Toyo, Patis and instant noodles

By Marifi Jara

QUELIMANE, Mozambique–My Filipina friends came around early this week to meet up with our other Filipina friend based in the capital Maputo who was on a whirlwind one-day/one-night working trip and stayed at our house.

She had abet for everyone! Some herb plants for me (I couldn’t thank her enough, especially at the effort in packing the potted plants to make sure these survive the airport conveyor belts and possible manhandling from the cargo staff!) and toyo, patis and instant noodles for the three other ladies (can’t get more Filipino than that as I myself got a good stock of those in the kitchen having just come from Maputo about a month ago).

I think the Filipino trait of abet/pasalubong and pawet /padala, also embodied in the balikbayan box as a more modern-day symbol, is one of those things that stems naturally from of our famed hospitality and sense of community. Although I must say some Filipinos overdo it sometimes, like bringing or sending stuff that are actually available locally and there isn’t much price difference from elsewhere; and it could be maddening sometimes having to battle your way around the airport with oh-so many balikbayan boxes.

By and large, it is something that I believe we can proudly say is distinctly Filipino, especially noting the fact that we have specific words — where there is none in English — for the idea of bringing or sending a gift or gifts from somewhere (both in Filipino and Pangasinense at that, and it would be interesting to find out if they also have it in our other local languages and dialects).

Nonetheless, we should not claim sole bragging rights over it. We also have other friends – British, Irish, Dutch, German, Zambian, Mozambican – who have shown similar generosity. Once in a dinner party at a Mozambican friend’s house, where she served us a delicious local dish of fish stew that went perfectly with rice cooked in coconut milk, I happened to mention that it’s frustrating sometimes how unpredictable the seafood supply is in this town, which is ironically by the river and pretty close to the sea. A couple of days later, her nephew comes around the house with two huge fish which they bought on a family weekend trip to Zalala beach, about 30 kilometers outside of town. I wasn’t too sure yet about the dynamics of that situation around here so I politely asked how much it costs, but the young man sort of laughed and asked how can I be so silly asking for the price of an abet! Some of the best things in life, indeed, are free.

(Readers may reach columnist at marifijara@gmail.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/roots/
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