Happiness

isang buwan ko palang natitikman uli ang kape na walang creamer or milk. minsan pagtapos ko magtimpla, bumalik ang mga masasayang alaala nang maamoy ko ang kape.

miss na miss ko ang luto ng nanay ko (who is now bedridden, yet still so blessed). lahat ng lutuin nya, masarap at masustansya. hindi siya gumagamit ng kahit na anong artificial na pampalasa hanggang naging medyo weak na sya and she had to resort to the chicken cubes.

we'd pick vegetables from our backyard and she would make the best inabraw with bagoong straight from ilocos. she'd cook adobo using pork so fresh, it would seem as if she interviewed the pig about its diet prior to slaughter. she would make fried chicken without breading - toyo and calamansi lang - ang never burnt, overcooked, or undercooked. her dinuguan was the best - parang vegetarian yung pinanggalingan ng dugo. and the best part of these all was, she would call us to dinner just as the food is cooked. bagong hango. oh how we'd slurp the inabraw broth which was our amuse bouche!

pag may okasyon, kambingan yun. she would call her nephews and brothers to bring a live kambing. sila mismo ang kakatay kasi mom is very particular with the manner. plenty a saturday morning i would wake up to the pleasant smell of goat being grilled! i would only go downstairs and into the backyard after i've matched the smells to the food in my mind, and as i go downstairs the images come to life - kaldereta, kilawin, sopas - ang sasarap lahat at walang anggo whatsoever!

ang unang una kong gagawin e mag safety sa tupperware at babaunin ko sa school kinalunesan. syempre pa-sikatan ng baon "ano'ng baon mo?" "hotdog" "fried chicken" at ako? "KAMBING!" hahahaha pinagtatawanan ako ng mga ignorante hah! walang humihingi ng baon ko burrrrrppppp. to this day i cannot find one place or person who can cook kambing like my mother did.

ay onga pala. yung kwento ng kape. homemade parin ng mommy! she made coffee out of roasted rice aysos walang katulad. yun ang lagi naming baon pag bumabyahe kami ng gabi aboard a farinas bus papuntang ilocos. ayaw ni mommy na sumakay ako ng six by six or maria de leon bus na hindi aircon. kaming dalawa lang ang nasa farinas. ayaw din nyang kumain kami kung saan saan twing stop over. she would bring adobong manok and rice, water, and... the rice coffee. she would store them in a thermos, timplado na ng asukal. as most of the passengers go down to eat, we would remain in the bus and devour our baon. ito na yata ang pinakamasarap na pagkain at pinakamagandang dining experience ko sa buong buhay ko.

susubuan pako ni mommy, she would insist kasi madudumihan daw kamay ko. hala dalaga nako nun a. no matter what age and size i've become, i was always her bunso.

kahit anong luto ko, hinding hindi ko mapaparisan ang luto ni mommy na may magic touch (yung hindi binubudbod). kahit yung mga luto nyang McGyver (tira tira na ginawang bago) ang sarap parin sobra. hindi marangya ang buhay namin, minsan pa nga tinatawag ko syang kuripot. pero eto, nakaratay si mommy pero she and dad did not leave us with debt. we live in a house that's fully-paid.

dati, pagkain ang kaligayahan ko. lalo't malungkot ako, ang lakas kong kumain. today, with our healthy lifestyle change, i realize that food has always been part of my happy times but the real happiness was times with loved ones. i am now one month into making more happy times like these.

i love you mommy. thank you for always being my happiness. thank you for cooking for me and making your food part of the memories. thank you that you're still here, reminding me of what true happiness is.

thank you God, for giving me strength and wisdom to eat like i never used to, so that now my eyes are opened to the true sources of my happiness.