TAMBUKIKOY: Chicken Inasal At Its Best

Only an Ilonggo knows how an authentic chicken inasal should taste. This is what Treena Cueva-Tecson, a genuine Ilongga, born and raised in Bacolod, carries with her when she openned her Tambokikoy restaurant which sells authentic chicken inasal – cooked and prepared the way a genuine inasal should be. “The inasal in Manila are sweet, dry and not cooked well, I know how inasal should taste like. Ilonggos would really know the authentic taste of inasal,” said Treena, who has a full-time marketing and PR career before giving it up to be a full time wife and mom two years ago. “And the inasal places in Manila sell inasal by the stick. No one is selling whole chicken inasal.” Being a marketing and PR woman, Treena applied blue ocean strategy in his business by offering something that the saturated market does not have yet; a whole chicken with an authentic inasal taste. Treena started her Tambokikoy just last September, armed only with P250,000 in capital, her mom’s recipe and her husband’s full support. Tambokikoy, which means chubby in Ilonggo, is envisioned by Treena as a take-out place that will sell authentic-tasting whole chicken inasal.

With a very ideal location, which is just right across the Mandaluyong City Hall on Maysilo Circle, market response has been very good. Office people and families have been dropping by to order take out, starting at lunch time until dinner. They open at 11 a.m. up to 11 p.m., Monday to Sunday.

Treena cooked her chicken inasal rotisserie-style over charcoal and not on electric grill. By chopping it two minutes after it is cooked, she said the juice goes back and it does not dry out. Treena is expecting to recoup her investments by December. This early, inquiries of franchising have already been received by Treena, although she said she is not yet ready for franchising.

The Age of Responsibility

Growing up was fun especially during our teenage years. To parents, this was the dreaded period of peril as they sleeplessly and nervously watched their children grew up becoming young adults. Their demands for more freedom and breathing space to express their individuality piled on rapidly within the next seven years or so. However, to a teenager, the party was just about to begin. And by that, I meant beer, booze and brandy.

During my teenage years, my country (Philippines) was under Martial Law. Minors below the age of twenty-one caught under the influence of alcohol faced long-term imprisonment and hard labor. So my cohorts and I considered ourselves “late bloomers” as the dreadful situation during our time put our adrenalin “shots” within a certain threshold. We never felt the kind of rush like the new wave kids are going through right now. Nevertheless, it was not something to feel sorry.

The topic of the talk show I was watching last night wrapped around the legal drinking age. Lately, a petition was filed in the US requesting the drinking age be lowered to 18. The issue triggered an outpouring of emotions from parents, as they have to deal with another problem in addition to the mounting case of premarital sex, teenage pregnancy and drugs.

The legal drinking age around the world ranged between zero to twenty-one. The US National Minimum Drinking Act in 1984 dictated twenty-one as the legal age for its citizen to consume alcohol. And for that, United States uniquely was the highest in the world, closely followed by Japan and South Korea. Countries with no MDA (Minimum Drinking Age) like China, Thailand and Vietnam ranked bottom.

Why the unusual high drinking age? Advocates of the current law believed the earlier the teenager started drinking alcohol the more likely he became alcoholic later in life. Another reason was, the law does not want teenagers to obtain their driver’s license the same time they were allowed to drink alcohol. They thought the newly found freedoms do not mix. There may be a grain of truth to this. But that did not explain the high rate of alcohol related misdemeanor American teenagers committed before they reached twelfth grade. Was it because teenagers were not allowed to legally drink, that is why they did it in secret? If Americans were worried about alcohol related accidents then which should come first? Driving age or drinking age?

From this perspective, it seemed the Drinking Act sowed more harm than good in the last two decades. Setting the legal age to 21 made criminals out of the overwhelming majority and enforcing the law until everyone gave in was pointless. Lowering the age to 18 will not even do wonders either.

It is time for a new approach, a new line of attack. I think it should start with a new attitude towards drinking alcohol. If teenagers are allowed to drink, they should do it with adult supervision to avoid excess. Just like teaching them how to drive a car before giving them a license. European teenagers’ first encounter with a glass of wine is at the dinner table under the watchful eye of their parents, not at a binge drink - promoting frat party. Responsibility is one of the key aspects in successfully implementing the law.

After the lifting of Martial Law, the Philippines saw a new beginning. Finally, patience paid off. It called for a celebration. It was then that I had my first mug of icy cold draft beer at Shakey’s – at 20 years old.

Movie Triggers Rush For Food

By Carla Gomez

Visayan Daily Star

Nov 26, 2008

Angel Jacob and Christian Vasquez eat “kinilaw” on a boat in Sagay City in this scene from Namets!

Negrenses Monday night left a Bacolod theater craving for food and rushing to nearby restaurants to assuage their hunger.
They were among those who watched Cinemalaya 2008 finalist Namets!, a Negrense indie film, which focuses on the culture of food and eating in Negros Occidental, that premiered at SM Cinema 3 in Bacolod City and will run until Sunday before it moves on to Cebu.

The film directed by Negrense Jay Abello was shot in various locations in the province and is primarily in Hiligaynon.

Namets is a celebration of life, renowned Negrense director Peque Gallaga, who was part of the Namets! cast, said.

“The movie is also all about the Negrense joy of cooking…it is a love song to us,” he said.

Of the 70 people in the cast, including himself, only two were not from Negros, Gallaga said.

"People don’t realize how many good and well trained actors covering six generations Negros has produced", he said.

Gallaga said it is a pity how little importance our leaders and schools put into culture and the arts, compared to sports.

While sports takes care of our bodies and physical wellbeing, culture and the arts take care of our souls and make us as a people, he said.

Gallaga lamented that Bacolod City has no home for the arts.
Members of the Negrense community generously gave their time and resources to make Namets! a reality, Abello said.

From allowing the crew to shoot scenes on their property, to donating food, vehicle rentals, and cash, to agreeing to appear in the movie, Negrenses threw their support wholeheartedly behind the production, he said.

The Negrense generosity and hospitality enabled the film to be completed in three months with no budget, he said.

“I'm very proud of our little big movie. That's what I call it. It's no epic. It's actually very small, and very simple. But a lot of heart was put into it and that's all of you,” he told those who helped make the film possible at the Namets! premier.

Abello also thanked the Negrenses who opened their homes for the filming of Namets! and the film’s “amazing staff and crew.”

“This movie is as much yours as it is mine. Aton ini (This is ours). For a dream cast, it was such a pleasure working with all of you,” Abello said.

In staging its homecoming, the Negrense indie film teamed up with Tapulanga Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization based in Silay City, Negros Occidental.

Proceeds from the film’s Visayas caravan will benefit the St. Francis of Assisi School, a small private Catholic institution established in 1964 with a vision to provide quality Christian education to the children of farm workers, Abello said.
While philanthropy and independent cinema don’t always go together, the agreement between Tapulanga Foundation and the producers of Namets! make perfect sense. “Life on Negros, my experiences growing up in Negros, all influence me as a filmmaker,” Abello said.

“Members of my family set up Tapulanga Foundation as a way of giving back to the province that nurtured us. Because Namets! would not exist without Negros, everyone agreed that the caravan would be a good chance to give thanks for the blessings we received while making the film. So it was logical to tie up with Tapulanga,” he said.

St. Francis of Assisi School provides kindergarten to high school education for about 370 young Negrenses, who would not be able to go to school otherwise, he said.

Every ticket to watch Namets! during its Visayan caravan represents an investment in the future of Negros Occidental, he said.*CPG