS TIME ALLOWANCE FOR YOUR ARRIVAL IN APALIT. TRAFFIC WILL BE VERY HEAVY ALONG MACARTHUR HIGHWAY IN APALIT TOWN AND ENVIRONS { OUTSKIRTS OF CALUMPIT, BULACAN, AND MACABEBE & SAN SIMON, PAMPANGA }. PARKING WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT ANYWHERE IN THE TOWN. DO NOT BRING EXPENSIVE AND NEW VEHICLES SO AS NOT TO ATTRACT BAD ELEMENTS. HAVE YOUR DRIVERS GUARD YOUR VEHICLES. WASHROOMS CAN BE VERY CHALLENGING; RUNNING WATER IS IN DEMAND AND WATER SYSTEMS INEVITABLY BREAK DOWN. EVERYONE IS WELCOME: YOU CAN WALK INTO ANY GOOD HOUSE AND YOU WILL BE FED A NICE MEAL IN HONOR OF "APUNG IRO." ]

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Discovering Pampanga

April 29, 2008 at 5:15 pm (The Pampanguenos, The Manilenos, The Global Crowd, Pampanga Traditions, The Ilocanos, The Negrenses, The Ilonggos, The Davaoenos, The Cebuanos, The Laguna Tagalogs, The Tayabenses / Quezonians, Domestic Travels, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Art, Filipino Art, Humor, Random memories, Religious Traditions, The Tarlaquenos)

One of the best things in life is to be able to help the less fortunate and yet have fun in the process. That was what the MRMF Mother Rosa Memorial Foundation of the Assumption College did last Saturday, 26 April 2008 to raise funds for the Assumpta Technical School in San Simon, Pampanga. Charitable Assumption alumnae and their friends contributed Php 2,500.00/xx each and went on a discovery tour of Pampanga…

One could ask: What can be seen in Pampanga??? Lahar??? What else??? It’s warm and dusty. There are no white sand beaches like Palawan and Boracay, no five-star resorts like Amanpulo and Discovery Shores Boracay, no diving or snorkeling, no surfing or wakeboarding, no top international shops like Hermes, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, et. al.., no celebrated chichi restaurants and bars like at Greenbelt IV and V and Serendra, Nada!!! True!!! But Pampanga has so much more than mere consumerism. The province is undeniably rich with history, culture, traditions, quality education, fine and decorative arts, culinary expertise, and so much more. Pampanga the province has the ever elusive qualities of wonder, depth, and soul. And it was that Pampanga that the generous Assumption alumnae and their friends sought to discover that day…

The fundraising MRMF Pampanga Tour was planned by A-MRMF president Rosalie “Salie” Henson- Naguiat, former A-MRMF president Josefina “Nening” Pedrosa-Manahan and former A-MRMF Jacqueline “Jackie” Cancio-Vega. Angeli Ko of KulTours was consulted for logistics. And I was consulted for the “off-the-beaten-track” itinerary.

Included in the tour group were “Connie” Carmelo-Pascal, “Angie” Barrera, Mary Garlicki-Moorani, Asuncion “Nonny” Carlos, Marietta Cuenco-Cuyegkeng, Victorina “Chichi” Litton Laperal, Anna Aguirre-Pamplona, “Ching” Singson Abad Santos, “Gigi” Lacson Lacson, “Mabek” Lichaytoo-Kawsek, “CJ” Junterreal, “Gina” Gozum, Dr. Gaudencio “Boy” Vega, ADB executive Victor Yon, et. al..

Petron gas station, northbound NLEX.

JDN CKS HAU The Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies at the Holy Angel University, Angeles City.

The Assumption alumnae were very impressed with the JDN CKS Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies in particular and with the Holy Angel University in general.

Henson mansion, Angeles City.

Chow Time!!! Salie Henson-Naguiat had prepared a wonderful spread.

Dr. Jose “Jojo” Valencia, Dolores, San Fernando.

The group eagerly descended on “Nathaniel’s” along the Olongapo-Gapan road and bought boxes upon boxes of the store’s famous chilled ”Buko Pandan” [ with carabao's milk ] dessert for their “buko pandan fix” and every other goody displayed that seized their fancy.

Archdiocesan Museum, University of the Assumption, San Fernando. I became very irritated with the rude security guards because they passed us from one gate to the other and would not let us in. As if the university was the gold-laden Fort Knox in Texas. I sneered: “You passed me from ‘Papa gate’ to ‘Mama gate’ to ‘Baby gate’!!! Whothehell do you think I am, ‘Goldilocks’???!!!” *LOLSZ!!!* Later on, I was told that the ladies inside the bus were also wondering aloud about what was going on…

However, we all forgot the travails of the university gates when we beheld the sheer magnificence of the collection of the Archdiocese of Pampanga. Absolutely marvelous!!! The curator and concurrently the parish priest of Santa Rita, Pampanga, Monsignor Gene Reyes, was a kind gentleman who took the trouble of explaining every object in the collection that we found interesting, which was mostly everything!!!

