Feyma Martin

For a while, I have been cooking banana cookies.  They are a lot like banana bread, but in cookie form.  I have shared them with many visitors over the last few months, and they all seemed to enjoy them, and I know that Bob and the kids like them a lot too.  I got a request from Marilou if I could send her the recipe, so instead I decided to put the recipe here, since I know she reads this site.  I hope that you all enjoy them.  Bananas are really a key product of the Davao Region, so these cookies can really bring you a piece of Davao!

Banana Cookies by Feyma

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar and 2 tbsp of sugar- optional, just add this 2 tbsp of sugar if the banana is not ripe enough.
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup of mashed banana (really ripe one is the good one)
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg or mace
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup of pecans or walnuts or raisins or chocolate chips. (My favorite to mix is the raisins).

Procedures:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream the butter and the sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Mix the mashed bananas and the baking soda in a bowl and let it set for about 2 minutes.
3. Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt and spices into the butter and banana mixture and mix just until combined.
4. Put the chocolate chips or the raisins into the combined banana mixture. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet or onto a spray cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. You can also put the banana mixture onto the sprayed muffin pan. Bake it until golden brown maybe like 20 minutes.

Hope you guys like it. Here in the Philippines I tried to used the Lakatan, Murado and Saba kind of banana. I think our favorite is the Lakatan. Have fun cooking!

A few days ago I got a surprise text from my sister that a member of our family got pregnant. That sad part on this is the girl, she’s less than a year from graduating college. She didn’t even bother to informe her parents before the beginning of the enrollment that she will not be going back to school. Instead she let them spend a lot of money for the school tuition and uniforms. I know she’s really scared in telling her parents, but she should also think that the parents are in deep trouble with money just for her to continue. I’m pretty sure the parents borrowed money before enrollment starts. Well, she should have known the consequences.

I guess they tried to drop all of her subjects, but now, the school told her that they will not give any refund to the money that they paid the school. She was studying in a nice university, so the tuition is not cheap. The guy, he is also a student, a classmate of hers. The family doesn’t want that they will get married because as if both are not ready. As far as I know only the mom wanted them to get married. I guess the boyfriend said to the family that he is not yet ready to get married at this time. He wants to graduate first and find a job. For a lot of the sibling and the Dad they don’t want to force the guy into marriage, they want that after the baby’s born, let the girl go back to college and see if she still wants to marry the guy. They are both young and jobless to begin with.

I am really shocked with the generation now. A lot of the students now get pregnant, it seems. Just like our niece. We sent her to the best school here in Davao. Two years later in college she decided to move out to have a lot of freedom. We talked her into not moving out just finish school and she can move out after. At the end she decided to move out and a year later she had baby. I found out now that all of them in her circle of friends got pregnant out of wedlock. It is sad but I think they think its the trend nowadays, to have baby. They think it’s fun. I can see now that my niece was just played upon by that guy. He doesn’t really want to marry her, but she believes in what he said. We know its a bunch of lies. We just don’t want to get involved in it anymore, its her life. The same thing with the member of the family now. We don’t get involved, just that feeling sorry for the parents who work hard for their kids to finish up school and end up not finishing up.

Lucky for this girl that got pregnant now, most of her siblings finished up college and have job. The thing is, are they willing enough to sacrifice later for her to go back to school? They might already be getting married and have family of their own. Then she will end up not a graduate of college, and get a low paying job. As you know here it is hard to get a job if you are not a college graduate. Gosh, it’s a dilemma here continuously. Really I hope that the youngsters nowadays will get lesson that to have a baby is very expensive.

During my grade school days I ended up joining some money contest for a cause. At that time I didn’t even know that I was chosen to join. I was just informed by my parents that the principal and my teacher talked to them and asked them if I can join. Of course they told me that this is for the girl scouts, they wanted to raise some money for a project in school. Since I was a girl scout I was the one chosen at my classroom to represent. Each grade has to have one representative, and I was the one on fifth grade. Oh gosh, I hate to be in those kind of things To be the center of attraction.

