Feeling peckish about chicken

Pamora Farms free range organic chicken

Before anything else, I would like to greet Mommy and Daddy Tagle—the parents of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle—a very happy anniversary as they celebrate 62 years of wedded bliss. I had the honor of visiting them last week for My Pope magazine, a glossy inspired by Pope Francis featuring all things Christian and promoting family values (available at 7-11 outlets – that’s where I buy my copies).

I shared with them a lovely meal of beef bourguignon and pasta by chef Jessie Sincioco. During the meal, I couldn’t help but notice the concern of Cardinal Tagle’s father for our driver’s food. I guess compassion and concern for others really runs in the Tagle genes.

On behalf of all the fans of Cardinal Tagle, thank you and congratulations Tatay Manuel and Nanay Mila for producing such a fine legacy—His Eminence whom Pope Francis teases as having “the face of a child.” Cardinal Tagle continues to inspire millions all over the world, helping people find their faith and sharing the Bread of Life to all who are willing to partake including those who are so hungry they have lost not only their appetites but also their souls.

Unbeknownst to many, there is another fine legacy of Mommy and Daddy Tagle. Their other son, Manny Tagle, is a US-based restaurateur. If you are ever in the East Coast, do make a pit stop in Arlington, Virginia and visit Bistro 1521. Fr. Mon Celestial, a DC-based Filipino priest, says this bistro has the best ube cheesecake in the world. “It’s a crossbreed of ube halaya and cheesecake. It’s so good!” he raves. I have to travel to the US again to try this out but I’ll take this foodie priest’s word and believe it is as yummy as it sounds.

In other news, let me please tell you about chicken.

I am one to eat ANYTHING. On my last trip to Korea, I ate live octopus. In Guilin, I ate snake. In Oz, I ate kangaroo. Somewhere in Makati, there’s off-the-menu dog, served in the form of a stew (ok, as much as I’d like bragging rights, to be honest, I had my guy friend eat that LOL).

But after what I learned last week, I may never eat commercial chicken again. Not that they are all unsafe—I still can’t imagine life without Chickenjoy or McNuggets. However, here are a few practices alleged during a media forum sponsored by Pamora Farm, which sells organic chicken:

First, their living conditions are supposedly difficult. Over a hundred thousand chickens are allegedly made to live under one roof called a tunnel. That is where they breathe, eat and poop. They need to live on antibiotics or they die.

Some claim antibiotics are incorporated into their feeds. These go into their system and vets would recommend that the chickens be given around seven days to excrete the medicines. But the farmers would lose money if they need to wait another seven days, so the chickens are already sent to the chopping block.

Secondly, they are allegedly given hormones to grow faster. A chick grows to become a chicken in around 80 days. Most of those in the commercial “tunnel” become huge within a period of 21 days. The chicken would look bigger and ready to eat, but is it really?

Third, ever wonder why sometimes when you buy chicken, once defrosted it seems smaller? Allegedly, most commercial farms submerge the chicken in ice and 1-percent chlorine to keep them in temperature that is not over 4 degrees to prevent bacteria from latching on and growing. That’s why the chicken retains so much water and not only shrinks upon defrosting but tastes very bland, too.

There are local chicken farmers like Pamora who are committed to raising free-range and truly organic chicken.

Pamora is a project of Tina Morados and husband Papillon. Their farm is on the foot of a hill in Barangay Garreta, Pidigan, Abra, but today they supply many hotels and distribute their various chicken products through Santi’s Delicatessen.

Here’s why their chicken is worth eating:

First, Pamora uses a slow growth free-range chicken breed from France. Their chicken is literally French. Not that this breed is necessarily better than a local manok (I have yet to study chicken breeds).

Second, Pamora follows the French Label Rouge standards, i.e., they allocate a minimum of one square meter per bird for the ranging area, and one to two square feet per bird in their housing facility. They are not all cramped in a “tunnel”.

Third, birds are given feeds designed for free-range chickens. No antibiotics, no chemicals.

Fourth, no hormones. Pamora chicks are brooded from day 1 to 21, depending on the weather or season, sometimes a week longer or a week shorter. The chickens are then set free, allowed to follow their natural instincts and grow naturally for a period of 70-80 days.

Fifth, instead of using anti-biotics, Pamora boosts the immune system of their chickens through herbs like oregano, ginger, chili, lemongrass and kakawate.

Finally, instead of submerging dressed chicken in ice water, they use an air-dry chilling process. This way, no water is absorbed and we get 100-percent chicken meat.

Now, the only hitch is the price. Pamora chicken is quite expensive.

If you will buy other brands, here are a few tips to make sure the chicken you buy is truly free-range and organic:

As much as possible, know your farmer. If not, at least check the label. Real free-range chickens have only 8-10 percent fat content, as opposed to the 19-29 percent fat content in commercial chicken. Most importantly, growing period must be at least 70 days. Otherwise, you can bet that chicken grew big because of hormones.

Some tradeoffs: The meat might be a little tougher—these are after all the sexier chickens who exercise and run. But the organic taste of the chicken meat itself is something worth exploring. It’s very flavorful, also because these chicken eat herbs and not antibiotic-filled feeds.

Most importantly, with Pamora’s chicken or other free-range brands, at least you know that what you are eating is not contaminated or otherwise filled with unseen antibiotics or hormones or chlorine.

In today’s polluted world, with our very own food unknowingly causing cancers and so many other illnesses, it’s really time to go organic. We need to carefully watch what we eat.

Pamora Farm chicken available at Santi’s, Terry’s, Echostore and Rustan’s. For a complete list of where the brand is available and for more info, visit www.pamorafarm.com or contact (02) 257-6834 to 35/ (0917) 537-5639 / (0917) 591-7391 / (0918) 872-6672.