Recipes from the past

MANILA, Philippines - I lived in the past. Well, it felt like I lived in the past. Two months ago, I did a part for the movie Rosario where the story took place in the 1920s. I marveled at the props and costumes, including the hairstyles and makeup of every actor. The best part of it all was I had a scene where I was standing near a long table set up for a formal dinner party. My excitement just went on growing as I laid my eyes on my friends — no, not on my co-actors but on the food!

In between takes, I was reading The Castle in the Pyrenees. It’s about two past lovers meeting again. Past. It was followed by Eating Fire and Drinking Water, it’s about a lady discovering remarkable truths about her unknown past. Past. So while at it, I remembered my past at my grandmother’s house. I liked the smell of it. It was the scene of her perfumed dusting powder, lotions and colognes mixed with whatever she was cooking in the kitchen. If her pastel de lengua and her dusting powder were made into a perfume, I swear I’d wear it. What do you think? It will be a wild thing to have lechon or kare-kare scented colognes in the market.

Anyway, these “pasts” drove me to visit the Legarda Mansion to taste the legendary recipes of Mrs. Ramona Legarda a.k.a. Tita Moning (thus it was called La Cocina de Tita Moning); Pamana restaurant samples of recipes that belonged to several generations of the Ongpaucos and Ylagans and lastly, the Romulo Café to experience the flavors of heirloom recipes of the highly-respected Romulo family.

I thought I already had enough of Filipino food at home but tasting their versions of kare-kare, lengua, crispy pata, paella and seafood dishes made me think otherwise. The candied sweet camote from La Cocina de Tita Moning left me a very pleasant memory. It was good that the humble camote seemed like a led to a catfight between my companion and me over the fish. The spaghetti with tuyo, salted eggs, tomatoes and olives at Romulo Café was new to me, I couldn’t have enough so I had to make my own version at home. I know it will never be at par with theirs but isn’t it imitation the best form of flattery?

I finished off with their suman, turon and a cup of hot chocolate hoping to be brought back to my present time.

These recipes are valuable gifts from the past. Along with the memory of its delicious taste come the fragments of emotions, gatherings, celebrations and history experienced with family, friends and associates. Now, I understand the importance of the past. It makes us value its effects on the present so that what was thoughtfully passed on will be handed down to the future in the same manner. The past, present and future is a continuous sequence of giving and receiving valuable gifts in this one circle of life.