I grew up with my grandmother. I still lived with my parents, but I came from a two-income family. The family business took up much of their time, so my dad asked my grandmother to stay with us during my childhood. I also spent my summers in Tarlac with her.
She is gone now, taken from us by the big C. Still, my childhood memories are intrinsically bound to memories of her. The most powerful of these memories would be the memories of her cooking. I remember her dishes and the sights and smells of these mouth-watering comfort foods... from something as simple as sautéed pink salmon in egg with a hint of calamansi to her more exotic salagubang (beetles) that she would tie with a string and let me spin "para mahilo" then steam over rice.
My dream is to own a small restaurant where I can share the best of these flavors to the rest of the world. I want the world to appreciate burong mangga and burong mustasa cooked with egg or her famous adobong tuyo (adobo flakes). I'd like people to taste her different types of sinigang, the souring agent changing with each type of meat so as to enhance their flavor.
Someday this dream will come true. Until then I keep her flavors alive by cooking them here at home. I hope someday I have the opportunity to cook them for the world.
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