Chapter Twenty-TwoInihaw na Manok
2 kilos of chicken thighs and legs
dollops of banana ketchup
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
6 pieces of calamansi
1 cup of soy sauce
1 clove of garlic
a butcher of a brother
1 suitor shaking in his boots
Three days after Valentine’s, after school, I find myself at the back of our house, watching Manang grill chicken thighs and legs skewered on a stick.
The chicken pieces have been marinated for two days in a concoction of banana ketchup, calamansi juice, soy sauce, ground garlic, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. As Manang grills the chicken, their skin, made sticky by the marinade, is starting to char, and I feel my own mouth water. Manang’s chicken barbeque has always been so juicy and tasty, and I just know this
