FRANK PAYNE AND THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE

-- Chapter 8 -- An Alliance Form

As a starter, they ordered a portion of Lumpia, a thin, fried dough roll remarkably like a Harumaki, the famous spring roll, stuffed with pork, vegetables and spices.

For a main course, Frank ordered the traditional pork rib with Hineksa-agaga, also known as red rice. Walter, who allowed himself to recall fond memories of the past, ordered the Kadon Pika, a spicy Chamorro chicken stew made with chicken pieces marinated in spiced coconut milk and served hot over rice. Barbara already wanted something lighter and accepted the waiter's suggestion. He chose the Kelaguen Mannok (Chicken Kelaguen), which is a spicy Guamanian dish prepared with chicken pieces marinated in a combination of lemon juice, grated coconut, salt and chili pepper (which he ordered lightly), served cold as a salad and accompanied of breads. Much like Ceviche, only made with chicken.

For dessert, Walter said they should try Apigige, a traditional Chamorro dessert made with grated cassava, sugar, grated coconut pulp and coconut milk. The combination is spread on banana leaves, grilled and served after cooling. The two friends agreed with the grandfather, who was floating with joy after finishing his stew.

Sometime later, the waiter brought some sort of banana leaf bundles with a grilled appearance, which worried the boys, as it was nothing like a dessert they were used to eating, but Walter had already explained to them that because of their appearance strange looking and slightly rubbery in texture, Apigige was unattractive to most people, but the flavors of this dessert did more than make up for it, and that's exactly what happened. The dessert was finished in less than five minutes, given the wonderful flavor that this dessert provided to those who enjoyed it.

They thanked heaven for this dinner and the wonderful experience, paid the bill and left The Brave Puntan restaurant more than satisfied. Seeing the restaurant's name as he left, Frank recalled the legend told by his grandfather on the plane and asked them to tell more legends as they got into a taxi that would take them to Chamorro Village to meet Emmy.

Walter, who had struggled to recall a few more of the legends he had heard as a child, shuddered when he saw something through the window as the car screeched to a stop at the traffic lights. Tears welled up in his eyes, shutting up instantly, leaving Frank and Barbara worried. The boy looked in the direction his grandfather was facing and noticed a large billboard not understanding what was going on, as it was an advertisement for a clothing store where a couple appeared on a speedboat, dressed in beachwear that they were supposed to be manufactured by the store itself, and in the background, below the boat, there was a shadow of a gigantic shark, looking like it would snatch up the entire boat in just one mouthful. He read above, at the top of the advertising board, the name of the store that appeared in large, menacing letters: Megalodon.

It must have been something related to the old memories that had Walter terrified, because he, for a few minutes had passed in absolute silence inside that taxi. Barbara, realizing that Mr. Walter was annoyed, tried to change the subject, starting a conversation with the taxi driver:

"Why is Guam controlled by the United States of America but has a lot of Spanish influence?" asked the girl.

"Look, what I learned at school was that in 1521 a Portuguese named Fernão de Magalhães discovered the island during a Spanish expedition to stock up on provisions and drink water. Then, in 1565, in the name of the king of Spain, Miguel López de Legazpi took possession of the Mariana Islands, incorporating them into Spain. That's why we have a lot of Spanish influence in our language, our culture and also in our delicious food" said the taxi driver proud of his customs. "As Guam was a strategic location in the middle of the Pacific, the US took over from Spain, hundreds of years later, after the famous Spanish-American War in 1898, becoming an American naval and air base. The other northern islands, such as Saipan and Tinian and other small islets were left to Spain, which were sold to Germany and were under its administration between 1899 and 1914, when Japan took control of them after World War I, that is, a mixture of adventures."