As a child, my mother never thought much about cockroaches because for them, they were part of the household just as carrabaos were farm hands. It was a familiar site in their Spanish style houses, often found at the basement, where the harvests of rice, corn, vegetables and other fruits were kept. Unless the roaches didn’t bother anyone or step on any cooked food, it was okay, otherwise, they landed at the bottom soles of the helper’s wooden slippers.
It was only when I was growing up that the campaign for exterminating cockroaches were rampant as it was hazardous and filthy. I still remember the RAID commercial where a can of insecticide killer was featured with muscular arms pounding on nervous cockroaches scampering everywhere fearful of the can’s power. Eventually, wherever nook and crany the roaches went, the spray hand would always knock them dead. No Escape!
But of course, concerns about mists landing on food while spraying was suspect for food poisoning. The era of my children came when animal brutality was frowned upon. Surely, the cockroach was a necessity, at least in the food chain. Why then would God make them in the first place. Thoughts of subjecting pests to a brutal holocaust treatment was not an option, at least not when other living beings were concerned. Humans, because of their compassion and intelligence, created the killer CHALK! Yes, the killer chalk, with its insecticide component, was a tool to give the cockroach intelligence. Let them decide their fate.…By drawing a line, a roach could fulfill its destiny. It’s the human’s territorial compromise.. Okay, roach!! Cross those boarders, and you’re a dead pest!. Its your choice, it’s your move. Come inside my house when you’re not invited and you’re a goner…It’s as simple as that…And yes, there were some chalks that are effective.
Even if a house is immaculate clean, there will be roaches everywhere for as long as there are three things. Food, Water and Shelter. And all homes have those elements. They can live in a crack somewhere in your home and remain there for ages. Not until its rowdy nth generation offspring tend to wander out of their abode will the humans find out that there’s a city of roaches behind those manicured walls. Only then will chaos break loose.
There are many kinds of cockroaches such are there are many cultures and races in the world. The ones we find in the Philippines are much bigger and more ’garapal’ as they say. They appear as fast as they disappear. But in the colder climates, they tend to be much smaller and dumber because when they go into man's territory, they're like probinsyanos feeling their way around.
Such was what my 3 year old grand daughter saw . A tiny cockroach about less than an inch crawling on the underside of a kitchen wall. By instinct she screamed and pounded on the insect with her delicate foot, not wanting to kill but decapitate it so as to throw it away. Her mother ran to see the commotion, saw the wriggly insect and stepped on it for the fatal blow. At an instant , my apo screamed and cried.
“no mommy, no kill it” cried Andrea.
“But why?” her mother asked.
“What about his mommy, and daddy and his brothers,” said Andrea. “They might look for him, and when they find out you killed it, they might come and get you.”
I swear, that my grandkid has never seen the animated Pixar’s movie titled ’ WALL-E‘, where the lead robot’s best friend was a cockroach. The animal rights movement would have kissed my grandchild if they knew the conversation between mother and child. Start them young in learning animal rights.,they would say.
Cockroaches are really pests and there’s many sitting in the government. The song, “La Cucuracha” translated as 'the cockroach' originated from Mexico and was meant for politicians more than anything else. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it!
Oh and my friend who wrote about that issue last week- well he went to a doctor one day because he woke up with swolen lips. The diagnosis was a cockroach bite. And I thought only frogs did the kissing. !!! Could you imagina a 56 year old male, with receding salt and pepper hairline, having lips like Angelina Jolie's? I can... Now that’s an instant free botox plump lip treatment--and we thought roaches were useless….
Here’s the recipe I promised. Please say the name with a French accent
COQ AU ROUGE ET THYM
(pronounced in visayan: COCKROACH ITIM…just kidding!)
(chicken with wine in thyme)
Coq au rouge or most commonly known as coq au vin was a dish using rooster and wine. History tells, that after one of his battles, Napoleon B. stopped by an Inn for some food. The Innkeeper only had roosters, so he cooked that and added lots of wine to the dish thereby not only enhancing the flavor but softening the meat as well. Moreover, to thicken the sauce, they would use chicken blood This dish became one of the best dishes in France. It is best served with mashed potatoes or noodles, depending upon your choice. This is already a derivation of that dish.
Chicken cut up in pieces
Oil for frying
1/2 bottle red wine (thus the name rouge for red/ or vin for wine)
2 large onions (or 4 medium onions)
¼ pound (125 g.) of bacon/ or pancetta
2 stalks celery
2 large carrots
2 cloves chopped garlic
10 sprigs thyme tied together
1 cup chicken broth (found in tetrapak at grocery stores or just water with bouillon cubes can do)
Butter
Flour
Mushrooms
Onions
brandy 2 TB
Take out the skin and season the meat with salt and pepper. Using a dutch oven fry chicken by batches in hot oil. Set aside. In the same pan, place in bacon or pancetta and when cook, add the mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery) until soft. add brandy. Sprinkle flour and mix with the vegetables, then put back chicken.
Add the wine, garlic, herbs and chicken broth. Simmer for a few minutes . Cover and Place in oven for 2 hours.
A few minutes before its done, saute onion and mushroom in butter in a skillet.
Before serving, add mushrooms to the dish..In my case, I placed the mushrooms at the center of my mashed potatoes and placed the chicken on top. Check your seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste....then Plate. Garnish with parsley. (you can also use noodles)
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