Of course on this kind of contest you have to ask for money from the family and friends and some people that I don’t know. It’s embarrassing. I have to do it though. One time my dad told me that when ever the fish that was caught by our boat the money from that he will give it to me. A lot of my family were trying to raise money. It’s also become political, my schoolmate who was also part of the contest, her dad was getting kind of nasty about it. Later it was really them against us. Most of the people in our town supported me, even the mayor of the municipality and the next town from us. Even the richest guy in our place ask my dad if my dad wants to put a lot of money and he will give some share to the school. My dad told him that we will give what was given by the people and family and friends. He doesn’t want to really end up in debt just over this stuff. My dad said its nice to help but not to the extent that we will owe people some money. With that contest the school gets the half of the money that we put in. So my dad just wants to put the money from the people that help and from his pocket. I’m really glad that my dad didn’t go out and owe money because at the end we won anyway and no debt. Unlike our opponent they didn’t win, but they owe some money too.

Really the contest didn’t end there. The opponent wanted to have contest with another family member of mine and theirs. It’s getting personal I think if I remember. At the end my cousin won. It’s getting bad to the point that they are trying to cause a problem during coronation night. They are throwing rocks at the events. After that my family decided not to join anymore. It’s not worth it. Wow, thats almost 30 years ago. My partner on this contest, he’s a relative. Now, he is dead already. Hmm, most of you are calculating now how old I am? Well, I am 39 years old.

When I visited my place a few weeks ago. Me and my family are talking about it. Now we kind of laugh about it, and think how crazy the contest was before. Really our family is not involved in it anymore. Nowadays when they want to raise money they will just have like a disco party. The youngsters enjoy that better anyway.

And, this is how I became the 1980 “Mutya ng mga Iskaut” (Queen of the Scouts).

Any of you can share your childhood memories here?

Cheers!

You probably already read Bob’s column that my kids and I went to the farm of my parents to visit my mom. She’s not in good health now. I don’t know if she will even be staying for that long. Anyway, it was the first time that my 2 kids visit there. I was interested to see the reaction of my 2 boys since they are not used to going places they are not familiar with. I asked them if they are up to it in going there without computers, PSP and cable TV. They said that they wanted to go and see what their big brother is doing out there. See our oldest son, Chris stayed in the farm for over a month. They missed him. JeanJean likes to go there because the farm was her home before. Anyway, off we went.

We rode the bus from Davao to GenSan. It’s a 4 hour ride. When we got to GenSan my 2 sisters met us at the mall there. We got some stuff that we need in the farm. We also bought some stuff to bring Chris and my mom. Before we left GenSan for the farm I called up my nephew to pick us up at the jeepney stop so that he can get all our luggage. To make it fun I told him to bring the Kariton (carriage pulled by a Carabao). When the boys saw the Kariton they really were amazed by it. They wanted to ride right away, but I told them just later since our luggage was inside the Kariton anyway. On the way to the farm instead of walking we rode a tricycle so that it would be faster and its getting hot too, its a little bit past in the middle of the day already by the time we get to the farm. I think in just like 2 minutes of riding the tricycle we passed by the side of the river, not too big of a river. The kids already wanted to dip in the water. I can already see some twinkle in their eyes. When we got to my sister’s house, about 10 minutes of sitting at the terrace the Kariton arrived with our stuff. Man, the kids were just so happy seeing our stuff taken out of the Kartion.

They want to go somewhere and ride right away. My nephew just told them that he has to bring the Carabao to take a bath in the water with mud to cool off. So they waited for a few minutes and off they went and ride the Kariton. They also went to a small river thats not that far away from my sister’s house. They really swam there and stayed for a long time.

While they were out, I saw my brother-in-law working in the copra. I went there to help a little bit. Gosh, I remember when I was a kid, me and my sister would arrange the copra inside a drying place. First, you arrange it nicely, then down at the bottom you light a fire slowly to dry the copra so that it would be easily taken out from the shell. With my dad before we have to arrange the copra thoroughly, nowadays they will just throw all the copra with shell inside and its not really dried properly. I guess my dad just wants it nicely done. It’s really something seeing some old neighbors working with the copra. Thats how they put food on the table by just working like getting the copra out from the shell and they get paid by the piece. It’s like 100 pesos to 1000 pieces.

