Balut - Delicacy Offered at a Filipino Restaurant - Essay Example

Close Reading English 112 Lecturer: Balut is a delicacy offered at a Filipino restaurant in New York known as Maharlika in the East Village and due to the cultural significance of the food in Philipines, the hotel is frequented by Filipino immigrants who enjoy it among other traditional foods offered. Eating competitions targeting other people apart from Filipinos are held in the restaurant. Balut is consumed not only by South East Asian immigrants but also by other nationals including US citizens with a drive for adventurous food Cherry and Morris. I was invited by a Filipino colleague for dinner at Maharlika restaurant, which I gladly accepted as I also wanted to eat out to break the monotony of eating at home. On arrival at the hotel, we were welcomed by a smartly dressed lady in a white shirt and blue nicely fitting skirt. I later learnt was a headwaiter. She welcomed us in a professional manner and showed us to an unoccupied table close to the counter. The waiter gave us the menu to go through and as if to save time, she went through it mentioning the main dishes offered as I perused with little attention to what she was saying until I heard her mention the word Balut. I paused to look at her and she went on to underscore how favorite the food was among many patrons in the hotel. I asked the waiter to tell me more about ingredients and preparation of Balut. She explained that a duck’s egg prepared in the Filipino traditional style was the core component of the food. She said the egg is boiled and served when hot or warm and that it may not be as delicious if served when cold. My friend nodded in agreement and with a suggestive smile took the menu from my hands. I was curious and wanted to know more because I did not know anything unique in a duck’s egg apart from the fact that it is usually bigger than that of a chicken. The waiter informed me that other accompaniments depend on the tastes and preferences of the customer, for example ground pepper mixed with sour milk that is not fully fermented, lemon chips or garnish. Rice can also be served together with balut. What amazed me is the simplicity with which the waiter explained to me as if I was a member of the South Asian immigrant community who know balut. The waiter also informed me that apart from being a delicacy, balut has therapeutic value, which is the feature that is mostly sought after by immigrant South East Asians. According to Cherry and Morris, balut is known to strengthen the human immune system and was cholesterol free. I felt that I had come to the right place since I have always wanted to find appropriate food to replace the unhealthy fast foods that are common in the restaurant market of the US that are a significant source of cholesterol that is considered to be dangerous to human health. The cost of balut lowered my excitement as I came to realize that it was a high end product. The waiter informed me that one egg served with some seasonings cost $5. I was surprised because that was enough for fish and chips which are my favorite food whenever I decide to eat out of my home. Moreover, I was not sure that one egg and some additives would be enough for my supper. I felt that I needed something that I could fill my empty stomach with. However, I felt that the waiter had spent so much of her time explaining to me about the duck egg and how it is prepared. As if to pay back for the courtesy she demonstrated, I asked for two eggs and rice. The waiter happily went ahead to order while my friend checked the menu further trying to select what to eat. After a short while the waiter re-appeared with a plateful of rice and two eggs that were split at the middle such that the inside was visible. She smiled and said welcome as I moved my seat forward to check. I was flabbergasted by what I saw. I felt like throwing up when I saw the fetus of a duck tucked inside the cooked egg, with scanty feathers and some yellow liquid oozing from the fetus itself. I could not stand the site and felt annoyed, surprised and at the same time amused. I wondered if that was all and the waiter confirmed my fears by the look on her face. My friend understood the concern I had and pulled the plate towards his side. He apologized to me and said that he would eat it and that I could request for a different item on the menu. I felt a bit relaxed and with some tremor in my voice I asked the waiter for Coke and American pizza. The waiter with confusion written all over her face went away to fetch the new order. As she left, I began wondering what that was. Just as Gray wondered when a pig becomes pork, I also questioned if it was an egg or a duck. Or was it a duck inside an egg? (Gray 14). Writer’s Memo I had never had such experience in my life. I have been hearing that people eat weird things but it has never occurred in my mind that I could be very close to eating something that I could only expect to find in a ‘fear factor’ episode on television. I do not like to remember how I felt when my friend comfortably cleared the plate with gratification. Seeing him chew pieces of the eggs made me feel as if I was already swallowing big chunks. I recall very well the duck fetus and the yellow fluid that oozed from it, which I imagine going down my throat and I surely do not like it. The whole experience generated fear in me regarding food from different cultures other than my own as well as the generally recognized food such as pizza, potato chips and chicken which I am sure of. I also wonder if there are foods in my culture that other people would shun eating on the basis of weirdness or tastelessness. In writing this paper, I highly appreciate the courtesy of the waiter, which could also have influenced me to order the meal. With all due respect, I felt offended because the waiter did not give me enough information regarding the eggs, which in the first instance made me feel that it was a case of an unscrupulous supplier who sold eggs that had chicks in them. While writing this paper, this experience is still very fresh in my mind. Reflection The waiter in this case assumed that I was a consumer of balut. She casually told me that the eggs are prepared in the ‘Filipino traditional style’, which I think was a presumption that I knew this tradition. To a great extent, she expected me to be aware of balut as common food in South East Asia. She was surprised when I rejected the eggs with utter dismay, which could be against her expectations with regards to how other regular consumers enjoy the food. The least assumption that I expected from her was that because the restaurant is frequented mainly by Filipinos, everyone else was Filipino. She assumed that the therapeutic value of balut was a key point that could convince me to buy the food. I would have liked the waiter to disclose that balut is a traditional South Asian meal prepared from fertilized eggs that have been incubated for 19 days and with a fully grown fetus, they are boiled and served as normal eggs with some additives as I later learnt from my friend. I am not sure if she deliberately omitted that information or she assumed that I was aware about it. She should also have told me that not all people consider it a delicacy. This information could have helped me to make an informed decision whether to order for the eggs or not. I wish she did not highlight balut among other items in the menu because I would have selected a better meal that is familiar to me. Reference Cherry, P. & Morris, R. Domestic Duck Production: Science and Practice, Egham: CABI, 2008. Print. Gray, A. Museum of the Weird, Fiction Collective 2, 2010. Print.   Read More