Musings on "Batibot" and Smoked Milkfish

The TV program Batibot and its accompanying soundtrack remains a part of our childhood memories. One of the catchiest songs from that soundtrack is "Tinapang Bangus" (Tagalog: Smoked Milkfish).

Main cast of Batibot

Photo Credit: Wazzup Pilipinas 

It was about three decades ago when I first heard Kiko Matsing and Pong Pagong singing the repeating lines that attest to the deliciousness of smoked milkfish:

Tinapang bangus, tinapang bangus

Masarap ang tinapang bangus ...

Recently, while at the supermarket, I suddenly remembered this song. As I looked into the freezer in the seafood section, I noticed the neatly stacked packages of smoked and deboned milkfish.

(The milkfish is much bonier than other food fish. I prefer it deboned to enjoy the mild, slightly creamy flavor. For most people, the belly is the choice part of the milkfish.)

With the tune of "Tinapang Bangus" playing in my head, I reflected on the contrasting forces of heat and cold: heat that creates its distinct flavor, and cold that extends its shelf life.

My mind then veered towards various aspects of this ray-finned fished found throughout the Indo-Pacific.

In the Philippines, milkfish is popularly known as the national fish. However, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts has declared that this is not the case as it has no basis in Philippine law.

The fish plays a major role in the economy of Dagupan that this city in Pangasinan province hosts the annual Bangus Festival.

Meanwhile, the reverse-racist Filipino term mestisang / mestisong bangus is used to refer to someone who is half-European or half-American.

In 1963, a film titled Mestisang Bangus was produced by a company called Golden Harvest Promotion.

I am imagining that the funds used to create the Mina Aragon were derived from a bountiful bangus harvest.

As I realized that I was staying too long near the freezer, I did not overthink further. I bought the smoked milkfish—and I will enjoy it fried (not mestizo/mestiza anymore) while recalling the moments I spent watching Batibot as a child.

Fried Tinapang Bangus

Photo Credit: Devour.Asia