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Sugar and Salt
An egg binds time in a place where lightning is a playmate of women and girls, but a gift of a mirror presages the destruction of what had been a haven for the female... This modern fable is of such surprising juxtapositions, reflecting the seemingly trite but assuredly cruel twists of Philippine women's history.
- GenresFiction
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
6 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Ninotchka Rosca
12 books90 followersNinotchka Rosca is an outstanding contemporary writer, human rights activist and feminist. She is the author of six books: her short story collections include Bitter Country and Monsoon Country; her two novels are State of War and Twice Blessed which earned the 1993 American Book Award for excellence in literature; and her books of non-fiction are Endgame: The Fall of Marcos and Jose Maria Sison: At Home in the World - Portrait of a Revolutionary. Rosca's short stories have been included in several anthologies, among them, the 1986 Best 100 Short Stories in the U.S. compiled by Raymond Carver and the Missouri Review Anthology. She is a two-time recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and a frequent contributor to Ms. Magazine, The Nation, Village Voice, Q and other U.S. and European periodicals.
Rosca is an internationally-known activist for human rights. A political prisoner under the Marcos regime in the Philippines, she was forced into exile when threatened with a second arrest. Rosca has participated in numerous world forums and conferences for human rights. She serves on the board of the Survivors Committee, a network of former political prisoners and human rights activists. She has also been in leadership positions with Amnesty International and the PEN American Center.
Rosca was a founder and the first national chair of the GABRIELA Network (AF3IRM/GABnet), a Filipina-American women’s rights organization in the United States. She is the international spokesperson of GABRIELA Network's Purple Rose Campaign against the trafficking of women, with an emphasis on Filipinas. She is also a board member of The Sisterhood Is Global Institute and the initiating committee of Mariposa Alliance.
She was active in planning the UN Conference on Women which took place in Beijing, China. Rosca is particularly concerned with women's human rights focusing on the issues of sex tourism, trafficking, the mail-order bride industry, and violence against women.
For her achievements, Rosca has been designated as one of the 12 Asian American Women of Hope by the Bread and Roses Cultural Project. These women were chosen by scholars and community leaders for their courage, compassion and commitment in helping to shape society. They are considered role models for young people of color, who, in the words of Gloria Steinem, "have been denied the knowledge that greatness looks like them."
Source: Speak Out
Rosca is an internationally-known activist for human rights. A political prisoner under the Marcos regime in the Philippines, she was forced into exile when threatened with a second arrest. Rosca has participated in numerous world forums and conferences for human rights. She serves on the board of the Survivors Committee, a network of former political prisoners and human rights activists. She has also been in leadership positions with Amnesty International and the PEN American Center.
Rosca was a founder and the first national chair of the GABRIELA Network (AF3IRM/GABnet), a Filipina-American women’s rights organization in the United States. She is the international spokesperson of GABRIELA Network's Purple Rose Campaign against the trafficking of women, with an emphasis on Filipinas. She is also a board member of The Sisterhood Is Global Institute and the initiating committee of Mariposa Alliance.
She was active in planning the UN Conference on Women which took place in Beijing, China. Rosca is particularly concerned with women's human rights focusing on the issues of sex tourism, trafficking, the mail-order bride industry, and violence against women.
For her achievements, Rosca has been designated as one of the 12 Asian American Women of Hope by the Bread and Roses Cultural Project. These women were chosen by scholars and community leaders for their courage, compassion and commitment in helping to shape society. They are considered role models for young people of color, who, in the words of Gloria Steinem, "have been denied the knowledge that greatness looks like them."
Source: Speak Out
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 19, 2012
This is a short fable about Melchora Aquino (1812-1919), who is known here in the Philippines as the "Grand Woman of the Revolution" and "Mother of Balintawak." Aquino was 84 when the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish government started in 1898. She was a single parent with 6 children and was operating a small store in Balintawak. She opened her house to the rebels. She tended the injured ones, fed the hungry, prayed for the souls of the dying. In her honor, there is a district and a whole stretch of road in Quezon City named after her. She was the first Filipino woman whose face appeared on the Philippine peso banknote. Also, according to Wiki, there is a street in San Francisco, California bearing her name. Indeed, her generosity, bravery and love for her country have earned her these lasting honors. What a life from being a simple struggling single parent operating a small grocery.
Now, the book.
It's about the dying Melchora Aquino and the nine gifts that she is leaving to her country. Each gift symbolizes her legacies: (1) church in the volcano's shadow and a watchtower on a crag overlooking the seashore - is Catholicism bereft of the friar's excesses; (2) mirror - symbolizes feminism, if you are a man, you look at yourself and you see the semblance of your mother in you; (3) finery of women - symbolizes the unique beauty of the Filipina. When Aquino was young she was the prettiest in her town so she was chosen, several times, as the Reyna Elena in her town's Santacruzan; (4) blue porcelain jar - symbolizes the nurturing love of mothers and could also symbolize the essence of a woman - to create and give life in her womb; (5) salt - emphasis what is written in the bible that we should all be salts of the earth.; (6) water buffaloes - symbolize hard work and collective action of the Filipinos towards prosperity; (7) sungka - symbolizes the joy, innocence and spontaneity of a child. That woman should also have fun to be happy and live long meaningful lives; (8) homes - the wife is normally referred to as the homemaker and ilaw ng tahanan (light of the home) and this still holds through even up to now that both father and mother are working and earning to support the family; and (9) knowledge and wisdom - that all these roles and essence of being a woman should stay forever.
