Happy Birthday to...Me

For someone who was born into a family who refuses to cook, I had to cater for my OWN birthday. I will not rant.

Every year, for most of my pre-school days, my family would organize a birthday party for me. Those were the fun days. I would wake up with a stash of gifts waiting for me. Everyone would greet me, and pamper me. Then in the afternoons, we would have the party. I remember my yaya setting up the pabitin and the many palayoks for the parlor games. It would always be a busy day – all our maids helping set up the tables, balloons and wrapping prizes for the games, not to mention the frantic pace in the kitchen.

Then visitors would arrive bringing even more gifts. All my cousins would come – most of whom I only see a few times a year: on my birthday, on their birthday and on Christmas. Then there were those children of my parents’ friends, my aunt’s office mates' nieces and nephews, etc. I guess I didn’t mind as long as they brought with them gifts. Well, what could you expect? I was a kid!

And it wouldn’t be a party without all those food! My mother would always order a birthday cake from Red Ribbon – orange-flavored sponge iced with royal icing, and decorated with as much of that gelatinous radioactive blue paste my brothers and I used to call “toothpaste icing.” Then we always had barbecue ordered from the stall two blocks away (and you have to excuse me for having that, as no one knew during the 80s that burnt ends can be carcinogenic!). Of course, there is the mandatory Filipino spaghetti – a sweet spicy ham and hotdog tomato sauce the Italians would not even recognize. Then there are other “regulars” in the traditional Pinoy party – gelatin, fruit salad, ice cream, fried chicken, etc. I didn’t eat much then; I merely enjoyed the sight of food. I was interested only in tasting some of them, especially those brought by some of our guests. (Feeding me as a kid was a serious chore.)

And like all children, I had to grow up. My cousins had to migrate. My yaya ran away with our driver. Pabitin, palayok and children’s parties as we knew them in the 80s came out of fashion. School and work became more rigorous. So, I’m a licensed doctor now. And if I end up marrying, then I’ll have parties for my own kid!

Looking back, I count all my blessings and thank my family for all they have given me. And of course God, for making those things possible. And now I hope and pray for a bright and prosperous future. So today, I’m cooking – to celebrate life and all its blessings.

(more about my birthday menu on later posts.)