14 September 2012

Post-Hari Raya Snacktime!

Our spread. Where's the table? That's the table!
Because the Moslem population of the Philippines is somewhat geographically concentrated, we rarely witness non-Catholic festivities in the capital. Nope, no families dressed in the same color, no replicas of ketupat hanging everywhere. From what I gather from Malay friends, Hari Raya is their version of Christmas (i.e. a traditional celebration on steroids), with spreads ranging from humble to ultra-elaborate, with the accompanying consumer lunacy.

Feels like Southern Philippines.
We were welcomed into a farmer's home for some merienda. From what I gathered, these were leftover snacks from the bright festivities that had just dipped into the horizon. I didn't understand much of what they were saying, but there was a lot of laughter.

A platter of "cookies", rendang, murukku, lemang.
The food is a mixture of Malay, Tamil, and Western food. The cookies, in particular, are hard little versions of the sort of stuff you will find in Philippine bakeries-- garishly colored, very sweet, margarinized.

They turned to me and mouthed: "Malay Kool-Aid".
Vague flavor, generally sweet.

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