1714
By: AJ; Brisbane, Australia
At my grandmother’s house,
there was always more than vinegar and soy sauce soaking in the adobo,
more than calamansi squeezed over the pancit bihon,
more than egg wash holding the lumpia together.
That which oozed from the egg on top of the fried rice,
that which sweetened the biko,
that which was scooped out and served with the halo halo,
was the spirit of kapwa.
It was the sacred reverence with which we held one another,
as we gathered to break bread,
to offer each other care,
and to absolutely roast one another until we were crying from laughter.
It is the belonging we cultivated in our community of reciprocity,
in our playful banter,
in our honouring of the legacy of our ancestors who labored for us to live with such abundance.
I cannot think about Filipino food
without hearing the hustle and bustle of her home on gathering day,
the sound of rice being washed,
the sound of kids shrieking with joy in the yard,
the sound of the ates cleaning dishes as they’re used and refusing to let the young ones take over,
the fussing to make sure everyone’s shoes came off at the door,
the whistles from the Warriors’ game and the yelling at the TV.
Every time I eat Filipino food,
I see the photos of all of us,
fifty deep,
gathered on the front porch.
First, second, third cousins,
aunties and uncles,
nieces and nephews,
neighbors and strangers,
all friends,
all family,
all with huge smiles,
full to the brim with
masarap food,
full to the brim with
with mahal.
What a blessing to be carried by my taste buds back to my childhood,
what a privilege for food to tether me to the love of my people, across distance and time.
I am a 34 year old, queer, AFAB non-binary, neurodivergent member of the Filipino diaspora. My family immigrated to Hawaii and then California in the 1920s and were influential members of the Filipino community that came together in Stockton and then Vallejo. I am currently living in Brisbane, Australia, working as a counsellor for 12-25 year olds and playing semi-professional basketball. I am passionate about collective liberation and our interconnected individual healing through talk therapy, inner child work, and somatics.
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