JOEL'S JOURNAL
They say grief is love with nowhere to go. It makes sense then that food—an expression that encompasses multiple love languages—has a significant place across various traditions dedicated to the dead.
What having 27 guests come over in two months has taught me about having company over and how social ties are nourished by different kinds of gatherings around the table.
At lunch over my packed food, I get a glimpse of the values that shaped me, the culture I grew up with, and the nostalgia of my childhood in one tiny container.
A spoonful of halo-halo, a bite of banana cue, or a whiff of grilled liempo transports me to the past, as if they are time capsules carrying memories of my childhood summers.
As December arrives, Filipinos eagerly count down to Christmas day with Simbang Gabi, puto bumbong, and bibingka. Originally served to fuel the working folk, these treats now symbolize warmth, tradition, and nostalgia—making Christmas special and memorable, year after year.
