Journal Entry # 4: MY CULTURAL FAVORITES

 Creative Depictions

My Favorite Family Tradition

A horn being blown to signify the arrival of a King/Queen

Let me give you first a brief background regarding this image. During the medieval period, in order to signify the arrival of a king or a royalty, a horn is being blown loudly. I have chosen this as a creative depiction of a favorite family tradition of mine since it has something to do with an arrival.

 I consider as my favorite family tradition the arrival of my cousins working in Manila here in our hometown - Guimba, Nueva Ecija, to have a break from their busy lives. Their 3-day stay in our house marks a yearly tradition of other relatives' homecoming to welcome my cousins as well, followed by a bounty of food served on the table. The best part of this was the 2 nights of sleepovers with them (they usually leave for Manila during the third night). We all enjoy hours and hours of doing nothing but teasing each other and exchanging queries regarding different issues in our environment. Our laughters fill the silent night; we were too insensitive to the sleeping neighbors. We cannot blame ourselves for we were having the best time of the year (aside from Christmas, of course, hahaha!) 

It is saddening to think that it is already the second year of this family tradition being halted because of the pandemic. Moreover, I pray to God that, maybe sooner or later, I will again "hear the horn being blown" in honor of their arrival.

My Favorite Viand and the Cook

An Angel from the Heavens

I don't know if you have heard of or tasted kinamatisang baka, but it surely is one heck of a viand which makes me ask for additional servings of rice! Eating this feels like I am in the heavens, together with the "angel" who always cooks this for me - my mom! That's  why I chose the image of an angel from the heavens as a depiction of my favorite viand and the one who cooks it best. 

I have fallen for this dish's savory beef flavor partnered with its sour tomato-based soup. My mom usually cooks this dish the best; my mouth waters whenever she tells me that she will be cooking kinamatisang baka. 

Sad to say, she passed away last year and I thought that I will never experience heaven in a meal cooked by an angel from the heavens. Good thing is, my uncle and I know how to cook this meal. 

Now, I can still experience the "heaven" of eating kinamatisang baka while my angel from above, who is my mom, watches me as I savor upon this dish. 

My Most Frequently Uttered Expression

Shooting a gun

Let me give you a background regarding my frequently uttered expression and its native dialect of origin. I grew up in an Ilocano family. Adults in our house know how to speak fluent Ilocano except me and my brother (even our neighbors speak Ilocano). In contrary to that, I have not learned how to fluently speak Ilocano that's why whenever there is a conversation between family members in Ilocano dialect, I just don't mind them. 

I am somehow introduced to some Ilocano words as I grew up. And they're not just words, they're curse words! Words like okininayo and okinnam are those Ilocano words I became familiar with since my mom used to always say this whenever she feels like saying it -  whether she's happy and joking or when she's irritated and frustrated. Guess what? Those became my frequently uttered expression, hahaha! 

But astonishingly, as much as how my parents use those curse words inside the house, they tend to get angry at me if they heard me use those words. They said that it feels like being shot with a gun upon hearing me use those curse words they knew I learned from them. 

I have depicted my frequently uttered expression "okininayo" as shooting a gun wherein, the moment you hear its loud sound makes you feel irritated just like how my parents felt upon hearing me curse. Other than that, shooting a gun recklessly means that anyone can get shot and hurt badly, just like how I carelessly utter these curse words which makes my parents' feelings get hurt.