It has become a joke we laugh about with my new Filipino friends: one day I told them that I would hate to be a chicken in the Philippines. One might ask why? Well, if you are a chicken, or a duck, and you're lucky enough to survive being a part of the scrambled eggs or an omelet, you may end up being consumed in the form of balut (fertilized duck egg). Balut has been introduced to me as a fear-factor challenge, yet it is a delicacy to the Filipino people, who prefer it to many other foods or snacks. Again, if this stage is survived and chicken/ duck do get a chance to see the light of day, and don't become a part of the famous adobo dish (something like chicken stew), there comes another challenge: cock fights. Unless you are a winning rooster, your days are over, and you will probably end up to be a part of tinola, or chicken soup. It's a lot of pressure...
When the conversation came to the topic of whether cock fights are popular in the Philippines, and if they take place on a regular basis, I could see the spark of excitement in people's eyes. "Would you like to go?", the question followed. "Absolutely," I replied. So today, after we removed our ID tags, we quietly proceeded to the cock pit arena, which is surprisingly just around the corner from the school. There were only two more women in this crowded establishment. The looks Sandra and I got as we walked in revealed a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.
Don't get me wrong, for me it's not about two roosters cutting each other with the spurs on their feet. I wanted to see this cultural phenomenon, and, most importantly, understand why it is so popular. I don't claim to be an expert in the Filipino culture, but it strikes me how much emphasis Filipinos put in the concept of "luck". I kept thinking of horse racing; yes, there's always a favorite, but who can really tell or know the outcome of the fight? Experts, trainers and experienced gamblers may know more, but there's never a guarantee. In fact, 3 out of 4 cock fights we've seen today ended with the underdog rooster taking the victory.
People in the Philippines face a lot of adversity on a regular basis. Floods, typhoons, poverty, unemployment, disease, destruction, just to name a few. Who wouldn't need luck in situations like that? How can one survive without some extra help? Filipinos are grateful for whatever keeps them safe and helps them go on, whether it's a patron saint, a Chinese lucky charm or a day of winning in the cock pit arena. At the end of the day, everyone hopes to have a better life than that of a chicken in the Philippines.
When the conversation came to the topic of whether cock fights are popular in the Philippines, and if they take place on a regular basis, I could see the spark of excitement in people's eyes. "Would you like to go?", the question followed. "Absolutely," I replied. So today, after we removed our ID tags, we quietly proceeded to the cock pit arena, which is surprisingly just around the corner from the school. There were only two more women in this crowded establishment. The looks Sandra and I got as we walked in revealed a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.
Don't get me wrong, for me it's not about two roosters cutting each other with the spurs on their feet. I wanted to see this cultural phenomenon, and, most importantly, understand why it is so popular. I don't claim to be an expert in the Filipino culture, but it strikes me how much emphasis Filipinos put in the concept of "luck". I kept thinking of horse racing; yes, there's always a favorite, but who can really tell or know the outcome of the fight? Experts, trainers and experienced gamblers may know more, but there's never a guarantee. In fact, 3 out of 4 cock fights we've seen today ended with the underdog rooster taking the victory.
People in the Philippines face a lot of adversity on a regular basis. Floods, typhoons, poverty, unemployment, disease, destruction, just to name a few. Who wouldn't need luck in situations like that? How can one survive without some extra help? Filipinos are grateful for whatever keeps them safe and helps them go on, whether it's a patron saint, a Chinese lucky charm or a day of winning in the cock pit arena. At the end of the day, everyone hopes to have a better life than that of a chicken in the Philippines.