Rudy is an unassuming man. He doesn’t pretend to be somebody because he is SOMEBODY. He doesn’t mince words either if he’s got the chance to talk. He blares out, dude! He means what he means. Literally! No nonsense, whatsoever.
A few weeks earlier, he hinted on inviting us to his birthday in his hometown of Borbon. I’ve never been to Borbon before and I knew nothing about this town except that it’s in far north. Honestly, I was so excited in going with the group not because it’s his birthday but because I want to go places I’ve never gone before.
I hope Nong Rudy doesn’t get me wrong. Of course, I purposely went there to celebrate with you on your birthday.
The group agreed to assemble between 6:00 and 6:30 A.M. at the north bus terminal. Indeed, everybody was there within the timeframe. Amazing! Very professional in every way. In this group, everybody loves to honor his words.
If he were a bird and early birds catches worms, Mr. Gabe would definitely have more than a handful of worms. He went there just before any rooster could crow to welcome the new day. All other birds might cry foul for his being too early.
This author arrived at the terminal a few minutes before 6:00 AM and the rest followed at short intervals until 6:24 AM. Mr. Vin was the last to arrive and clocked in at 6:24. So we’re able to catch the early trip to Borbon at the desired time. We set off at exactly 7:00 AM.
We arrived in Nong Rudy’s place more than 2 hours later. Nong Rudy’s household were very busy in the kitchen when we arrived. Seemed like a grand feast is in the offing. Seemed like hundreds of people will partake in the banquet on that day. A couple of persons were skinning a goat while another couple was dressing native chickens. Still another pair butchered a turkey while the rest busied themselves with table preparation and other cooking assignments. It was incredible!
Nong Rudy’s wife must have sensed we’re starving. She readied a basket of rice cakes for us to munch on while waiting for the big feast coming ahead. True enough, everybody gobbled on the sweet delicacy before Nong Rudy offered them to us. How embarrassing! But who cares!? Anyone with a grumbling stomach wouldn’t take a second chance when food is in sight.
After a few minutes, and before our stomach could digest the rice cakes the table was now ready for the preliminary banquet. On the centerpiece was a steaming bowl of native chicken soup. I drooled like a hyena ready to snatch on the leopard’s bounty. Around it, plates of stewed whole native chickens I lost count of. Another plates lay fried chicken and some pork dishes.
All eyes seemed were at the table already but we need to say a short prayer for God’s blessings, prolonging our agony a little bit more. But before Mr. Boy Moreno, our president, could say ‘Amen’, some were already twisting and pulling out the chicken legs. Some were already spooning out rice to their plates. Everybody ate like they fasted for days. In a few seconds, not even shadows of the chicken were in sight.
But that’s only a preliminary feast. The true banquet was still coming. We allowed our chicken meal to digest by guzzling on coco wine (tuba) while having a fun conversation mostly on the just-concluded seminars.
A few minutes past 12:30 PM, Nong Rudy cued it’s time for our lunch. Now call it a binge if you like but it’s true. This is the culminating and the grandest feast for Nong Rudy’s birthday. The centerpiece? The much-awaited delicacy everybody was anticipating. Stewed chevon! That’s goat meat, dude! It didn’t take us more than a few seconds to get up from our seats to go on another eating bout.
The stewed chevon was terrific! It was one of the great-tasting stewed chevon I ever had in my life. Nong Rudy really meant what he meant. That his birthday would surely be an event for COFGA.
Once again, belated happy birthday to Nong Rudy! We wish you good luck and we wish you’ll have more birthday celebrations in the future like the one you had recently. We wish your goats have good health and will reach another year.
