(2025, February 01). Granville Island, Vancouver, CA — Carmela Sison’s Lasa ng Imperyo tortuously explores Philippine history, politics, and cultural identity junctures, using the dish rellenong bangus (stuffed milkfish) as a central metaphor. This play digs into the complexities of colonialism, Filipino cuisine’s evolution, and capitalism’s enduring influence on Filipino tastes in life. Through the lens of food, it provokes us to reflect on the legacies of colonial rule, the commodification of culture, and the current realities of the Philippines’ political and economic struggles.
Rellenong Bangus as a Metaphor for Colonial Influence and Global Exchange
Rellenong bangus embodies more than just Filipino cuisine; it symbolizes the Philippines’ rich colonial history. The dish, a milkfish stuffed with vegetables, spices, and sometimes meat, evolved under Spanish colonization. While the concept of stuffing fish can be traced to European influence, the final product incorporated ingredients like garlic, onions, and vinegar. Thus, rellenong bangus represents a fusion of foreign and local influences, like the Philippines, reshaped through centuries of colonialism.
Spanish rule, lasting over three centuries, introduced European culinary techniques, and the resulting dish mirrors the cultural and social transformation brought by colonization. Through the evolution of Filipino cuisine, we can understand the broader imposition of colonial structures. The dish’s evolution, incorporating Spanish and Filipino elements, reflects how the Philippine archipelago was transformed: its culture, labour, and resources co-opted by imperial powers. This parallel between the dish’s history and the country’s colonial past accentuates the profound impact of foreign rule on Filipino identity.
Colonialism and Slavery: The Legacy of Exploitation
In Lasa ng Imperyo, rellenong bangus also serves as a window through which we can examine the legacy of exploitation that persists in Philippine society. Spanish and American colonization relied heavily on forced labour. The encomienda system, under which Filipinos were made to work on plantations and in mines, reflects the wide-ranging patterns of abuse that affected all aspects of society, from labour to culture.
This historical context of slavery and exploitation persists today in the form of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the systemic inequalities that continue to exist in the Philippines. The dish’s ingredients—local fish and imported spices— are a metaphor for the Philippines’ ongoing economic subjugation. Just as rellenong bangus was shaped by a mixture of indigenous and foreign elements, modern Filipino society grapples with colonial rule’s legacies. The labour of Filipinos, especially in agriculture and overseas employment, remains underpaid and browbeaten, much like the resources extracted during colonial times.
Capitalism and the Commodification of Culture
Sison’s play also critiques capitalism’s role in shaping Filipino identity. Rellenong bangus, once a symbol of Filipino ingenuity and tradition, has been commodified in the global marketplace. Filipino food, including rellenong bangus, has found its place in international restaurants and food festivals. Yet, much of its original cultural significance is lost in the process. Like many elements of Filipino culture, the dish is repackaged and commercialized for global consumption, highlighting the tension between cultural preservation and economic manipulation.
This commercialization mirrors broader capitalist dynamics in the Philippines. As global markets commodify Filipino culture, local traditions and identities are often transformed into marketable products, stripped of their historical and cultural context. This trend is particularly evident in how Filipino cuisine is presented to international audiences. While Filipino food gains popularity, it risks being flattened into a “globalized” product devoid of its deeper cultural meanings. Similarly, Philippine politics and its national identity are often subject to external economic forces, where profit-driven interests dictate political outcomes rather than the welfare of the people.
Contemporary Philippine Politics: Struggling for Autonomy
Sison uses the dish to comment on the Philippines’ current political landscape, one still rassling with the effects of colonialism. Despite achieving formal independence, the Philippines remains entangled in global and domestic power dynamics. The political system is heavily influenced by local elites and foreign interests, with the latter often shaping policy for their benefit.
The ongoing tension between sovereignty and external influence is mirrored in the Philippine government’s relationship with global powers such as the United States and China. The play suggests that just like rellenong bangus—which blends Indigenous and foreign influences—the Philippines must steer its identity within a global framework that often compromises its autonomy. Just as the dish was shaped by colonial rule and foreign tastes, the Philippines balances the desire for sovereignty with the practical need for international alliances.
Lasa ng Imperyo examines Philippine identity, history, and politics through the metaphor of rellenong bangus. The dish, an emblem of both cultural fusion and exploitation, reflects the Philippines’ multifaceted colonial past and its ongoing struggles with economic subjugation and political autonomy. The play illuminates how Filipino cuisine, as the nation itself, has been shaped by centuries of foreign influence, while simultaneously asserting its distinct identity. It forces us to question the dynamics of cultural preservation in a capitalist, globalized world and to reflect on the current state of Philippine politics—caught between the historical legacies of colonialism and the pressures of contemporary global forces.
Lasa ng Imperyo invites us to reconsider food not just as sustenance but as a powerful symbol of the nation’s cultural resilience and political struggle.
By Bella Balisi-Bevilacqua
(MBB)
