An anthropologist as she or he wanders must have food. As an anthropologist who is deeply involved with food, cooking and associated wanderings, I have decided to post thoughts on a special food
Sky
Flakes
Bion
Griffin
Sky Flakes
crackers are the Philippines version of American saltines. And no, this is not
an infommercial. Sky Flakes are simply a beloved fast slow food or slow fast
food or maybe just food for my soul…soul food. My most recent brush with Sky Flakes was mixed blessing. I decided to make
a chicken liver paté consumed with a good red wine and, yes, Sky Flakes. The
cooking went well. Then, the pate had to
be cooled. By the time that was done, two days had passed. So, I decided to
unmold it. Catastrophe. Even with heating the mold, it stuck and then came out
messed up. Bad mood. Bad bad mood. Then, sat down to have wine, pate and Sky
Flakes. A dog got in the way; dogs likes paté. Argument over the dog. End
of pate and wine…and Sky Flakes. I did
return, alone, another day, to the pate, and it was tasty. But except for the
crackers, the fun was gone.
Sky Flakes,
however, go way back in my Philippines oriented life. I always loved saltines
back in the State of Maine, or oyster crackers with oyster stew. There’s something homey and comforting about
this kind of food. So, I had a predilection for this style of crackers. Simply
put, Sky Flakes became a comfort food in the Philippines and later in Hawaii. I
traveled to the Philippines in the summer of 1972, shortly before martial law
was declared. I visited Palanan, Isabela and the Agta along Disuked beach and
north up to Malibu River in Cagayan. I ate Sky Flakes. I had no idea how
essential the crackers would become as my wife Annie, our son Marcus and I
returned for long-term anthropological research among our Agta hosts. The Agta
are an ethnic group, one of the Philippine’s many, but one which still then
lived in little family clusters and by hunting forest game, riverine fishing,
and gathering of forest and littoral foods. Food was never plentiful; hungry
days were frequent. Among the Agta all
food is shared. Tucking away a bit for a private moment is not the everyday
pattern.
Annie,
Marcus and I lived with families of Agta, first in Palanan and during our
second field session on coastal Cagayan by the Malibu and Nanadukan Rivers. We
lived in in lean-to shelters in the dry season and in tiny thatched houses
during the rains from October or November through into January. Usually we
stayed two or three months before a break. The rainy season was cold and wet. A
struggling fire of wood collected from the forest kept us warm. Cans of Sky
Flakes and, with luck, butter cookies kept morale high. We shared Sky Flakes with
our Agta hosts when we arrived from a trip out to Palanan town or from Manila.
We didn’t share all our supply. I admit it; we engaged in mild hoarding. We needed late night pick-me-ups, as some
need a drink of gin or whiskey. Oh so quietly we’d pry the lid off the can.
Yes, in those days Sky Flakes came in reusable cans with lids that were air
tight unless abused and bent. Lid off, a few crackers were carefully, silently
extracted and slowly savored nibble by nibble. Then, lid back on, the can went
into semi-hiding. Empty tins were useful
and treasured as water proof containers for cameras, film, anything that rain
splattering into the lean-to might soak and ruin. The tins were sized right for
carrying in a backpack as we moved from campsite to campsite or back and forth
from Manila. But the heart of it all is a lean-to dwelling, by a
river up in the mountains or in back of a surf rumbling beach on the Pacific
coast, a low fire smoking, and cups of instant coffee , or perhaps ground
burned corn kernels, with butter cookies or Sky Flakes. Best of all Sky Flakes.
This kept the anthropologists safe and sound -psychologically. This is food
nostalgia at its best.
