Poem by Eugene Gloria
uses milkfish to explore identity, cultural heritage, memory
milkfish → (a staple in Filipino cuisine, called bangus) → which takes meticulous effort to prepare due to many small bones
uses vivid imagery and metaphors; uses preparation and its significance as part of its narrative
act of preparing milkfish → allegory for
| Poem | Analysis |
|---|---|
| You feed us milkfish stew and long grain rice, make us eat blood soup with chili peppers, and frown at us when we lose our appetite | Milkfish is a Filipino staple. The author does not like this dish. It represents the rich Filipino culture and heritage |
| I remember when I was young and you told me of that monsoon: the Japanese Occupation— stories of a time before you met my father, when you learned the language of an occupied city in order to feed your family. | Talks about the Japanese occupation of Philippines. The author had learnt about it from the stories his mother had told him. She had to learn “the language of an occupied city” to ensure her family doesn’t go hungry. Contrast this with the above. Here, food is scarce unlike when the author is born and brought up in the US. His mother feeds him milkfish stew that is not only quite expensive but also requires a lot of effort and time. A delicacy back at home, the author dislikes it. |
| You were the pretty one at seventeen, your skin, white as milkfish. The pretty ones, you said, were always given more food— the Japanese soldiers sentried above the loft where you worked dropped sweet yams, and you caught them by the billow of your skirt. | White as milkfish; ties it back to milkfish talks about how her beauty was essential for her (and her family’s) survival. She was given more food because she was pretty. Also, the equation of beauty to fairness. |
| I remember you in sepia-brown photographs as a mestiza who equated liberation with Hershey bars and beige nylons from American GIs— and the season of the monsoon as dark as hunger was not about suffering but what you knew of beauty | recollection, memories, reconstruction of the past; hints that it might have been easier for his mother (relatively) due to her beauty |
Milkfish → type of fish
mestiza → a person of mixed ancestry, esp Native American and Spanish
Themes
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Cultural Identity and Heritage the act of preparing the milkfish = ritualistic connection to his Filipino roots
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Memory and Nostalgia bittersweet evoke memories of homeland, tradition, and family pain of separation
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Complexity of Identity