As we mentioned in our past columns, Elmer and Emerson, young military officers who were involved in what is dubbed as the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, were released after four years of detention last Christmas. While in detention, they came out with a cookbook on pulutan which Yvonne Chua and I helped edit. Published by Anvil Publishing, it was released last August and has become a bestseller.

Here is some of the feedback we got from those who tried out recipes from the cookbook:

From Ariel Aparejo in Cerritos, California: "Umuwi sa atin diyan sa Philippines ang anak ko at nagpabili ako ng ‘Pulutan’. I tried some recipes (kaldereta and kinilaw). Masarap talaga. Hindi nga lang Pale Pilsen ang San Miguel dito he he he".

From Archie Yap also in the US: "Congratulations on your freedom Messrs. Elmer Cruz and Emerson Rosales! I’m so very happy for you! I got a copy of your bestselling cookbook, "Pulutan – From the Soldiers’ Kitchen." I tried some of the recipes last Christmas Eve dinner. Mom-in-law was so impressed, I know how to cook daw pala. he he! "

Felipe Q. Cabacoy, also in the US, sent us this letter last September: "I’m on my way to Richmond (Virginia) and I am reading the cookbook. I shared the book with Secretary of Public Safety John Marshall whose mother is a Filipina from Bicol and we are both amused at the name of the recipes. We both look forward to try some of them in the near future. Kindly extend to both Ensign Cruz and Rosales my sincere appreciation for their sense of humor despite their predicament. I hope that their situation will be resolved at the earliest, so that they can move forward with their life. I wish them well in their future."

"Pulutan" has been featured in foreign publications. Here’s what they said:

Carmel Crimmins, writing for Reuters: "The recipes are not for the weak of stomach. There is ‘Insectxotic’, which is beetle stir fried in soy sauce, ‘Kinilaw na Tamilok’ or woodworm served with freshly squeezed calamansi juice as well as the innocent-sounding "Soup No. 5" which involves a bull’s penis and testicles.

"The penis and the woodworm are believed to be aphrodisiacs, as is a seafood stir fry called ‘Gising Gising’ or ‘Wake Up’.

"Meat dishes – often involving intestines and innards – abound and the cooking instructions are no-nonsense. For ‘French Kiss’ which requires a beef tongue, the reader is told to scald the organ thoroughly before scraping it clean."

It was also featured in Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post by Alan Robles: "Most of the pulutan take a few minutes to cook, and many are spicy and peppery. One dish rated five beer mugs is crispy camaro, rice insects stir fried with garlic and onions, then topped with a dash of soy sauce and sliced tomatoes."

Robles, who wrote about the Pulutan last September, said: "The book was launched without fanfare last week. The authors could not make it to any signing. They were both in jail."

Well, Elmer and Emerson are now free and they will be at Powerbooks in Greenbelt 3 tomorrow, after lunch.