I visited our old house. Its not that far from my sister’s house. I had lots of memories in that place while growing up. During the time when my dad was the Barangay Captain, just next to our house was a big place for a basketball court. That court will also turn sometimes into a volleyball court or disco area. Most of you know that in every fiesta the cockfighting is present. My dad, he is not a gambler but lots of the people in the Barangay would really want to have that. They even get the permit for it. During fiesta time I can really remember that my parents would butcher like 4 pigs. Most of the people from the further town of Patag some that lives there are the natives, the B’laan (tribal people) they will come to eat. Of course they are invited by my parents. Most of our tenants they will come to help prepare the food. At that time the fiesta will last like 3 days. So much activity for everyone. Hmmm, that made me think. Maybe on the next fiesta I will bring the kids there to see what fiesta really is. They’ve never been to one yet. At least some of my siblings still carry the tradition that my parents started, feeding lots of people. I’m sure the kids will have a blast. I know I will.

When time for us to head home I asked the kids if they would want to come back again? They all said yes and they told me that next time they want that they would stay for a few weeks and wanted to help working in the copra and the corn. I told them that next time too they will help take care of the pigs and goats. They are now counting the days for the next day that they are off from school. I enjoyed seeing them get excited just over simple things there in the farm.

I went also to my school during grade school. Its not as good as it used to be. Hopefully the government and the principal and the people in Patag will work together to make that school better.

Well, I hope you guys now have an idea of what place I grew up in.

Nothing fancy, it’s just simple life!

I just wanted to write this story because it really is a big problem by some family here in the Philippines. Last week a cousin of mine arrived from Luzon. This is the first time in my life meeting her. She already heard of me through her brother who came here middle of last year. Their dad is the oldest child out of 7 children in my mom’s side of the family. Before my grandfather passed away in the mid 70’s I used to see my uncle almost every year. My uncle and my grandfather had a close relationship with my dad because my dad was really honest and respectful to them. My dad was the one who took care of my Lolo if he ever had problems with his land.

A few months ago my uncle died of a stroked. Before his death he always tells his kids to come to our province in Sarangani and get connected with the family and also get the share of the land that they have not even had a share for over 30 years. The kids of my uncle didn’t pay much attention at that time because my uncle and his wife were working on the land that was owned by the family of his wife, somewhere up north of Manila. Out of curiosity his youngest son really came here to Mindanao. He did come here last year and tried to claim what property belongs to them. I was happy that he did.

Well, at first he had a warm welcome from my cousins who live in Sarangani Province. Later when my cousin from Luzon wanted the share that belongs to his dad my cousins from Sarangani talked him out of it, try to forget the 30 years that they didn’t give anything. My cousin from Luzon said that he wished he could do that. It was agreed upon by his siblings before he his coming to GenSan that he will get the share that they didn’t get for 30 years. So he told my cousins from here that he wanted to get if and even if they will pay him slowly. I guess my cousins from here can’t come up with the money they just pointing fingers to each other. Some of my mom’s siblings live in Cebu City, Lanao Del Norte, Luzon, GenSan and some part of Sarangani Provice. One of the sibling in Sarangani Province should be the one taking care of the land, but the youngest sibling and her husband really got greedy and wanted all the share of the land. The husband would even scare my other aunt from Lanao when they come for a visit and wanted to get their share. When my mom was still in good health she would always say to the greedy aunt and her husband to give the share of the brothers and sisters. They just laugh and think they can get away with it. With my cousins now from Manila that come to get their share my greedy aunt and her husband were asking my sister what to do because they know they are in trouble. My sister told them to give what belongs to the sibling.

Last week when I saw my cousin she was really crying when we talked, she told the family in Sarangani that we should be hugging and loving each other instead of fighting. While my cousin was here at our house, I guess she got a call from the family from Sarangani that they have to see each other at the barangay hall to talk more with the barangay captain to resolve the issue. Well, her brother and some of my cousins and 2 of my siblings went to see the barangay captain. While my cousin from Manila was talking and telling my cousin that they will just get part of the 30 years. My cousin from Luzon were not even finished talking yet, one of my cousin from Sarangani slugged the cousin from Luzon in the face. My sister was really mad at my cousin from Sarangani. She told them that they really make themselves in more trouble now. I just could not believe what my other cousin has done just over money. Now my cousin from Manila told my sister that she is thinking of filing a case against some of my cousin from Sarangani. I told my sis I don’t blame the cousin from Luzon for that. They came here nicely, they should be treated nicely and fairly.

I wished my other aunt and uncle followed what was written in the papers that they all agreed upon a long time ago. This might not have happened. It’s really sad and disgusting. Just to be fighting to the point as if killing each other for just a small portion of the land.

Did anyone has similar problem? Any advice is really appreciated!