We spend our life loving and hating food in equal measure
with different reasons. I am very lucky to grow up with people who got adventurous
taste buds otherwise I will be limited to eating the food that I am used to and
not wanting to try new variations, food from different countries and culture. I
will be stuck eating same thing over and over again.
The story about my grandparents continue, who I missed so
much especially remembering them in our old small kitchen back in the Philippines.
My grandfather who I got used to call “Papa” will prepare all the ingredients
early in the morning with his beer in hand. He is a perfectionist that
everything needs to be all flawless. He
will scrub meats (how lucky we are that most of the meats we bought are all
prep up) clean the fish inside out (I recall how I will be disgusted with the
stench and the way the fish looks like) and wash the vegetables till every dirt
is gone. Then he’ll be slicing and dicing in equal portions telling me that
this will help cook evenly. The way he prepares and the method of his cooking
was like watching him draw during late night hours while he tells me his
invented fairy tale stories while I sit on his lap. Those are the good old days,
with me sitting on his lap, listening to him while being fascinated by the
stories and all the while inhaling his scent of “Philip Morris” brand cigarette
and “San Miguel” beer.
Now, I somehow adapted his style, that cooking is really a
form of art and that you should always cook with the intention of showing your
love to those who will end up tasting and eating it. While this is what he
keeps on telling me, my dad will always say that, you know how to cook if you’re
not afraid to experiment and try new tricks on it.
At this point in my life that I cook more often than before,
I follow both my grandfather’s and father’s advice and taste the ingredients
raw before I use it in my cooking (especially the spices). So far it works like
a charm and whatever leftovers we got I bring to work as lunch which I share
with my “Bobbsey Twin”. The reaction I get? Mary! Adopt me!