I was able to request my dear friend, the artist Alberto “Albert” Salgado Paloma — a first cousin of the legendary jeweler Erlinda “Liding” Salgado Miranda-Oledan — to open his beautiful, faultlessly elegant home to us. It is to me, the Filipino version of the legendary tastemaker Roderick “Rory” Cameron at “Le Clos de Fiorentina” above the French Riviera, without the sea of course.

Albert, in his characteristic high style, had ordered his staff to prepare an elegant Kapampangan “merienda” for us. And what a chic and stylish “merienda” it was!!!

The ladies enjoyed every minute at Albert Paloma’s. It was as if they never left their houses in Forbes Park or Dasmarinas Village.

After Albert Paloma’s, some of the group members and I crossed B. Mendoza street to get our orders of traditional large ”ensaimadas” from [ my great- grandaunt ] Lola Beatriz Rodriguez, who temporarily lives in a priest friend’s house after the old Rodriguez mansion in Bacolor was inundated by lahar. The group members were absolutely delighted to meet Lola Beatriz, who was already 98 years old but still healthy and alert.

Bacolor church.

Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Cabetican, Bacolor. We made a quick stop to make our “first visit” prayers and requisite three wishes at this popular Marian shrine where many petitions are said to have been granted. We were efficiently out of there in ten minutes flat!!!

Betis church. It was a beautiful church with many artistic details but we were not able to appreciate it as much as we would have wanted as it was already late afternoon and there were no lights inside. We requested some people chatting in the convent to turn on some lights but they replied nonsensically that there was no electrical connection or something equally silly. We were able to enter the sacristy and admire the magnificent 18th century “vestuario” vestry cabinet, “aparador” cabinet, and “dinemonyo” “mesa altar” altar table. It was a good thing we had already seen all of that before the security guard entered the church and, not knowing who we were or what we were doing for charity, wanted to shoo us away. So I didn’t feel the least bit guilty when, in our rush to leave, we completely forgot to leave our envelope with a generous donation to the church.

After Betis church, we visited the absolutely enchanting David ancestral house, which Salie Henson-Naguiat had arranged for us. Atty. Dante David showed us around his family’s restored and renovated 1904 Filipino house. Many of us particularly liked the antique-style, carved wooden brackets with peacock designs at the ceiling of the main floor.

The restored ancestral house had such a lovely garden. It seemed to be the work of a top landscape artist until Atty. David told us that they actually did it themselves!!!

The ladies peeked inside a garden pavilion being used as a [ not at all! ] “dirty” kitchen and giggled when they saw that the tablecloth was the very pattern of their beloved “Assumption plaid” uniform. Also, the ladies very much appreciated the very clean and contemporary bathrooms of the house.

N. Cayanan, antique “agente,” Betis.

And so, as the sun quickly set on the horizon, the group set out for the border town of Apalit…

The funniest, wackiest, and most outrageous part of the tour happened when we reached Apalit town at 7:00 p.m.. Jackie Vega had secured an appointment with Ellen Ramirez, a known Apalit decorative arts manufacturer, whom she had met at the Manila F.A.M.E. exporters’ show. The address read “Dona Asuncion Village, San Juan, Apalit” which, despite my being an Apaliteno, I didn’t know, so I got down the bus when we reached the back of the Apalit church and inquired with my friends there where “Dona Asuncion Village” was. They laughingly pointed to the town cemetery and said that the big bus would not be able to pass the street going there. OH. UHM…

I got back on the bus and announced to an excited group: “Ladies, we have the thrill of the unexpected!!! We know where ‘Dona Asuncion village’ is. Problem is, it’s located after the town cemetery and the big bus won’t negotiate the street going there. We will have to walk, if ever we proceed. What’s your decision???”

I looked at the ladies. The ladies looked at one another. The ladies looked at me. I looked towards the cemetery!!! The “thought bubbles” on their faces were: ”Shopping… Cemetery… Shopping… Cemetery… Shopping…” And then a unanimous “YES!!! SHOPPING!!!” And they all proceeded to disembark from the bus!!!

It was a scene straight out of an adventure movie: some 35 well-heeled, well-dressed, and well-shod Assumption alumnae happily chatting away as they trod the rough road [ of some 500 meters ], accompanied by excited Apalit children, on the way to Ellen Ramirez, the decorative arts manufacturer, in “Dona Asuncion village” past groups of drunken men, the town cemetery, and young families enjoying the night air. They were amply rewarded when we reached the manufacturer because there were all sorts of stylish, “au courante,” export-quality decorative accessories that could be purchased “in situ.”

Apalit church. We were lucky to find the parish choir in practice so the church lights were all switched on. The ladies marveled at the San Agustin “wannabe” church with its interesting and folksy trompe l’oeil paintings.

