Palau Chessmate: (961) MUSIC AND ME (May 28, 2015) HERNANDEZ FAMILY REUNION (2015) Without Kaka Elly (Our Eldest Sister)

WITH the initiation from my brother Romeo Hernandez (next to me), a family reunion was held at a fish pond, exactly the same piece of land that my 92-year-old father used to cultivate to plant rice once a year.

In between the harvest, he used to catch shrimps, milk fish, tilapia fish and some small crabs. The piece of land (1 hectare) was sold by the owner about 15 years ago and Romeo was able to buy it back with the help from his 2nd oldest son Rommel Hernandez.

Instead of rice, they converted it into a fish pond where everybody else is doing because rice can't grow anymore there because the water is salty. They can make more money with cultivation/growing mangrove crabs, shrimps/prawns, milk fish and tilapia fish. They put in fingerlings of milk fish (5,000), crabs (3,000), shrimps and tilapia fish.

On June 12, we held the 2015 reunion there and all attendees (all of Romeo's kids except Rommel) have attended and were treated to a very fresh broiled milk fish, prawn, shrimps, oysters, mussels, steamed white rice and some preserved shrimps/fish "tagilao" which I haven't tasted for more that 30 years.

The 2 fishermen who are watching/guarding the place also caught some crabs (big and small) to add to the delight of everybody. Still alive being cooked for the freshest crab in the world. I also tasted again the fruit of 'kamatsile' that grows near the house built out of native materials.

30 years ago, the house there can fit only one person (my father). Romeo rented a karaoke machine and Bernardo Angeles Hernandez, our youngest brother got most 100 scores. When I sang Filipino song "Anak", I've got 100 also. When I sing Japanese song "For You" and Italian song "Volare', I've got my 2nd and 3rd 100 score. But when I sing Hawaiian song "You Make It Hard", it's only 91 because I didn't remember the tune of the first stanza. Before going home, the 2 fishermen catch some more fish and crabs and every family were given 12 milk fish, 2 crabs and 3 tilapia fish each to take home. The 2 crabs weigh already 1 kilo which can be sold for 480 pesos ($11.00).

With Hannah Monaflor E. Hernandez, Jordan Hernandez and Jhayce Hernandez in Hagonoy, Bulacan.

Bernardo Angeles Hernandez knows how to operate a banca manually. When he steps on it, he almost fell to the water because the banca move and he's not yet establish his balance. He hang on by clinging to a bamboo pole to the delight of everybody. I shouted, "You're a stuntman!"
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

Uncle Subring, left, has been a fish pond worker for many, many years so he knows how to tie the pincher of a mangrove crab. Grace and her friend are happy to see a live crab being tied to avoid getting hurt.
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

This big mangrove crab has one pincher only and still not fat enough so it was thrown back to the pond. A few hours later, they caught it again and thrown back to the water again.

My Uncle Subring Santos, 2nd from left, is married to my Aunt Gloria for more than 50 years. Before going to Japan in 1982, I brought all members of our band (First Quarter Band) to their fish pond and they experienced the same fresh seafood delights on that day.

FUNNY MEMORIES OF FIRST QUARTER BAND IN JAPAN

(April 04 - Sept. 28, 1982)

I knew from the start that our trip to Japan to perform at Hayashida Hotel in Kagoshima City, Japan is real because we were given our one month salary in advance, 3 weeks before our departure.

Unlike today that you have to pay big amount for placement fees to the agency, the trip is all-expense paid although it's only for 6 months.

After getting our one-month advance payment, I invited all members of the group for an outing to my uncle's fish pond.

They prepared fried noodles (pancit) and pork adobo (stewed pork).

We traveled through the river on a long, motorized banca (boat made from long log) for 20 minutes.

When we reached the fish fond, all of them experienced real fresh sea foods. My uncle Subring gets a bunch of bamboo from the river filled with oysters attached to it. It goes directly to the boiling water, dip it for a few seconds and started to get the oysters with a knife and put it in a sauce consisting of vinegar, salt, pepper, and onions.

My cousin has a net and it caught a big milk fish. He throws the jumping fish to our singer Jane Ramas. She's afraid and excited at first because it's her first time to see a live milk fish. All milk fish you can see at the market are dead for a few hours or even days. Tilapia fish can live longer so you can still buy at the market some live tilapia fish. In Bulacan and many other market places in Philippines, the vendors offered to clean the milk fish and tilapia fish that you bought. It's one way of saving time in cleaning and disposing the fins and intestines of those fishes.

She picked it up, hold it firmly and put it straight to the barbecue grill. THERE'S NO OTHER GRILLED FISH FRESHER THAN THAT!

My uncle Subring also get some mussels from the river also attached to the bamboo. It makes a good soup if cook with water, onion, garlic, ginger, salt and chili leaves.

There are also some shrimps, crabs and tilapia fish--all alive when cooked.

NOBODY AMONG US EAT THE FRIED NOODLES AND PORK ADOBO THAT WE BROUGHT. WE LEAVE IT FOR UNCLE, HIS WIFE AND KIDS BECAUSE THEY CRAVE FOR THOSE WHILE WE THAT LIVE IN THE CITY CRAVE FOR FRESH SEAFOOD.

Three tilapia fish and 4 milk fish were caught using a throwing net. It's ineffective so they used a long net (about 400 feet long and 4 feet high) to get some fish for the guests.

Source: Music and Me (Perfect Combination)
   The Beginning of Chess in Palau
   By Roberto Hernandez
   1982- 2015
   To be published as a book in the future