Publisher's Synopsis
"Pagpag" is the practice of scavenging through trash heaps for discarded food that the poor then attempts to clean and re-cook for new meals. Pagpag heart-wrenchingly symbolizes the effects of a corrupt government unable to take care of -- indeed, abusing -- its people. PAGPAG's stories, while not overtly addressing this radical torture of cuisine, relate to what lurks within the stew created by a dictator's actions. The aftermath is not always obvious like the imprisoned, the tortured, or the salvaged (murdered); the aftermath goes deep to affect even future generations in a diaspora facilitated by corruption, incompetence, and venality. Eileen R. Tabios wrote "protest stories" from 1995-2001 against Ferdinand Marcos' martial law in the Philippines, including "Tapey" which was read for Hawai'i Public Radio. These stories, except for a 2019 story written as a coda, form her new short story collection, PAGPAG. As indicated by its subtit
