Home is where your stomach is haha!

I rarely have Filipino food. I am 100% Filipino but I’m honestly really Americanized. I know, just by reading that first line a lot of you are gonna be like “BOOOO!” and I feel ya, it sucks, but hey, it’s the truth. Basically going back to the Philippines every 2 years since I was born, was the only time I was truly eating Filipino food. But back here in the states, I continued to eat what everyone else considered “normal food.” Burgers, fries, hotdogs, burritos, pasta… I loved thai food, sushi, and my grandma’s cooking although (but it was always nothing too wild as to please my grandfather’s American palette). The only Filipino dishes I grew up with were stuff from Goldilocks, Jollibee, and dishes from the simple Filipino recopies book. Such as Lumpia, pancit (polabok), menudo, adobo and your basic desserts – toron, leche flan, halo halo… I don’t dare touch the hard core Filipino dishes –Dinaguoan, sinigang, lechon… I might be missing out, but I can’t handle that stuff after eating American food practically all my life.

My home may taste generic by quick take outs and easy cookings, but what I can provide you guys with are insight on how my home tastes like on the holidays, birthdays, or special occasions. This is definitely different than my average fast food life! Let’s start off with Thanksgiving! Traditionals include spicy stuffed turkey, sweet cranberry sauce, seasoned mashed potatoes and gravy, sour lemon bars and pumpkin pie. Twists to our meal include Mediterranean lamb racks and cheesy quiche, compliments to my Turkish uncle. My dad puts in grilled salmon and mango salad, while my mom provides a tart cake for my sister’s birthday.

Christmas is a mix of tastes also. Mexican rice, grilled vegetables, roast beef, Pad Thai noodles, more grilled salmon and mango salad, Southern sweet potatoes and ham soup, creamy mushroom chicken, Turkish delights, Oreo cheesecake, and of course decorated sugar cookies. I guess Filipino food gets catered to birthdays/special occasions. That and Chinese food, or Hawaiian bbq because those are easiest to be delivered in bulk haha! Filipino desserts empower these birthday parties too because they’re so convenient and it’s not like anyone can resist a good Filipino dessert.
Although regular meals don’t bring my family together – holiday feasts definitely do and that’s when all sorts of dishes from different places and culture cooperate and come together.