Sinigang by Marby Villaceran

(Mitzi Caryl Encarnacion and Jilfell Pardilla LGE04)

Sinigang is one of the most loved Filipino dishes that has different version in
every part of the country. It is even endorsed to be the national dish of the Philippines,
dethroning the famous ​adobo and ​lechon​. ​Sinigang is branded to taste sour, salty but
delicious at the same time – giving it very unique and varied characteristics that truly
makes it a rare gem. It needs the right ingredients and that certain type of tang to
achieve the desired taste. As time passes by though, Sinigang has started to evolve
with even new flavors and a new stature in the Filipino kitchen.
Just like how ​sinigang ​changes through time, the once conservative Filipino
family has slowly absorbed a new kind of norm in the Philippines. There are now more
frequent times where a third party comes in a family and becomes the children’s first
heartbreak. This kind of experience in a Filipino family may happen to those in the city
or province, rich or poor. It erases the notion of the “perfect” family and produces issues
for both the old and new family. Gone are the days where hearing “stepfather” and
“stepbrother” seemed taboo because now, it is regarded as a normal set-up.
In many aspects, sinigang symbolizes how we view differences and changes in
our family. Like sinigang which is always sour, family will always has imperfections.
Family is an imperfect institution. ​“Well, one never really knows which will taste good
until one has tried it. I mean, some people cook sinigang with guavas, some with
kamias. It is a dish whose recipe would depend mostly on the taste of those who will do
the eating.”​, said Tita Loleng. In relation to this, every family has problems, including the
ones that seems perfect from a third perspective. There are also families who have no
father nor mother while some have two mothers and fathers. Also, some families are
blessed to have a dozen of sons and daughters while others have no luck bearing
children at all. Despite these circumstances, which seemingly appears to be burden for
many, those families have their own kind of happiness and contentment. We have
different taste of sinigang which is similar to different ways on how we accept the
differences and changes in our family. Acceptance and forgiveness are always
dependent to the one who experienced being part of a broken family. In the story, it has
taken so much time for Liza to reach a quiet acceptance and understanding that her
father had an affair. She chose to be rebellious for a long time but in the end she
realized that her father’s love for her did not change nor did her love for the father
completely vanish. Life is basically like sinigang, you need the right ingredients to
achieve the desired taste. In Liza’s case, she needed the right moment, questions and
event to finally realize that the fatherly love she was missing was never inexistent.
In all honesty, we loved the story the minute we finished reading it. We
appreciated the fact that Villaceran used symbols and ingredients that are very Filipino.
The way the story was written was also very clear and easy to understand. In addition to
that, it possess a unique setting that was used as a way of introducing scenarios that a
normal reader can easily paint in their minds. A usual conversation while cooking with
someone in your home is very relatable and interesting for us readers because this kind
of dialogue happens in our own Filipino kitchens. Moreover, that conversation is efficient
on adding excitement to the flow of story and truly captivates the attention of the reader
to follow the talk of Liza and her tita Loleng.
We all know a family or friend that is in Liza’s shoes. We all know a certain
someone that has felt so crushed about a certain “family problem”, or that certain
someone could actually be us. In many cases, we might have been the shoulder they
cried on or the rope they held on to. It is nothing short of heartbreaking to watch a movie
that depicts a broken family due to a third party but seeing it in real life is beyond
devastating. Despite the gravity of a problem as this, one must always remember that a
love of a parent is one of the most unconditional love that children will feel. Mistakes
and disagreements come and go but a love that is rooted in good faith will always
prevail and prosper. Just like sinigang, our ​timpla may not always be perfect at the start
nor do will we have the specific ingredients but in the end somehow, we seem to get it
right and find that desired feeling – the feeling of home.