The Man with a Cane

THE MAN WITH A CANE. If this young man goes up the mountain and tire walking, he may improvise his sugarcane as a third-leg staff for support. When he gets hungry, he can use it as a food stuff too. That’s the versatility of the sugar cane – staff and stuff - in that order and not vice versa. You may laugh a little just to retain your modulation in saying “Hail to the SUGAR CANE!”

Clockwise in pictures: Young man with a Sugarcane, Turmeric, and dragon fruit produce of Calayan – including the young man with love as an additive.

Calayan used to be a producer of ‘basi’ (wine from sugarcane) contained in burnays (big earthen jars) way back when beers and gins are hard to come by and still unpopular in the island. The wine makers then have a free source of yeast, the ‘parek’ which is derived from the fruit (or flower) of the wild tree called “samak” which are used to make basi wine. The samak tree is still in abundance today in the mountains of Calayan. Local birds called ‘samut’ relish the fruit of this tree. When they have their fill, they get noisy. Sa yeast pa lang, nalalasing na!

Where have all the basi-wine makers of Calayan gone? Were they the relatives of the dwarves who were visible in the 50’s but disappeared in the 60’s? Calayan has a history of elves – yes your honors! Our late Lolo Enrique “Iking” Llopis passed funny elf stories to us which accordingly were based from their personal encounters with the little friendly halves.

But why don’t we see any more basi nowadays is the question. The culprit could be the commercial gins and/or brandys readily available on store shelves. Is it practical to go back to or revive basi wine making? I can’t say for now if it’s practical. All I know is that wine is good if taken in moderation.

Without the wooden press called “Dadapilan” (a simple machine of vertically positioned solid cylindrical hard wood with wooden gears operated by a carabao moving in a circular direction to squeeze the sugarcane juice), it may be a costly experiment to try this hardy pulp plant on the ‘bread mass machine’.

One surviving ‘dadapilan’ is said to be located at former Calayan Municipal Administrator Ms. Bella T. Llopis’ house now on display as an art collector’s item.

The Samak yeast may have been outdated, outmoded or outperformed by the pricey Canadian yeast. With a refractor priced at P26, 000.00 being used by a local bannayuyo wine maker to measure sugar, yeast and other ingredients for her wine-making business, the rest of the fold who estimate their formula by spoons may not fare well in the industry. With bannayuyo taking the limelight in the wine-making business and other fruits like mango, pineapple, banana among others filing their candidacy for the next wine show, the sugar cane may now be the Elvis Presley and the bannayuyo, the BTS of the music industry.

The original Elvis died as King of Rock and Roll. But then many Elvis look-alike, sound-alike (I’m not sure) emerged in Las Vegas including his costume, sunglasses and signature patilla. The basi could redeem its faded glory.

Just a few years ago, my Auntie Rosie Madayag Novencido of Baraoas, Naguilian, La Union sent me here in Calayan a long neck bottle of basi made from her own backyard with an added attraction – ginseng. Thank you Auntie.

Perhaps with a little chant here and a little canao there, the basi of Calayan may resurrect with a positive vengeance with the aura of La Union.

The Book of Genesis in the Bible KJV mentions ‘wine’ 12x; in Numbers, 8x; in Deuteronomy 13x; in Isaiah 20x. But I would like to share with you (the Letter of Saint Paul to the) Ephesians, Chapter 5:17-20 “¹⁷ Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.  ¹⁸ And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;  ¹⁹ Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; ²⁰ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

No wine translation could be found in the (Ilocano and) Tagalog versions which goes: “17Kaya't sinasabi ko ito at pinatototohanan sa Panginoon, na kayo'y hindi na dapat lumakad na gaya ng lakad ng mga Hentil, sa kawalang-saysay ng kanilang mga pag-iisip. 18Nagdilim ang kanilang mga pang-unawa, palibhasa'y nahiwalay sa buhay ng Diyos, dahil sa kanilang kamangmangan, dahil sa katigasan ng kanilang mga puso; 19sila'y naging manhid at ibinigay ang kanilang sarili sa kahalayan, sakim sa paggawa ng bawat uri ng karumihan. v20 Ngunit hindi sa gayong paraan ninyo natutunan si Cristo!