November 3, 2021
“To me, food is as much about the moment, the occasion, the location, and the company as it is about the taste.”
– Heston Blumenthal
Hello, my read friends. I just saw it on noise that a "kabisdak" was about to sleep when she heard her neighbour calling her because they are going to give her a birthday cake. Her neighbor's daughter just turned 5.
It's what I love about living in the province: people are generous, especially with food. It's already in our culture to either share or exchange food. And refusing it is a sign of being disrespectful.
I remember when I was a child, our neighbour, my aunt, would give us delicious and special food whenever they can. Some of our neighbours would give us soup or any viand they can cook. We also gave back, especially if my papa cooks the food. And it's what tightened the bond, that homey feeling of the people living in the province unlike big cities such as Manila.
During summer, we would go to the beach bringing food like boiled bananas or sweet potatoes, grilled fish or pork, ceviche, soft drinks, and cooked rice. We then gather all the food so everyone could eat, what a boodle fight that was. We'd swim all afternoon until everybody was exhausted.
On fiestas or religious feasts, people from different localities would flock for free food and drinks. No invitation was needed because everyone was welcome to eat. When I was 12, I remember a stranger knocking at my aunt's gate. I politely said, "Are you looking for someone else?", he answered, "I'm here for the fiesta". I am not sure if we celebrated it but I'm pretty sure that man didn't leave with an empty stomach. My aunt was kind. Fiesta or not, she always gives food.
Oh, and in the province, if someone is invited to a fiesta or a birthday party, they tag people along with them because they are shy to eat alone. Especially if there's a roasted pig, expect to see a lot of unfamiliar visitors. It's the same with weddings, you'll definitely see new faces: guests invited by the official guests. And most visitors have plastic bags with them to "bring home" some food for their families. Nonetheless, it's what makes the celebrations special and unforgettable.
I so miss the food in Iligan which are sinugba and kinilaw (grilled food and ceviche), lechon (roasted chicken or pig), barbeque (chicken or pig), law-uy (mixed vegetables with soup), kinason (seashells), bulad (dried and salted fish), and just the freshness of the produce in general.
And I do miss the laughter, the chitchat, the enjoyable moments sharing that food with family and friends.
This is my entry to the PromptlyJonica writing prompt. If you would like to join, the rules are simple:
Write anything about food
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The images were taken from these:
Kinilaw or ceviche.
food is one way to tighten the bond of family and there is also a saying that "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" so basically it's food