“It was wonderful food, excellent hosts and great relaxation.”
MARCH
2002 (©
metro magazine)
Keeping it Simple
I'm back from my hiatus. Not a self-imposed one, believe me, but one of circumstance. In between my real job at the network and the other stuff I get to do along the way, I just could not sit still to write. Likewise, the specter of September 11 loomed over me. I felt unable to share another gastronomic adventure knowing nations were at war. With the way our own economy is going, how could I have written about the bounties of the holidays ?
But people have to eat, and after a breather, I hit the keyboard and my pans again. I made a resolution, one I intend to keep. I felt that I should do a lot more for myself than for others. I am back at the gym, convinced that I shall be happy being rotund, and have given up the hope of being a fashion victim in Prada. I have gone back to golfing, making my first club purchase in years with a new driver. And I am back to writing.
I also began to rethink my career. I read all Peter Mayle's books, beginning with Hotel Pastis (A Year in Provence was his first), and they got me thinking. Is there life after the network, I pondered. It's funny how a person can decide at a drop of a hat to end a successful career to begin a new one, without rethinking the consequences. Peter Mayle's character, the advertising executive, struck a chord, and I was drawn. I admire people who have decided to give up the pace of Manila for the more serene, down-home appeal of the province.
Margie and I made up our minds to skip the holidays again and do something different. Ever since we got married, we have always avoided the family goings-on at Christmas and New Year. Since we still have no children, it has been easy to pack our things and get on the move. We had both been hard at work last year. We needed to bond.
Just
like Peter Mayle, I instantly felt the urge for adventure, with a degree of
urbanity. We headed off to Boayan Island, northeast of Puerto Princessa. Like
Mayle's character Simon Shaw, Ditchay Roxas, husband Philippe Girardeau and
daughter Amelie have decided to make this their home........
Ditchay and Philippe have lived in Boayan for over five years, giving up a theater
career for Ditchay and professional interior photography for Philippe.
......Ditchay is an excellent cook. Freshly baked bread complements a whole slew of Franco-Filipino dishes - croque madames, duck confit, soufflés, tapenades, curries, couscous, rilletes complemented by fresh fish caught in the nearby waters - made this one of my most memorable vacations. It was wonderful food, excellent hosts and great relaxation.
I must admit that I overindulged. We woke up to the smell of freshly baked bread, and farm- fresh eggs cooked in individual skillets. Some days it was homemade daing na bangus, another day grilled farm bread topped with gruyere cheeses, ham and eggs. Ditchay even gave us arroz a la cubana de corned beef, bananas and all.
Lunches were no different - grilled fish or fresh pitik with fresh hollandaise. Margie and I had to sleep the afternoon off. Well, there is the sin of sloth.
Cocktails began as the sun began to set, with us sitting on the sun-drenched porch watching our version of cable television - the clouds and the mountains - and listening to the sound of the waves. Sorry, no TV here, and that was a treat for me. No phones save for a satellite phone. They did have a digital satellite radio - imagine listening to African reggae on a remote island while sipping a cold brew and nibbling on paté !
Dinners were, as Philippe put it, simple. Yes, like a seven-egg soufflé, or baked pork served with apples sautéed in duck fat and potatoes in bacon. Or stewy adobo followed by a flourless chocolate cake. Why not terrine of foie and duck confit ?
At every meal, we discussed the wisdom of living in simplicity and making do with what is available. I fancied sleeping al fresco, in my sarong, waking up and staying in my trunks the whole day and putting my shirt on for meals. Margie and I read nine books during the trip and did countless puzzles. I rethought what I wanted to do and helped clear my head. Ditchay and Philippe are raising their daughter Amelie on the island via correspondence school in Paris. She speaks four languages - French, English, Tagalog and a bit of Visayan. Her parents are great teachers.
Island living is not without its travails, and Ditchay and Philippe have learned how to cope with them. The couple buy provisions for the island twice a year, bringing everything you can imagine (like a spare toilet) from Manila, Puerto Princessa or holidays in Paris visiting relatives. On the island they raise native chickens, have access to pork and grow vegetables. This is an idyllic spot for the serious foodie whose concept of a holiday is oiling and broiling in the sun, waiting for the right time to drink that cold brew and reading a book. Check out their website at www.chinaseaisland.com . It is not a resort, but they do take guests. I could write about it, but half the fun is getting in and out of the island. All I can say is that I'm going back !
...Sometimes it seems that, with the hectic pace of our lives we forget why we do what we do. I have always said that in hard times people will turn existential. We are doing away with our traditions and gnawing at authenticity. We must remember what we have gone through. Life couldn't be so bad for you if (you) can read this column or even buy this magazine. My personal goal is to strive to maintain the traditions that have brought me to where I am, and to remain authentic to myself. This is true for the gastronomic set. There remains nothing as joyous as a home cooked meal, with spartan ingredients and wholesome entertainment.
Old can never be junked as inferior, but can just be regentrified. Philippe put it well in one of those dusk chats. " Enjoy the food, it is very light. But it won't keep, so the dogs will have it tomorrow. " That, mon ami, is our story - life is as simple as we make it, and the choice we make will bring us there. Do what you want to do now, because you may loose the opportunity. If not, some two legged dogs will have your breakfast tomorrow. Mon Chef !”
