Ploughing the Fields

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Despite the mishap regarding the theft, these were still some relatively good times.  I was enjoying myself, despite the circumstances.  The environment in general was still new to me for the most part.  The charm of the countryside still alluring, and it remains so for me even today;  I just can't live there anymore, because I have to work, as well as other complications, which can happen over time as life proceeds to become complex as we grow older.


Original post below:

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

I ventured out into the rice fields today as I saw many farmers tilling their land in preparation for
palay (rice) planting. The process in the Philippines is known as "nag aararo" and the Philippine water buffalo or carabao is used. The carabao does most of the brute strength work, all you or the farmer has to do is direct or keep the carabao in line. And of course you're going to get dirty. You're going to be treading through mud and manure. It can also be a bit difficult if your carabao is disobedient, stubborn, or a little wild. This particular farmer was a little hesitant at first to let me try it out because he said that his carabao is "tarantado" or a bastard, but he let me give it a go anyway.

After that I went coconut tree climbing. It was a nice view from the top. I remember as a child seeing old concrete walls with green algae so I took a photo. I am told that the pink growth I am pointing at on the grass are eggs of suso or snails. I also took a photo of a nearby fish pond. Tilapia or bangus (milk fish) is what is typically raised in fish ponds here in the Philippines. These farm-raised fish are usually more fatty than their wild counterparts, but I'm not sure they are healthier. Just like free-range chickens are healthier than the cooped-up chickens (like the 45 days chicken), I think wild fish is healthier than farm-raised (antibiotics, PCBs, other toxins, etc...).

Now that it is the rainy season, sometimes there is no choice but to cross through flooded areas (the things floating in that canal I crossed is manure). Also, it is much harder "mag gatong" or to build a fire for cooking. I usually cook rice or anything that requires a fairly long boil by "gatong" since it is cheaper, although it is much more difficult now during the rainy season. I built that fire in the photos using buho (bamboo), paper, and matches. It took quite a few tries getting that fire going as the buho was wet from the rain. I cooked some rice (about 1 gatang - a unit of measure for cooking rice) on that fire. For about 1 gatang, the water needs to exceed the level of rice by a certain amount (depende kung gaanong kaalsa ang kanin). This amount can vary depending on the rice's absorption of the water as some types of rice absorb more water than others. You just have to experiment.

Also, I took photos of some flowers. These flowers are the gumamela (hibiscus), santan (honey suckle), and sampaguita (jasmine). I remember these flowers well as a child. The gumamela was always fun to mess with because of the exotic look of its parts. The santan I used to pluck the pistil (I think) and sip the nectar. And my cousins and I used to play a game where we pitik or flick the petals of the santan to see who could pitik more of the petals off. The sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines, is still the most aromatic flower I have ever smelled. It is commonly used in the Philippines in making necklaces for special occasions (such as school graduations) or for hanging on the altar or rosary. I also remember being told when I was a child a folktale about the sampaguita and gumamela. If I recall correctly, personification was used because the flowers were given human characteristics. I just can't remember how the story goes...