In February, my roommate and I decided to register for an online workshop on Filipino cooking and food history. Taking place every Friday night, the 5-part series promised to explain the rich history that lay behind our favourite homecooked meals. Excitement grew as the start of the series drew nearer. But still, it was another addition to the ever-growing roster of virtual commitments.
On the first night of the workshop, we made pork and cilantro dumplings to commemorate the recently passed Lunar New Year. Once we were adequately surrounded by steaming piles of fresh dumplings, our household gathered around the table to listen to the first lecture. However, we did not anticipate the atmosphere of kinship and shared origin that the series brought about. Every Friday night, we shared our dining table with over a hundred other Filipinos calling in from the Philippines and across the diaspora. It felt like a weekly family reunion. After our first session, our apartment began looking forward to what we called “Filipino Fridays.” It was a comforting sense of assurance. At the end of every week, it was guaranteed that we would all share a satisfying meal and learn a thing or two about the many stories behind the food on our plates.
On the first night of the workshop, we made pork and cilantro dumplings to commemorate the recently passed Lunar New Year. Once we were adequately surrounded by steaming piles of fresh dumplings, our household gathered around the table to listen to the first lecture. However, we did not anticipate the atmosphere of kinship and shared origin that the series brought about. Every Friday night, we shared our dining table with over a hundred other Filipinos calling in from the Philippines and across the diaspora. It felt like a weekly family reunion. After our first session, our apartment began looking forward to what we called “Filipino Fridays.” It was a comforting sense of assurance. At the end of every week, it was guaranteed that we would all share a satisfying meal and learn a thing or two about the many stories behind the food on our plates.