Boylan had one of the best appetites of anyone I have ever known. Watching Boylan eat at a buffet or any large spread was an amazing experience. Boylan did not attack food, he just slowly and methodically destroyed any food within reach, he could actually eat continuously for over two hours! I have many fond memories of Boylan assisting others in finishing their plates. Boylan would always have a little sweat on his brow and a slight grin as he enjoyed all types of culinary delights. Once I went to a restaurant with Boylan and they gave him a menu and he handed back to the waitress and said, "Yes". Below is a very funny story of mine and some thoughts from Mark Smith, a former Peace Corps Volunteer assigned t Legaspi City, Albay in the early eighties.
Boylan at Tia Maria's in Makati Circa 1991 by Daryl Clark.
Lena (my wife) and I were on a business trip in Manila and we had a chance to link up with Boylan for lunch. One of our favorites spots was an old Peace Corps favorite, 'Tia Maria's" in Makati. This is one of the only Mexican restaurants in the Philippines. Tia Maria's is known for their large servings and their excellent Margaritas. Knowing that Boylan was always up for a good meal, it was no surprise to see him waiting for us shortly after noon in the parking lot of the restaurant. The interesting thing was, Boylan was carrying a large blue nylon travel bag. He usually traveled light using his small green backpack, so it was unusual to see him with this particular bag.
Tia Maria's had just opened and there were no other cars in the parking lot. The only other person around was the armed blue "rent a guard" you see at virtually every upscale Philippine establishment. We welcomed Boylan and we were ready to go into the restaurant when Boylan stopped us and said, "should I bring Amadeus in too"? Lena and I looked at each other and said, "who is Amadeus"? Boylan said, "Oh he is the twelve foot Burmese Python I have in my bag"! My wife is deathly afraid of snakes and she thought Boylan was kidding, until she saw the bag move. Boylan encouraged her to play it cool, in case the guard caught wind there was a twelve foot python in the bag! Since it was 95 degrees outside and way too hot to leave Amadeus in our car, we decided to discreetly take Amadeus to lunch with us.
We embarked up the stairs and gave the guard a hearty, "Mabuhay" and fortunately he did not search Boylan's bag or ask Boylan to leave it near the front. As we sat in our booth, Lena and I on one side, Boylan and Amadeus on the other, we nervously ordered our food. While we were waiting, Boylan explained that Amadeus had belonged to some Indian student friends of his and they could no longer care for it. Boylan Volunteered to take Amadeus to the Bicol National forest and release him. It was our good fortune to run into Boylan the day he was returning to Bicol to release Amadeus.
Fortunately, the air conditioning cooled us down and Amadeus was not restless during the meal, i.e. the waitress never knew we had a twelve foot snake in the bag. Our large meals came and we proceeded to enjoy our lunch. My wife is rather petite and found the very large serving at Tia Maria's too large for her appetite. She ate about one fourth of her meal. I was able to finish all of mine but I was very full! As Boylan finished his, he noticed my wife had not finished her meal. He politely asked if he could eat the rest of her meal too and Lena said, "sure Boylan". He slowly and methodically ate the remainder of her meal. Note: He did not feed the snake!
After being at the restaurant for almost two hours, it was time for Lena and I to move on and for Boylan to take Amadeus to the 9 hour bus ride South to the Bicol National Forest. We left the restaurant and entered the sweltering Manila heat. We bid Boylan farewell and said good-bye to Amadeus too! In case any of you were wondering, despite assuring a few Filipino ladies on the bus to Bicol that, "NO MANANG MY BAG DIDN'T MOVE", Boylan successfully released Amadeus in the Bicol National Forest the next day.
A few thoughts from Mark Smith:
Daryl, these are two short things I remember Boylan for:
1. His Tremendous capacity! We went to his town fiesta in Sorsogon one time. We were all sprawled out and many of us were rather hung over. He was up, cooking, and going to his site project to work before the rest of us weenies could move.
2. Now on the lighter side. Near the end of my Peace Corps service, we had some 2-week Peace Corps workshop in Bicol there in Legazpi City. One of those conferences that I wanted to avoid! We were at dinner at this place, I believe since long gone. I think those attending were Boylan, Don DeGraaf, Pete Engel, Helen Bolinas, me, maybe John Bradshaw, and 1-2 others. We had one of these philosophical discussions about what could Peace Corps really do, etc. for over a few beers. We had just finished off the 5-6 dishes on the table and the servers were starting to clear. Boylan then asked everyone, "Are you finished?" We all nodded, "Yes". Boylan then took the "finished" plate of chicken adobo -- and started gnawing on the bones. Helen then commented, "Boylan, that's gross!" But he was still hungry.