WANTED BORDER: An indie film about "the other" flavours of Iloilo

An indie film starring erstwhile TF queen Rosanna Roces is set to take the "flavours of Iloilo" to a new level. Wanted Border was shot partly in Iloilo and Bacolod with the leads talking in Hiligaynon - the Ilonggos melodious dialect. This dark-comedy will be shown next week in Metro Manila during a film festival for independent movies. As of now I'm worried about how it would affect my blog! - LOL. Here are some snippets taken from the PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER.

Osang as maneater
By Hazel P. VillaPhilippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Visayas

MIAG-AO, Iloilo — For a change, Rosanna “Osang” Roces does not bare flesh. This time, she eats it, and with gusto, in “Wanted: Border”—a dark comedy by award-winning Ilonggo director Ray Defante Gibraltar.

The film is one of five competing finalists in the 2009 Cinema One Originals Digital Movie Festival on Nov. 13-17 at Gateway Cinemas in Cubao, Quezon City.Osang, star of the 1990s-era sex-oriented flicks branded as “titillating films” (“TF”), was getting cozy with the independent film circuit after appearing in “Baklas” and “Manila,” when Defante’s script came along.

Osang plays Mama Saleng, a 60-year-old religious fanatic who owns a boarding house-cum-eatery. In her younger years, Saleng and her grandmother were accused by the townsfolk of being aswangs (nocturnal flesh eaters). Saleng meets her human counterpart in Jessie Beltran, an undercover agent whose task during the martial law years was to assassinate activists on Panay Island. What do they have in common? A thirst for blood and brutality.

Tawo, indi? .... Tawo, indi?

The film takes on many twists and turns, mostly focusing on how Saleng butchers and cooks her boarders. It then segues into an unexpected interpretation of the Bible’s “Seven Last Words”—with Saleng being nailed to the cross and spewing words that would probably make the religious want to flog her and the director.

The shock factor of ‘Wanted: Border’ is part of the cycle of violence. It’s in our system, we have to stop it,” said Gibraltar. On the set of the film in Miag-ao, locals ogled the modestly dressed Osang, who showed off by flawlessly delivering Hiligaynon lines, before blurting out a word best reserved for the men’s toilet.The kibitzers were taken aback for a while, then broke into laughter. >>>> Read complete article

DAMN How will my readers react to this? LOL

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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