Very beautiful book for a very beautiful Filipina: Melchora "Tandang Sora" Aquino.
Thank you to my equally beautiful friend DC, for lending this book to me!
Now, the book.
It's about the dying Melchora Aquino and the nine gifts that she is leaving to her country. Each gift symbolizes her legacies: (1) church in the volcano's shadow and a watchtower on a crag overlooking the seashore - is Catholicism bereft of the friar's excesses; (2) mirror - symbolizes feminism, if you are a man, you look at yourself and you see the semblance of your mother in you; (3) finery of women - symbolizes the unique beauty of the Filipina. When Aquino was young she was the prettiest in her town so she was chosen, several times, as the Reyna Elena in her town's Santacruzan; (4) blue porcelain jar - symbolizes the nurturing love of mothers and could also symbolize the essence of a woman - to create and give life in her womb; (5) salt - emphasis what is written in the bible that we should all be salts of the earth.; (6) water buffaloes - symbolize hard work and collective action of the Filipinos towards prosperity; (7) sungka - symbolizes the joy, innocence and spontaneity of a child. That woman should also have fun to be happy and live long meaningful lives; (8) homes - the wife is normally referred to as the homemaker and ilaw ng tahanan (light of the home) and this still holds through even up to now that both father and mother are working and earning to support the family; and (9) knowledge and wisdom - that all these roles and essence of being a woman should stay forever.
Very beautiful book for a very beautiful Filipina: Melchora "Tandang Sora" Aquino.
Thank you to my equally beautiful friend DC, for lending this book to me!
June 4, 2012
This is a book of so few pages. It is, however, so heavy to carry around. Oh, so heavy.
It is but a simple story, a fable. It is of so few words, but it is of so much thought.
It deals with a history of a people, a people whose identity seems quite vague, but an identity that is carried through a lineage (?) of a chosen few (of the few who chose -- and who seem to dwindle with each generation). It talks about the Filipino.
It also, interestingly enough, deals with sugar and salt, both of which have had their parts in shaping the Filipino consciousness and culture. It's amazing how the stories of old have been summarized here in such an artistic and heartfelt, heart-wrenching way. (While reading this, I felt like I was watching a very artsy movie.)
Special care has been taken to put woman in the middle of it all. As if it's her place? As if it's her place.
I don't think I have the words to explain this. It's too moving, too mysterious for me to convey my feeling about it. (I have let others read this as well, and they too can't seem to define exactly how they felt after reading this - except that it's "wonderful".) As a Filipino, I was most touched. As a reader, I was most astounded. This will stay with me for a long, long time.
It is but a simple story, a fable. It is of so few words, but it is of so much thought.
It deals with a history of a people, a people whose identity seems quite vague, but an identity that is carried through a lineage (?) of a chosen few (of the few who chose -- and who seem to dwindle with each generation). It talks about the Filipino.
It also, interestingly enough, deals with sugar and salt, both of which have had their parts in shaping the Filipino consciousness and culture. It's amazing how the stories of old have been summarized here in such an artistic and heartfelt, heart-wrenching way. (While reading this, I felt like I was watching a very artsy movie.)
Special care has been taken to put woman in the middle of it all. As if it's her place? As if it's her place.
I don't think I have the words to explain this. It's too moving, too mysterious for me to convey my feeling about it. (I have let others read this as well, and they too can't seem to define exactly how they felt after reading this - except that it's "wonderful".) As a Filipino, I was most touched. As a reader, I was most astounded. This will stay with me for a long, long time.
September 19, 2012
Book #61 for 2012: Women's history. Profound. Mysterious. Head-trip. For a small book, it packed a lot of punch. I was reeling while reading it.
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October 1, 2020I have no idea how to feel about this. On one hand, it’s short and sweet (heh) and easy to digest and tells a good story (an important one). On the other, Rosca has supported and defended J. K. Rowling’s transphobia, which is a giant red flag. IDK. I liked this book but I also don’t like it enough. Eh.
September 23, 2022
LOVE!! Ninotchka Rosca is one of my all time favorite authors because of this gem of a book. Modern day fable with a concise feminist history of the Philippines.
November 11, 2022
Short but incense. An examination of colonialism, culture, and feminism. Great illustrations as well.
November 7, 2016
A glimpse of how Filipinas were oppressed during the colonial period. Subtly debunks the myth that Westerners were always advanced in terms of feminism. Lol
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews