#6: My Late Lolos

I trace my interest in cooking from both my grandfathers.

My late maternal lolo (whom we lovingly called "Tata") is a farmer and is also the community chef of our then still provincial Baranggay Bancal in Meycauayan. Whenever there is a wedding or a debut or any occasion in the town, you'll be sure to find him in the front yard with his gigantic stove and equally gigantic talyasi (it's a very big wok, you can even take a bath in it).
Soon as it's after lunch, around 8 to 10 plangganas (medium-sized washbasin) of dishes will be hanging out in the master's bedroom. Sweet and sour bola-bola, embutido, kaldereta, pastel lengua (oh gosh, super sarap nun), mechado, hamonado, steamed fish with white sauce. Haaay... those were the days. 

My other late lolo is the romantic yet strict Espanol-inspired guy who finds delight in creating traditional Filipino dishes for the family everyday. He doesn't just cook the typical tinola or adobo weekly for lack of new ideas. He's the type who would cure his own corned beef, take painstaking time mincing meat for his spicy bopis, climb up our neighbor's sampaloc tree to get fresh sprouts for the sinampalukang manok dinner. He does his own shopping in the market and cooking. 

Both of them are also the type who will still take time to make intricate rose or lily sculptures from turnips or carrots to decorate their serving dishes. I think that's how the Pinoy food habit got ingrained in our family. However, when they passed away, I think I was still too young to realize the heritage that they carried. Sadly, their art were not passed on to me. And eventually laziness crept into our household's food routine. It just became the two viand groups: boiled (meaning nilaga, sinigang, tinola) or sauteed with sauce (namely adobo, kaldereta, afritada, curry and if we get lucky, pininyahan). Of course, who will forget the fried food, right?


That was when I finally got tired and digressed from the norm. I started using the oven, cooking pasta dishes & casseroles, using herbs and spices. I started baking cookies. My mom and dad found a growing collection of spice bottles in our pantry and suspiciously asks me, "Hindi ba masyado nang mahal yung mga ingredients mo?" Nye.When I started doing that, I was suddenly accused of spending too much for food. Huh? Is it because it is tasty? Or because it started tasting like those restaurant food just because of some dash of Italian spice? Hahaha!


I know what is expensive. Olive oil is expensive. Bacon is expensive. But a little twist of rosemary from a 40-peso spice bottle is not. Since then, I started the pursuit for the Cheap Household Gourmet. I will draw the inner chef in me as I'm inspired by the legacy my lolos left to me. I will cook good food and I will prove that fine dining need not be for the Lagdameo's, Araneta's and Ayala's only. Good food can also be for the common pinoy as well.