I showed the group the beautifully-carved [ Carrara marble ] gravestone of my paternal great grandfather Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez [ 1853 - 1900 ]: a Spanish Augustinian friar’s son; a Paris-trained ophthalmologist who preceded Dr. Jose Rizal; he was the discoverer of “beri-beri” as a disease in the Philippines; and he was one of only two Pampango representatives to the 1898 Malolos Congress [ the other being Jose Rodriguez Infante of Floridablanca ]. I explained that Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez was the great grandfather of such diverse characters whom the ladies knew socially: Elsie Franco-Diaz, Cecilia Gonzalez-Soriano, Fr. Gabby Gonzalez S.J., Annie Gonzalez-Chanco, Romy Rodriguez, Rosemarie Rodriguez-Lopez, Tony de Leon, Marianne de Leon, Bambina de Leon-Herbosa, Jane de Leon-Syjuco, Gia Lopez Gonzalez, Toni Lopez Gonzalez, Mely Gonzalez-Gan, Atty. Renato Gonzalez, Leony Gonzalez, Jerry Gonzalez, Jean Gonzalez-Salvador, Ina Gonzalez-Dizon, May Gonzalez-Benedicto, Minnie Gonzalez Blanco-Abdallah, Gene Gonzalez, moi, Atty. Adolfo Gonzalez, Rocelle Gonzalez-Lizares, Charo Cancio-Yujuico, Arch. Jackie Cancio-Vega, Dr. Vicki Belo, Karen Cancio-Litre, David de Padua, Dr. Donna de Padua, Tweetums Cruz Gonzalez, Noli Gonzalez, Atty. Ging Madrigal Gonzalez-Montinola, BG Gonzalez, Gig Gonzalez, Dr. Jake Jison, and Liel Montinola Gonzalez.

Cacnio house, San Juan, Apalit. I explained to the group that the Cacnio house was the last intact ancestral home in the entire town and the only evidence that Apalit actually possessed a kind of Spanish colonial elegance which has almost entirely disappeared. My dear Espiritu-Arnedo-Mercado relatives Tita Esther Cacnio-Atienza and her daughter Paz came all the way from their Manila residence to welcome the MRMF group to their beautiful ancestral home in Apalit. The MRMF group marveled at the 1850s house, transferred from Malabon to Apalit in 1905, which has survived so many disasters intact, down to the last teaspoon of their ancestors.

The Cacnios prepared a wonderful “pancit luglug” traditionally soured with “kamias” fruit which was a nice counterpoint to all the sweets that we had been eating the whole day!!! There were also those delightful little aniseed “puto” — a type which we used to produce in barrio Capalangan, Apalit years ago. All “gratis” again which we much appreciated because it was like a donation to the MRMF!!! Leading the group in their appreciation of the Cacnios’ warm hospitality, Tita “Nening” Manahan presented “Majestic” ham as a token of gratitude.

And so, in the dark of night, we bravely forged on to old barrio Sulipan in Apalit…

It was already 9:00 p.m. when we arrived in the legendary, once-elegant, definitely-not-patrician-and-sylvan-anymore barrio Sulipan, Apalit, Pampanga…

Arnedo house, Sulipan, Apalit. It was simply too late to bother the gay caretaker to open the ancient house for us.

Saint Peter’s shrine, Capalangan, Apalit. Our delicious, freshly-made Spanish “postres” were locked inside the Espiritu hall behind the gates!!! Aaarrrggghhh!!!

Petron gas station, southbound NLEX.

Some of the ladies were so happy to see Connie Carmelo-Pascal and Mary Garlicki-Moorani — who were trapped for several hours in that frightful traffic between the San Simon and Pulilan exits of the southbound NLEX [ two big trucks had fallen off the viaduct!!! ] — all OK in the ladies’ room. At least, they were safe and finally on the way home!!!

Everyone had already boarded the bus and were raring to finally go home — except for Gigi Lacson. I got down the bus to look for her… She had come from the shops and was walking towards the bus. I waved to her and she waved back. Before we both knew it, a truck passed as she was crossing the pavement, nearly running her over!!! She mock-blamed me for not warning her about the passing truck, but I just smiled and laughed because my tired, tiny eyes really didn’t see the truck coming in the dark…

Back to Quezon City and Makati… We reached Merced bakeshop along EDSA near Quezon Avenue — where the Quezon City group dropped off — at 10:30 p.m. and we reached the Manila Polo Club — where the Makati group disembarked — at 11:30 p.m.!!! Whattaday it had been!!! *LOLSZ!!!*

We had so much fun that we are already planning the next tour!!! Perhaps Laguna, maybe Bulacan, on to Batangas, Ilocos Sur and Abra, Bacolod and Iloilo, and of course, Pampanga part II…

And yes, almost miraculously, but also because of the generosity of sooooo many people, MRMF was able to raise a good amount for the Assumpta Technical School in San Simon, Pampanga…!!!

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remembrance of things awry