64 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN IM '"°fvo£xxi£ 



When large game has been secured at such a distance from the house that it must be cooked 

 in the forest, it is cut into quarters, and broiled over a heaping fire. This is the invariable method 

 of cooking the heads even of domestic pigs. Chicken heads, legs, and wing ends are invariably 

 broiled, while the intestines are wrapped up in leaves and cooked better than might be supposed, 

 though the flavor, to my taste, is not the most delicate. They seem, however, to be a choice 

 morsel to the majority of my Manobo friends. Monkeys, frogs, and the forest carrion lizard are 

 always broiled. 



Camotes and taro are usually cooked unpeeled in the common earthen pot. About a half 

 a liter of water is used in an ordinary pot, so that the process is practically one of steaming. 

 If the pot has no cover, or if the imported pan be used, leaves are employed to confine the heat. 



A favorite dish of the Manobo and an indispensable one of the Mandaya is the famous 

 d-pai. 30 This consists of taro tops (stem and leaves) cut up fine and cooked with water, red 

 pepper, mint, semiwild tomatoes, and any other vegetable seasoning which may be on hand. 

 This makes a very palatable and wholesome dish. 



FOOD RESTRICTIONS AND TABOOS 



Certain birds such as the hornbill, wild chicken, varieties of wild pigeons, and a few others, 

 must not be divided and given to anyone else before eating. They must be cooked by the 

 broiling method 31 and not in water. After cooking, these birds can not be partaken of by any- 

 one who is not a relative or a member of the household. Neither should a part of a bird 

 belonging to a stranger be accepted or partaken of. The whole bird or nothing must be offered. 

 An infringement of these restrictions would lead, it is believed, to serious results, 32 such as ill 

 luck to the hunting dogs, tangling of the snares, and other misfortunes. 33 



An unmarried man who has ever made indecent suggestions to a woman is prohibited from 

 eating wild-boar meat. The guilty one must free himself from this restriction by making a 

 small present to a priestess. A violation of this taboo would be prejudicial to the success of the 

 hunting dogs. 



The use of lard in cooking is interdicted, but it may be eaten raw, even when its smell is 

 not the most wholesome. 



On a few occasions, I noticed that some individuals abstained from rice or from chicken. 

 I was unable to elicit any other reason for the abstinence than the good pleasure of the persons 

 concerned. As they admitted that they had been accustomed to use these foods and would use 

 them again after certain periods, I suspect religious motives for the abstinence. 



MEALS 



ORDINARY MEALS 



Though it may be said that three meals a day are not the rule among the Man6bos, yet 

 they eat the equivalent of three or more, for between pieces of sugarcane and munchings of wild 

 fruit, 34 they keep replenishing the inner man pretty constantly. They eat breakfast at about 

 9 o'clock in the morning, dinner about 1 p. m., and supper at any hour between 6 and 9 p. m. 



All being ready for the meal, the inmates of the house squat down upon the floor, the husband 

 with his wife and children apart, male visitors and the unmarried portion of the house eating 

 together. Slaves eat when all have finished, and get what is left in the pots. 



Just before beginning to eat, the host and, in fact, everybody except the women, tenders 

 to visitors and others who have come in an invitation to join in the meal and nobody will begin 



10 Mandaya, uq-but. 



ai Ddng-dang. 



" Ma-ko-li-hi. 



» In the upper Agusan the partition of such small birds would lead, I was told, to a dismemberment of the family. 



a * There are many wild fruits in the Agusan Valley, the most common of which are: The famous durian (Durio zibethinus), the jackfruit, idnka 

 (Artocarpus integrifolia 1. f.), lanzones (Lansium domesticum Jack.), mdk&pa (Eugenia javanica Lam.), mdmbug, tdmbis, kanditi, kdtom (Dillenia 

 sp.), and the fruit of the rattan (kapi). Most of these are of a sour acid nature but for this reason seem to be relished all the more. 



