My Mom hollers, “Not
ready Isaiah. Leave it alone. You’ll burn your hand.” The heat of the oven
hits my mom’s face as she takes out the golden brown custard bibingka. The smell of brown sugar and coconut milk
fuses together making me feel toasty. It’s still bubbling across the surface
and a thin crust forms along the slightly burned edges. I feel happy and eager, waiting for it to
cool enough to eat.
My mom makes bibingka for special occasions and other
social events. My mom is
Filipina-Japanese and is the only one in my family who makes this. Rice is important in both cultures and is
used in many dishes, and has social and family connections.
Mochi pounding is
very important to Japanese culture and is done in the New Year. It is important because it represents the idea
of family. Pounding mochi requires
teamwork. The stickiness of the mochi
represents keeping the family together.
The act of pounding mochi bonds the family. This is why it’s done in the beginning of the
yeart.
For Filipinos,
eating is a social event and presentation of food is important. Merienda
is a special time in the afternoon when people sit and socialize. It’s like a long coffee break with heavy
snacks. What makes bibingka different from mochi is the use of coconut milk and brown
sugar. Filipinos use coconut milk
because the Philippines is in the tropics where there are a lot of coconut
trees. Brown sugar is used because it’s
sweeter, makes the dessert more appetizing, and sugar is grown in the
Philippines.
Bibingka is heavier and has a richer,
creamer taste, than the mochi. Mochi
is squishier and has a subtle taste.
They both represent their cultures well because many things connected to
Filipinos are bolder and flashy (think Manny Pacquiao’s jackets) whereas many things
Japanese are low-key.
I
remember when my seventh grade social studies teacher found out that I am part
Filipino and instructed me to bring him Filipino food. I brought a pan of bibingka and all was right with the world.
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