Annie reminds
me of Sky Flakes in her past and a context a bit less nostalgic. Growing up in
a provincial Philippines town, she knew Sky Flakes earlier than did I. When ill
one of her foods was, yes, Sky Flakes. So sometimes the two are brought
together, yet illness and food provisioning has it upsides too. Her beloved
grandmother, her mother’s mother, cared for her in many ways, so in illness she
may not only recall her food but her grandmother’s presence. So with me, in
rural Maine, USA. No Sky Flakes when sick, but when lucky my mother and
grandmother, my mother’s mother again, providing toasted bread laden with
butter and poppy seeds right out of the oven, or Nabisco saltines with hot
soup.
Back in Hawaii
one encountered little pleasures. Imagine visiting China Town down King and
Beretania Streets, visiting Chinese and Filipino stores and discovering up on a
back shelf, Yes! Sky Flakes in the great square tins. Life was good. And year
later, in Chesapeake, Virginia, where Marcus worked and where innumerable
Filipinos lived, finding plentiful Sky Flakes. Surely this is
part of the Filipino diaspora. Now that Annie and I have returned for good to
the Philippines, Sky Flakes are always in the cabinet by the bar, back from the
dining table (where I began with wine, paté and the crackers.
Sky Flakes have
evolved, for good and bad. Now one can buy tingi-tingi packets, three crackers
in a cellophane wrap, or buy scads of these in a larger pack. Keeps things
fresh and crunchy, I suppose. I usually buy these as it favors limiting my
intake. But I do miss the metal boxes. The plastic boxes are ok but not for
carrying into the wilds. Here in the house they are used to store rice, cookies
and so on, and to sit empty one on top another in the panty. Sky Flakes have
evolved other ways too. No longer is one limited to the unique taste of the
white original. An explosion of variants tempt one. Garlic flavored, Omega 3
(ugh), Oat Fiber, and as I sit here and write, I am testing Onion & Chives Sky
Flakes. Not bad, but my standbys are the oldy and goody, the original. As an
aside, I refuse to try the latest thing, Sky Flakes with sweet flavored
fillings between two “original” crackers. I know its is good marketing;
Filipinos are mad over sweetness and flavors, but one has to draw a line.
Heavens, I stopped at an expressway gas station convenience store back along
and sought to buy Sky Flakes to munch on as we drove on to Baguio. None! Or
only a variety of filled “cookie” Sky Flakes. No way, Jose.
Sky Flakes have
lots of uses. A meat loaf is enhanced with crushed crackers. A mac and cheese
is best baked with a Sky Flakes topping. Classy imported jams and jellies, or
even the overly sweet Baguio strawberry jams make a coffee and Sky Flakes
offering for drop-in guests. I might even deign to eat this if the jam is from
Europe. Sky Flakes and French blueberry jam!
Or the Maine, USA, Peach Amaretto Jam by Stonewall Kitchen from
Rustans…hoo boy. The plain crackers with Clara Olé Mango Jam is A-OK. Sky Flakes and Philippines made durian jam
can’t be beat. Well, lots of Philippine products go with the crackers.
Sardines, liver spread, boiled tongue, peanut butter (of course!) and you name
it.
As I write I live in a house with
nine dogs. I call my residence Dogistan. So what, you say? Well, EVERY TIME I
go to the cabinet to get a pack, Sam is immediately by my side. As soon as the
plastic wrapper crinkles, Pinky, Pablo and Buddy are standing by. I have to
take two packs. I have to share. It is expected. Dogs like Sky Flakes too.
Sky Flakes did give me a small
crisis of conscience back along. Shopping in
Holiday Mart on Bokawkan Road, I had picked up some Sky Flakes when I
walked past a rack that featured Rebisco Whole Wheat Crackers. Now anything
with whole wheat attracts me. I looked. I thought…I wonder…am I being disloyal?
Unfaithful? Is this like adultery? I would like to try, to taste. I weakened
and grabbed a package. You know, they tasted good. Sweet as sin. I do add
Rebisco to my diversified palate now. No regrets. I can still always have Sky
Flakes on hand. And someday, hopefully in the far future, as I lie on my
deathbed, someone will hand me Sky Flakes. The original please. Just leave the
box.
No comments:
Post a Comment