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