Mesitzo/mestiza, or mestiso/mestisa – that’s what we call anyone who
looks like an American (or a foreigner) but is actually a Filipino, or half-Filipino. (Or someone trying hard to appear mestiso or mestisa – nagpapa-blandie ng buhok – mestisong hilaw.) In
the streets we call him tisoy, or her
tisay. Mestisoy
is a mere contraction, a joining together of both worlds. But if your skin is of a darker shade, and
you have kinky, curly hair, you are... egoy,
pare!
Mestisoy Habitsuelas is a Spanish
sounding dish, and it originated somewhere, I suppose, in Spain, along the
Spanish Riviera or... somewhere near. I
don’t have the energy just now (I’m still too sick) to research where it
actually originated. But this soup (or
something similar) was cooked and served as a meal when I was on vacation in
the South in the mid 1980’s with a family with a Spanish-sounding last name
and, reputably, Spanish blood.
My recipe is a mestizo or a tisoy variant – it’s not the original Spanish eyes, probably
nowhere near the original, but it poses as something... with Spanish
blood! I actually call it Beef Camto
Soup with Beans and Cabbage. Instead of
using white kidney beans, soaking it and spending an innumerable amount of time
and fuel boiling it until it softens, I opted for the quick and easy, canned
and branded Hunt’s Pork and Beans.
We grew up as kids
with Hunt’s Pork and Beans. There’s a
reason it’s called PORK and Beans – it’s because there is ONLY ONE PIECE OF
PORK in it. The challenge was to fish
out the pork piece (usually a small cube of fat – which was, in all fairness,
the best part!) from the whole bowl of beans and red orange sauce. Well, those are now bygone days, the same brand
of Pork and Beans has come out (not sure how long ago this was) with an
improved version. Improved according to
the manufacturers, but not, in my opinion, according to me, the consumer. This improved version boasts of “more pork”,
but pork which in fact looks like rat droppings more than anything! Never mind the taste. I miss the old one.
For this recipe I used:
1/2 kilo Beef Camto,
sliced
1 large Onion,
quartered
1-1/2 liters Water
1 head Chinese Cabbage
leaves
2 cans (390g)
Hunt’s Pork and Beans
1/2 tsp Patis
Salt to taste
Boil Beef Camto,
with onion, in water. Simmer to soften
until Beef is tender, about 1 hour.
Add Pork and
Beans to the soup.
Add Patis and Salt to suit your taste.
Add Chinese Cabbage
leaves and simmer.
Serve soup hot,
with rice on the side.
Good Eats!!! =D
