A favorite dish of the Manóbo and an indispensable one of the Mandáya is the famous á-pai.30 This consists of taro tops (stem and leaves) cut up fine and cooked with water, red pepper, mint, semiwild tomatoes, and any other vegetable seasoning which may be on hand. This makes a very palatable and wholesome dish.
30Mandáya, ug-bús.
FOOD RESTRICTIONS AND TABOOS
Certain birds such as the hornbill, wild chicken, varieties of wild pigeons, and a few others, must not be divided and given to anyone else before eating. They must be cooked by the broiling method 31 and not in water. After cooking, these birds can not be partaken of by anyone who is not a relative or a member of the household. Neither should a part of a bird belonging to a stranger be accepted or partaken of. The whole bird or nothing must be offered. An infringement of these restrictions would lead, it is believed, to serious results,32 such as ill luck to the hunting dogs, tangling of the snares, and other misfortunes.33
31Dáng-dang.
32Ma-ko-lí-hi.
33In the upper Agúsan the partition of such small birds would lead, I was told, to a dismemberment of the family.
An unmarried man who has ever made indecent suggestions to a woman is prohibited from eating wild-boar meat. The guilty one must free himself from this restriction by making a small present to a priestess. A violation of this taboo would be prejudicial to the success of the hunting dogs.
The use of lard in cooking is interdicted, but it may be eaten raw, even when its smell is not the most wholesome.