Jessie Varquez, a DFM student and PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Manitoba, presented a paper titled “Becoming Boneless Danggit (Siganus spp.), or Why Dried Rabbitfish is Distinctly Delicious on Bantayan Island, the Philippines” at the “Diets and Local Food Systems in Asia” workshop. Hosted by the Asia Research Institute (ARI) at the National University of Singapore, the event took place on September 12-13, 2024. The workshop, which was open to the public, was conducted both onsite and online. It featured six panels: (1) Different Types of Markets, (2) Preserving Diets in Industrial Food Systems, (3) Food Security in Asia, (4) Local Knowledge and Collaborations, (5) Local Cuisines in Global Context, and (6) Materiality and Technology in Food Systems. Seventeen presenters from diverse disciplinary and international backgrounds contributed papers. Dr. Shumeng Li and Associate Professor Jamie S. Davidson from ARI’s new Food, Politics, and Society cluster organized the workshop. The organizers are aiming for a special journal issue out of the paper presentations.
Boneless danggit is the market name for dried rabbitfish (Siganus spp.) that is split-open, gutted, deboned, salted, and dried. In his presentation, Jessie noted that boneless danggit has increasingly become popular in Philippine foodways, not only on the Filipino plate but also in the tourism and hospitality industries that cater to foreign nationals. He shared that throughout his fieldwork, boneless danggit from Bantayan is claimed to be “lain da” (distinct). Boneless danggit is marketed in big markets and online shops using Bantayan as a desirable label for quality and delicious dried fish. While boneless danggit is produced elsewhere in the Philippines, there appears to be a clamor that the boneless danggit from Bantayan is distinctly delicious.
Through an assemblage perspective, Jessie argued that the distinctly delicious taste associated with Bantayan boneless danggit is not just a socially constructed gastronomic experience but is grounded in the material, relational, and ecological contexts where it was produced. By discussing disparate but interlinked assemblage elements such as fishing technologies, salt, skills, artisanship, tidal flats, seagrasses, and coastal governance, among others, Jessie explored knowledge, values, and power to understand why the boneless danggit produced in Bantayan is lain da or distinctly delicious.
Reflecting on his experience at the ARI workshop, Jessie said, “The workshop at ARI has allowed me to present key findings of my dissertation research and offered an opportunity to network with other scholars who explore various topics on food and diet in Asia. I also received substantial questions and feedback after my presentation, which, to my mind, was an indicator of growing interest in dried fish research.” Jessie’s paper is an aspect of his ongoing dissertation work as part of the Dried Fish Matters project. In his work, he broadly examines human-rabbitfish relations on Bantayan Island with a particular focus on boneless danggit.