Generation Gap

Liempo - A good mixture of meat and fats

Kamatis - For acidity

Labanos - Texture and a bit of sweetness

Sitaw - Texture and to even out the flavor a bit (For long life?)

Kang-kong - For texture and crispiness

Siling panigang - Just a hint of spiciness

Gabe - For the full thick soup goodness

And of course..

Sampaloc - To give it the full sinigang experience

Now that's a home cooked meal!

I don't know about you, but I can say that I (27 yrs of age) grew up in a generation where music was good and was made using wooden or brass instruments, playing outside means rough-housing, playing hide-and-seek and not in front of a computer, and courtship means you visit her and her family to impress them personally and not through Facebook or Skype, and a home cooked meal means it was cooked by your Mom from scratch. And it was great! Almost everything was made with love, passion and attention. Custom made. To a persons liking. We didn't use the term "Pwede na yan!", instead, you will often hear "Kulang pa yan!".  It was a time where quality matters and not just the number of things you can do in one sitting.

The generation today won't get this, since we now live in a time where everything is "instant". May it be  noodles, coffee, photo, letters/mail, music, movies, girlfriend/s and food, etc. Everyone is rushing, everyone seems to be in a hurry to finish what they needed or wanted to do. Just so they can waste their time sitting in front of their computers or TV sets and get hypnotized by the swirling colors of the boob tube. Where is the love in that? What's happening?

Now I am a father of two (yet again, legally speaking) and I don't want them to miss out on the wonderful things in life. So I promised  myself to teach them the old way, and can I just say, better way of doing things. Slower? Yes. But way worth the wait and effort.

Let me express how I feel in tagalog.

Nakaka-miss yung panahon na na-eexcite ka dahil alam mo na ang ulam ninyo ay sinigang, at nandun ka sa hapag-kainan, pina-panood ang nanay mo habang pinapakuluan nya ang karne ng baboy, at sa unang kulo ay pipigaan nya ng kamatis para pandagdag sa lasa at bango at ipa-pagpatuloy ang pagpa-pakulo hanggang sa lumambot ang karne, at habang hinihintay ninyo yun ay tuturuan ka ng tamang pag-hiwa ng mga sangkap na gulay habang ipinapaliwanag sayo ang silbi ng bawat isang rekado. At sa paglambot ng karne ay ipa-paliwanag din sa iyo ang tamang bilang o pagkakasunod-sunod ng pag-lagay ng mga rekado para mapanatili ang lasa at itsura ng sinigang. Hanggang dumating na sa pagtimpla ng lasa, ang pag-katas o paglalagay ng sampaloc. Mahirap, mabusisi, kailangan ng tyaga.

At sa pag-hain ng nanay mo ng bagong saing na kanin at mainit na ulam, at sa pag-higop ng medyo malapot na sabaw ng sinigang na luto niya , walang nag-uusap, walang reaksyon maliban sa mga simpleng ngiti sa aming mga labi, dahil alam naming lahat na wala pa rin tatalo sa lutong bahay. Sa luto na di ginamitan ng "instant" kundi pagmamahal.

Korni, oo, pero alam mo na totoo ang sinasabi ko.

Chocolate can make you smile, but nothing can soothe you better than your Moms' home cooked meal.

-Leonard