We always try to have at least one meal together as a family because we feel that it is our time to connect with each other. It's tradition. My Lola and Mom always cooked great meals and we often continued to linger at the dining table long after everybody has "inhaled" every morsel of goodness. Most of our family gatherings demand good food and good company. We savor each bite, we savor each moment.
Nowadays, it's Nana (she's been with us for 25 years-- more or less, I'm not sure anymore, haha) who cooks most of our meals, because lola is no longer with us and my mom is now in the States. There have been a lot of variations, kitchen experiments, but the tradition is the same--- you sit and eat with the people you love. You could be eating in a resto and still be upholding the tradtion of togetherness.
You could be eating the saltiest, burnt, and almost inedible dish but you'd still enjoy yourself because the moment you spent with those closest to your heart sets it apart from any other meal without the connection. I'm quite thankful that Nana is a great cook and we get to be together while having good food--- that to me is a pretty good life.
Tonight, this was our simple dinner. Nana made some chicken sotanghon soup and used the Good Life Vermicelli and she used the Good Life Breadcrumbs for the chicken breasts. I also made a simple Asian Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette using the Good Life Sesame Oil. We just realized that we've been using these products even before we got the goodies. Nana was relieved to be using stuff she usually had in her pantry.
My daughter devoured two servings of the soup and even requested a few more slurps of the hearty broth. She polished off her bowl with gusto. My husband had to be convinced.
Hubby is simply not fond of noodles. He does not like sotanghon soup nor chicken breasts. He also does not like veggies. He may be the pickiest eater in our little family. Tonight, I urged him to give the dishes a chance because 1. It was raining and 2. I just didn't want to prepare anything else---except the salad.
The meal was certainly prepared with love and my husband even watched as I put together the salad and made his favorite dressing.
Guess what? We finished everything! The food was delicious but the loving looks at each other and our baby as well as the trivial but enjoyable conversation we had made the experience even better.
As we got ready for movie night, I looked at the empty plates and bowls--proof of good food, and our family's huddled position at the dining table--- proof of good company, I thought to myself... This is in fact, a pretty good life... May you have moments like this yourself... wherever you may be.
Thanks for visiting! :)
