Keeping up almost a year of social distancing, my Mom and I have kept in contact through meal exchanges, often in the driveway donning masks, and it has turned certain dinners into virtual mental meet-ups grounded in culinary connections. It’s the best we can do in these perilous times, but there is a great deal of comfort in it, especially in a dish of Filipino food like this bowl of mung beans. My Mom learned how to make a number of Filipino dishes from my Aunt Luz, and she in turn taught me how to make things like pancit and sweet and sour fish.
There are a number of dishes that still bring us together, even when we’re apart – and it’s the same way we can feel connected to people we’ve lost. Food, especially comfort food, and especially in the middle of winter, can be a way of making mental connections with those we love. The act of breaking bread is a sacred ritual, and since we can’t do it together these days, we find other ways to make a meal mean something. A virtual family dinner if you will, until spring returns and we can gather outside like we did at Thanksgiving.
Back to Blog
