Food on the table…
Wifey and I once had an officemate over for dinner… she was surprised that we had about 3 dishes served… she asked if that was the normal fare around here… I of course said yes…
Come to think of it… it is surprising to have more than one dish served to you… normal Filipino households I know have only 1… some none at all… but let me not depress you with that… I was thinking why we were that way… to think that I usually just eat one dish and don’t bother the others… I finally remembered why… it’s because of my dad…
My Dad grew up experiencing world war II in manila… it was one of the hardest experiences of his life… not to mention terrifying… he usually told us the funny stories but I felt that he kept the sad stories to him self so as not to be reminded of them… I remember him telling me one time that the Japanese burned a family in their house, locking them inside… the screams still haunt him as you could hear them die slowly… alas I digress…
His experience of eating rice and salt was what ensured that we had more than 1 viand available during meal times… he didn’t want to be reminded of that hardship… but of course, if you wasted your food in front of him… you’d go to bed with a scolding… he hated wasting food… but then I often wonder why my other brother could get away with it… palangga kase… hehehe
[source]