| What’s for (Christmas) Dinner?
With the present state of the country’s economy, only a few may be able to afford abundant food on their tables this Christmas season. But to many Davaoeños, a little creativity and practical thinking can go a long way.
By Marilou M. Aguirre
davaotoday.com
DAVAO CITY – Food is always on top of people’s minds during the holidays. What to prepare? What’s for noche buena? At a time when prices are high, when people are tightening their belts, planning about the food can be quite a task.
But with some creativity and practicality, people manage. A few days ago, I decided to ask my friends back in college and those who have been married for years what food they would serve on Christmas Day.
Majority of the 31 respondents
in my little survey wanted spaghetti. It has always been the belief of Filipinos that noodles -- be it the native and less expensive pansit or spaghetti – symbolize long life. Susan, an elementary public school teacher and a mother of three growing kids, told me that she wanted to try cooking spaghetti with white sauce and mix it with seafood, like mussels, bits of crabs and prawns.
Lucelle, a 24-year-old mother who has just given birth to her first child last November, said she would serve the common Filipino spaghetti recipe with hotdogs, tomato sauce, ground beef, lots of cheese, and marshmallows for toppings. Wenlory, a 27-year-old storeowner and Andy, a political science graduate in a prominent school in this city, want to prepare the same sweet spaghetti. If budget won’t allow fresh beef, they would use corned beef or even a can of sardines.
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Hermie, a labor organizer ho is happily married for 21 years, said she would prepare pansit instead of spaghetti because it is not heavy on her budget. She will mix the pansit with chicken and lots of vegetables. She suggested that, for Muslim friends or visitors this Christmas, chicken or pork be replaced with bits of fried fish, adding that fish is good for the heart.
Mario, a local radio commentator, said that he would opt to have grilled hito (catfish) or big fish's panga (jaw) for his family this Christmas. He said this should be enough, given the hard times. He said he would buy hito in Los Amigos, Tugbok, in Calinan where the price is said to be cheaper.
Those who are expecting a number of visitors want to roast something, be it chicken, turkey or a pig. For most Filipino families, to serve even a simple lechon (roasted pig) is already a cause for celebration.
Several of the families I visited in past Christmases served barbeque (marinated sliced pork or hotdogs) and other cuisines like caldereta, afritada, patatim, and papaitan. Salads were also popular. Most of those I asked wanted macaroni with bits of broiled chicken, and a bowl full of assorted sliced fruits mixed with condensed milk and whipped cream. For vegetable lovers, like Grace, a women’s rights advocate since the late ‘70s, a bowlful of assorted greens topped with mayonnaise is a must.
We Filipinos are known for our love of sweets. I did not find it surprising that desserts like cake, ice cream, leche flan and minatamis na saging (sweetened banana), among others, comprise the list of the favorite foods in Christmas. Kakanins are also in demand. Pahr, a writer and a big fan of Mariah Carey, wants to have biko, suman and other kakanin.
But there are no “standard” foods for Christmas. The people prepare according to their tastes and beliefs and, above all, according to the amount of money they have.
With the present state of the country’s economy, only a few may be able to put abundant food on their tables. The rest may have to bear with a few foodstuff -- or even nothing at all. (Marilou M. Aguirre/davaotoday.com)
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