Table For Two!

These days, my family and I are on our busy lives, in academics, work, and running other errands that we seldom meet each other in the house that was once so complete every time I go home. Since most of us in the family are already adults, we now seldom find our family in one place at one time, and usually we would just see each other in the morning while everyone was busy preparing for the day ahead. It is through writing this blog that I realized we are not eating together at the table, whether for breakfast or dinner, and I also realized I am eating outside more often than usual since it is the most convenient for me.

In this blog, I’ll share with you a dinner date with this guy I am sharing my life with in the present. Dining outside will be more often since the household dynamics of my family changed suddenly, and I am grateful I have someone to eat with when my family is too busy to meet and eat in one place.

I waited for Mr. Azi at the MilkT Cafe since he was stuck in road traffic that lasted for at least 10 minutes. We really don’t have that heavy traffic in the province, but that night there was a road conflict that blocked the way. I ordered soda fizz while waiting for him and looked around the cafe to entertain myself. On the wall, there were framed artworks displayed, and the lights of the cafe created a cozy and comfortable ambiance. It was at least 20 minutes of waiting before Mr. Azi arrived, and we ordered immediately since it was past 7 pm, a very unusual time to eat dinner in our culture.

Have you heard of the food Bicol Express? I ordered one since I was craving for it. Mr. Azi ordered pepper beef for himself, and both of us decided to buy Buffalo Wingers to complement our meals. The Buffalo Wingers had two extra rice included, so we had two rice each. For your information, Bicol Express is a typical and perfect Filipino dish known for its rich, creamy coconut base and fiery heat. It is named after the region in our country called the Bicol Region. Almost everyone in our country developed favoritism toward this dish, as it is really perfect to eat with rice, and a soda would really complete the meal. Bicol Express is also cooked in different versions now, but the original way of cooking it remains my favorite.

We talked at the table while we ate our dinner. We talked about how our day went at work and in school, and talked about random stuff that allowed us to get to know each other. This cafe made us comfortable during the conversation that I found myself laughing authentically and unconsciously, while he did as well. We didn’t take a lot of photos since most of our dating time was spent in conversations and memorable laughs, and we forgot that our phones existed.

After eating at the cafe, we headed to the shore of Lapyahan, a usual way of wrapping our dinner date, and had a walk along the shore to burn some calories and fats. We sometimes sat on the sand and held each other’s hands, and sometimes I would feel my heart beating so fast, as if it were our first time meeting each other. I know we are already dating, but I still have a huge crush on him.

That night reminded me that even when life gets busy and family dinners become rare, a person who loves me and moments like these still make me feel full in ways food alone never could.