Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Grabe! By Rene Lizada Papa's Table
UNBELIEVABLE! I did not expect that my Ho Hoy article would have so many reactions.
Actually I was in the middle of giving a seminar last week when that article came out. As is my practice when conducting seminars, I shut off my phones so that I would not be disturbed. During the lunch break, I opened my phones and lo and behold several messages started coming in. I was starting to get worried because some of the numbers were unlisted and I thought something must have happened and I was a little tense when I started opening the messages.
The first was from a neighbor who said that she had just read my article and was wondering where she could get some of the sausages because apparently she and her husband were fans of Ho Hoy and they had been searching for the long lost sausage.
Later that day, my wife informed that this neighbor of ours had texted her because she really wanted to buy Ho Hoy because their wedding anniversary was coming up and she wanted to surprise her husband with Ho Hoy. Wow, I thought they must be truly lovers of Ho Hoy!
Then several messages followed saying the same thing. They said that they had been looking for the sausage for a long time now and they wanted the number. Some who texted me where people I had not talked to for several years now. How they got my number, I can only guess but I admire their determination in their search for Ho Hoy.
I think that some of them who read the article where wondering how they could get in touch with me. They must have done some research. They probably asked around and after sometime, they finally get my number and then they texted me. And some of those messages came early. Desperate people searching for long lost sausages.
That night after the seminar, I was resting and talking to Chona about my day when suddenly her phone rang. It was someone we knew from Mati. He said that he just read the article online and he wanted to find out where he could get the Ho Hoy sausages.
We were laughing and smiling at the same time. That was about ten in the evening already. I got his number and promised him that as soon as I get the number, I will tell him. (By the way if you want to get in touch with Ho Hoy, email me at rgal5@yahoo.com.)
I never knew that a lot of people liked Ho Hoy but then again that is not surprising. Some people approached me and asked me what Ho Hoy sausages were. One can only assume that they have not been in Davao long enough to know because all of those who texted me were persons who grew up with Ho Hoy!
And so when Jing, my cousin, brought the sausages to our party, everyone rejoiced. There it was in its red, high cholesterol glory. Some of my cousins who were experts in cooking the sausages wasted no time in tearing the wrapper apart. They sliced the sausages thin and threw them in the fire of heavenly bliss where they sizzled and teased us with its aroma. It had been awhile since the smell of Ho Hoy wafted in our home. We had two deep bowls of the sausages.
Aside of course from the bopis, kinilaw, pancit (two varieties!), barbecue. We were still waiting for the chicharon bulaklak! One of my cousins could not help herself because she was starting to eat the Hoy Hoy already. I knew she was doing that because we were together eating the sausages.
We said prayers not only for the food but for our health as well! And after doing so, right on cue the doorbell rang. It was my Tita with the chicharon bulaklak! I opened the door and there she was with the chicharon! She said something that if it were not for us the money she spent for the chicharon bulaklak would have gone to her facial!
I love my Tita! And so with much gusto, we ate the Ho Hoy and everything else. But it was Ho Hoy that was the star of the evening.
