Comfort food draft

After being assigned "Roots and Recipes" I had to think long and hard about what food I would choose. There were a lot of food; adobo, sinigang, lumpia, the basic filipino foods, really. But I had to think of a food that came close to home, which was kare-kare! Usually people who consider whatever they choose as their comfort food has been eating it since they were a kid. Actually, I wasn't introduced to this delectable delight until I was in middle school.

My family and I were at our usual filipino restaurant, Max's just to treat ourselves. Once you entered the bright colored atmosphere you could tell you were at a Filipino restaurant. The aroma of the different kinds of spices that lingered in the air after the waiter passed by out table. Especially the sweet onion, you could really smell it. So when our family orders came in, you could see, especially smell the usual. Soft white garlic rice, clear shrimp sinigang soup, stir fried sisig that tasted delish, and Max's famous golden fried chicken always tasty with sweet banana ketchup. As I dug into the assorted dished laid out on the table, there was this one dish that went unnoticed. I also noticed that my dad kept it for himself. It was a mustard-yellowish thick soup, pork, and dark green vegetables decorating the bowl. First I thought eww. I wasn't interested because I had other food that needed my attention. I was very hungry too. Before I could start my mom called out to me, "Addie! Try this." When I looked to where my mom was pointing, I saw the yellow goopy bowl of stuff. I knew better that to argue with my mom, so I scooped some onto my plate at moved it around. I thought it won't hurt, so I took my first bite of kare-kare, and from then on it would be something that I had to order every time I went there.

Soon I would learn that the dish was in my family since my grandma was little! When we went on our family vacation to Las Vegas my grandma who is always full of surprises cooked rice, garlic shrimp, ox-tail, and guess what? Kare-kare, right after we checked into our hotel suite. We checked-in smelling the familiar cooking garlic and onions that heightened my senses. Being far from home, and away from the home cooked meals, it was comforting to see something like kare-kare on my plate. Kare-kare is consistently made out of many ingredients, mainly crispy string beans, pechay, ox-tail, and crunchy peanut butter. Yes peanut butter, the special ingredient that makes everything taste so savory and sweet. The special ingredient that made kare-kare love it so much.

After being introduced to this dish, it appeared more in our family parties, gathering, and celebrations. I'd always watch from the table that faced towards the kitchen, my grandma doing her cooking dance that balanced the different things she was cooking, making sure none of them was left un-attened. I could see the kare-kare bubbling in a golden stew. I'd just help cut the vegetables. "Mama, how long have you been cooking this recipe?" I asked later in the future. "It's the same as I remember making it! I think." My grandma never really followed a specific recipe, she just put in whatever she felt like, or whatever tasted good.
Soon my grandma would pass down the talent of making kare-kare to her 5 children, but only one of them could make it with such passion. My uncle Robin lately has made his own version of kare-kare. It's a more orange looking soup with softer meat. My mom also has gotten into the tradition and has only made the basic off filipino cookbooks. "I would usually test it out with different kinds of peanut butter." She declares.
Kare-kare is a filipino dish that has made an impact in my foodie experience. That's why when I eat kare-kare, its not only a comfort food, but a memory that takes me back to the times where everyone would stop what they were doing, join at the dinner table and talk about their day.