Food, the one thing that brought everyone together. Whether rich or poor, no matter what race, no matter what occasion, if there is food, there will be a gathering of individuals. In this case, in these photos, it brought together family. Taking place in the home of my grandparents, who’s legacy by the way, lives on, long beyond their time, through the nine children that they had as well as through their grandchildren (that’s me!) and even their grandchildren’s children. I watched and observed as the morning and the group efforts unfolded to all come back together to make this meal. With banana leaves harvested from our Uncle Alex’s house, only a few houses down, an abundance of ingredients bought from the local surrounding markets, and a team of hands and a lot heart and soul were needed to put this KAMAYAN meal together, things were on its way.
My first Kamayan meal ever in my life! I contributed by starting the fire for the grill, which my Kuya Ian had trouble doing since it was hardwood lump charcoal with a lack of lighter fluid (Corn-chips make a good fire-starter in case anyone was wondering). With the banana leaves as our “plates” on an open table in a communal manner, this symbolized a sense of community and openness. What was in front of you was yours as well as everyone else’s next you. Those people next to you were family and all the family enjoyed the blessings, each other as well as the glorious meal in front of them that is Kamayan. Despite evolving as people (especially me being the Filipino-American boy that I am, raised in the US) we ditched the forks, spoons, & knives and broke bread the way our ancestors did it. With our hands. It was not only delicious but beautiful as well: Family members arriving, just to fellowship, eat and enjoy each others company, the lack of cellphone use during this meal because your hands were too occupied and messy enjoying the food. The hanging around after the meal, eating dessert and sharing stories, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my first time in the Philippines.
A day like this will always be a reminder to me to surround myself with family, to make efforts to look out and care for them (using food as one many of those ways to do so), to be thankful to God for all the blessings in this life, to be proud and remember where we came from and to be proud of where we will go. As I sit here at 5am in New York, jet-lagged, trying to find the words to describe my emotions and feelings from this trip, I’m surprised I was able to type this out. Hopefully this does somewhat justice & that these photos can convey the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen. Thank you for reading & Thank you for supporting me as a friend, as family. I love you all!
Thank you to my cousin Kuya Ian for making this idea come together last night.
Thank you to Ben & his family for cooking and looking out for our home while were away.
Thank you Nanay & Tatay for raising such a crazy, loving family.