As everybody knows that aside from reading and writing, I also love to cook. But I don't just cook, I experiment. The idea came about from watching too much of Gordon Elliot's Door Knock Dinners when I was young. In his show, he would go to a chosen house, have a guest chef ( like Paula Deen and Masaharu Moshimoto etc) go thru the fridge and pantry, and cook something fancy out of it. Back then, I became fascinated with cooking experiments. I would watch my mother cook and try to recreate the dish from memory. I love being in the kitchen and would often offer to cook our dinner.
When I moved here in the States, cooking Filipino dishes became a challenge. Not all the ingredients are readily available, even at Filipino stores. If I don't have the ingredients, I have to substitute it with something similar that is available locally. I would try to recreate the dish, or put a twist on it and make it an entirely different version. My main goal is, to come up with a dish that tastes different. A dish that only I can make. Back home, I only cook simple dishes, but here in the States I have taught myself to cook dishes that I wanted to eat. I'm not claiming to be a good cook. But I can say that if I want to eat a Filipino dish that I miss, then i would try to cook it, instead of buying it. I would experiment on cooking, until I reach the desired taste of the dish.
There are many Filipino dishes that I haven't experimented on, mainly because I don't eat them, or don't miss them. But if it's one of my favorites then it would be on my list. Some of the dishes that I have experimented on countless of times are dinuguan, embotido, leche flan, cassava cake, steamed puto, bibingka, maja blanca, turon, ginataang bilo bilo, pastillas de leche, lumpiang Shanghai, Spanish bread and more recently, my own version of coconut macaroons.
Sometimes my experiment would be successful in one try, if I'm lucky. Sometimes I would get it after a second try. But I would learn from my mistakes, and would do better the next time I cook it. There is no dish that I have given up, maybe the buchi that I experimented on a few weeks ago. It was a disaster, I had to throw the whole thing. But knowing myself, I would experiment on it again. Maybe one of these days.
And I'm not done with my cooking experiments. For sure, I will keep on trying to re-create dishes. It's fun and exciting. Right now I'm thinking of what food to experiment on. Any suggestions?
It's the time of the year!! Yes it's Christmas time. Eventhough I live abroad for more than a decade now, for me there is nothing like Christmas in the Philippines. Filipinos love to celebrate and Philippines has the longest time of Christmas celebration, starting with Christmas songs on the radio by September 1. Filipinos will be expecting it. Its like an unofficial signal that Christmas has started. 'Ber' months are always associated with Christmas. Decorations are already up for sale at the stores. And people are already planning what gifts to buy, what food will be served for noche buena, and what decorations to put up in the house. The holiday season will end after The Three Kings on January 6, but now the church moved it to the first Sunday after New Year.
We usually put Christmas decorations after All Saints Day. Christmas tree on the corner of the living room, wreath on the front door, Christmas lights outside the house. There would also be the Belen, it is baby Jesus in a manger, surrounded by Mother Mary, St. Joseph, the shepherds, Magi, angel and the star. The most notable Belen used to be in COD building in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.This Belen has lights and moves around, doing a mini performance. Filipinos would always make it a point to visit Cubao to see it, including the giant Christmas tree somewhere in Araneta compound. I heard the Belen has moved to San Juan, eversince COD closed.
And of course, the iconic symbol of Christmas in the Philippines which is the lantern or parol. Parol, from Spanish word 'farol" is a star-shaped lantern, usually made of bamboo and Japanese paper. But nowadays, it is more sophisticated and expensive. Some are made out of metal, plastics, shells, and wood with LED lights as added decoration. Most notable place to buy parol would be in Paranaque and Pampanga. Specifically in San Fernando, Pampanga, which is dubbed as Christmas capital of the Philippines with its annual Giant Lantern Festival. One giant lantern would cost around $11,000-15,000!!.
One of the things that most Filipinos look forward to is the Simbang gabi or night mass, it is usually held every 4 am, 9 days before Christmas. It starts at the dawn of December 16 and ends on Christmas eve, the misa de gallo. Nowadays, some church would hold mass in the evening, around 7pm, so people who can't attend a dawn mass could still attend simbang gabi. It is mostly popular to kids and teenagers, they want to complete the 9 days of waking up so early to go to mass. They would be so happy if they never miss one mass. Sad to say I have never completed the 9 days. After the mass, there would be lots of street food outside the church. Most popular would be puto bungbong (purple sticky rice cooked in bamboo) and bibingka(rice cakes), freshly cooked by the vendors. Drinks would either be salabat (ginger tea) or hot chocolate.
