On traditional celebrations, people served Biko (sweet sticky rice), Budbud (salty, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves), pancit bihon (a savoury rice noodle), Landang (sweet soup dessert) and maybe some boiled Saba banana and sweet potatoes on rare occasions.
This is common on rural areas with families tied with the traditions of the older generations.
On modern times, people began changing their menu to Pinoy Spaghetti (Sweet Spaghetti with lot of Hotdogs), Lumpia Shanghai (spring rolls), Lechon Baboy/Manok (roasted pork/chicken), fried chicken, sliced bread, humba (Sweet pork stew), adobo (savoury pork stew), menudo/caldereta/afritada (pork/beef/chicken stew with tomato sauce) and softdrinks.
This is more common on modern homes and but it could vary from places. On most families, occasions can be a big gathering, inviting a lot of guests and spending a lot of cash.
That's soemthing we changed on our family, we don't hold extravagant celebrations and only invite few relatives on special occasions—sometimes we just celebrate it ourselves.
We really love cooking and experimenting at home, on holidays we plan what cuisine is our theme and decide what food to cook.
What had sticked to our menu are Spaghetti and Pizza—my personal favorites.
Pizza was foreign to us before, there are no stores selling quality pizza several years ago.
There might be some trying-to-be pizza snacks sold in canteens, but it wasn't really pizza at all. It was flat bread with banana catsup and cheap hotdogs.
About five years ago, we tried creating homemade pizza on Christmas. It wasn't good yet, the dough was mushy and tasted like raw flour.
We kept making pizza from time to time and made better progress, might not be authentic pizza as we only use what ingredient are locally available.
About three years ago, I found myself on an interesting pizza shop where you could choose whatever toppings you want.
There's a dough section and choose what size of pizza. There's a selection of base sauces, toppings, and dressings.
On special occasions, I visit Pizza Republic, but it was closed about a year after I discovered it.
I liked that setup, so I brought it home. On my sister's birthday, we celebrated it at the Garden—one of Papa's farms.
I prepared several toppings and asked my relatives what to put on their own pizza.
It was really fun, there's a lot of combinations and each pizza was unique.
Recently, on my sister's birthday they tried a simple cheese plate and wine.
Throughout the years, we have deviated from the traditional and the common holiday or birthday foods. It's always fun to discover different tastes.
It's my birthday today, I wish I was with my family to spend the day together and have some pizza and wine.
That's all for now.
Thank you!
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About Me
 | Onie Maniego was born in Leyte, PH. He grew up in a rural area with a close-knit community and a simple lifestyle, he is often visiting his father's orchards during summer and weekends, which has a great impact on his works. |
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