I remember during my childhood, me and my sisters, cousins and the rest of the kids in the neighborhood ( kababata) would make our own monito monita. It's an exchange of gifts. We would usually do it a week or two before Christmas, everyday, just gifts that costs one peso or less, to give to the person we picked from 'bunutan'. Everyday, our gift theme would change. It could either be, soft and yellow, red and crunchy, round and puffy etc. We would put our gift, without anybody seeing us so they won't know who's gift it is from, under the big caimito tree in our frontyard. On the eve of Christmas, we would have our own children's party, and reveal who's our monito or monita. It was one of my childhood memories I'm so fond of.
And who could forget the christmas party in elementary school on the last day before Christmas vacation where you were told to buy something for exchange gifts worth P10 that is appropriate for both girl or boy classmates. I swear I almost always get a bar soap hahaha.
During the night, groups of people would go house to house to sing Christmas songs. This is called caroling. Some do this for charity, fund raising, organizations etc. But mostly it's bunch of kids trying to have extra money for Christmas. I remember going with my sisters and friends, and we would bring our toy keyboard and play it while singing, we don't wanna sing a capella. Hehehe. But then neighbors are smart and remember it's us again. Some would play guitar, or small drums made out of cans, tambourines, maracas etc. Usually the carolers would sing a minimum of two Christmas songs and would say 'namamasko po' or 'Merry Christmas'' at the end of the songs. They would then wait for the homeowner to go out of the house and give money, afterwhich the carolers would sing 'Thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo, thank you' ( thank you, thank you, you are very kind, thank you). Some houses would keep their lights off to discourage carolers from going to their houses.
The most important and the highlight of the holiday is noche buena. Noche buena is the Christmas eve dinner, usually at midnight after the family hears the 11 pm mass called misa de gallo. Most popular dish would be ham, it is usually the star of the noche buena. Although now Filipinos would serve lechon. Next is queso de bola (Edam cheese). This cheese is originally from Netherlands, after a town named Edam. It is a pale yellow, round, semi-hard cheese covered with red paraffin wax. There would always be noodles, either pancit or Filipino spaghetti. Meat would either be pork barbecue, lengua estofado, menudo or kaldereta. For desert, it's either buko salad, macaroni salad, fruit salad, leche flan, buko pandan, kakanin (rice cakes), bibingka or puto bungbong. There would also be fruits, mostly round ones, for goodluck, prosperity etc.
On Christmas day, it is more relaxed in the morning, breakfast would usually include leftovers, especially ham. Children would then get ready to visit the homes of their godparents and get their Christmas gifts. Some broke godparents have been known to hide from their godchildren. Hehehe. Families would visit their relatives or have parties that is mainly singing in karaoke.
Things would settle down for a few days. Then stores and side walk vendors would be selling fireworks and firecrackers (paputok) for New Year's eve. There is nothing like New Year in the Philippines. Firecrackers are allowed in every home. I remember lighting 'luces', brave ones would light up '5-star'. It is now banned from being sold, manufactured and used. Along with watusi, big 'Judas belt', super lolo, giant bawang, whistle bomb etc. These are probably banned because they are too dangerous. Every New Year, hospitals are busy treating wounded patients, with lost fingers, hands, arms, eyes etc. Allowed firecrackers are Roman candle, trompillo, regular 'Judas belt', fountain, luces, sky rockets. As of January this year, it was reported that there were 860 injured patients during New Year's eve. Injuries are mostly firecracker related, but some are from ingestion of fireworks, and some are stray bullet injuries. Yes, some people with firearms find it funny to fire their guns during the countdown. The Department of Health is pushing for a total ban on firecrackers and partial ban on fireworks. Personally, I'm all for total ban. These firecrackers are very dangerous. Nobody wants to leave their house for fear of being hit by these firecrackers. Especially since you can't see anything on the street due to smoke emitted from these firecrackers. We could just make noise with our pots and pans! Or blow the 'torotot'!!
On the brighter side, it's still fun celebrating New Year in the Philippines. Dining table would be again filled with food for media noche. Media noche, which literally means midnight, is a midnight meal during New Year's eve. There would always be pancit for long life, 12 round fruits for prosperity for each month of the year, sticky rice cakes so fortune would 'stick' in the homes, eggs symbolizes new life. Chicken is not serve because of 'isang kahig, isang tuka', an idiomatic expression that means from hand to mouth. Again, there would be lechon, if the family can afford it, different kinds of salad are also prepared.
Some people would wear polka dot clothes. The dots would symbolize money. Wallets and pockets should have money on it. All doors are open, lights, radio and TV are on, and when the clock strikes at midnight, children would jump if they want to become taller. And no cleaning on New Year's Day, for you will sweep away the good fortune. The house should be cleaned a day or two before New Year's eve.
Most Filipinos abroad would say they still want to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the Philippines. It's different, more festive and there's nothing like it. But wherever we are, whichever country we live now, we should always remember why we celebrate Christmas. It's the birth of Jesus. It's the time for forgiving, to be merry, to rejoice. Let me be the first one to greet you 'Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon'.
