A Taste of Home for Good Friday

As the time for commemorating the Day of the Lord's Death approached, my siblings and I planned to return to our province for a brief vacation, aiming to make happy memories with our loved ones.

Knowing that it's a holiday, we expect that public vehicles going to the province will be crowded again. As a result, my younger siblings and I decided to head straight to the North Bus Terminal to find a less crowded vehicle and to secure seats comfortably.

Luckily, when we arrived at the terminal, we found a bus with few passengers, so we were able to sit comfortably, and our trip back to the north went smoothly.

Upon our arrival at our house, we were greeted by the wide smiles of our parents. It dawned on me then that we seldom have the opportunity to be together due to our respective families and responsibilities that demand our attention. So I'm happy whenever I've visited my parents house occasionally, even if it's just for a short while.

Given our unexpected return, we assumed there wouldn't be much happening tomorrow for Good Friday, knowing that our parents aren't keen on cooking, especially since there are only three of them left at home, including our youngest sibling, who's still in senior high school.

When I woke up the other day, I was surprised when my mother asked me to buy ingredients at the market for the dishes we'd be preparing later. After breakfast, I promptly carried out her request.

I didn't linger long at the market either because I quickly found the items my mother asked me to buy, especially since there were many vendors selling ingredients at the market today, as it's one of the most popular dishes we cook for Good Friday. Thus, after making the purchases, I immediately headed home and found my siblings already preparing the other ingredients we would use later.

If you're interested in what we're preparing, it's simply a well-known dessert in our area known as "binignit." Here in the Philippines, particularly in my hometown, the day of the death of God would not be complete without the famous dish called "binignit."

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For those unfamiliar, "binignit" is a popular dessert among the Visayan people, typically enjoyed on Good Friday. This sweet dish is traditionally prepared using a variety of fruits, such as saba banana, jackfruit, sweet potatoes, and purple yam, along with sago pearls and glutinous rice, which are cooked in coconut milk.

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Because of its irresistible taste, you won't feel the need to indulge in other dishes or desserts since it is truly satisfying. It's an ideal choice for Good Friday, a day when consuming meat is forbidden, as it fully satisfies hunger.

After our youngest sibling cracked the coconut, I volunteered to be the one to shred the coconut, which he agreed to easily. It took me a few minutes to grate the coconut until I finished. Once all the coconuts were grated, I handed them over to my mother, who was in charge of cooking the binignit.

I spent some time watching what my mother was doing before joining my siblings, who were happily chatting. After a while, our mother announced that the binignit was ready and that we could now get some from the pot.

Without hesitation, I stood up immediately and scooped some binignit onto my plate. As I tasted it, I could only say one thing: nothing can compare to my mother's cooking. Even if I've tasted many versions of binignit in my life, it's still different when my mother cooks it for me or us.It's a good thing that I didn't hesitate to go home to our province to celebrate Good Friday because I got to taste my mother's cooking again, which is always a treat.

And with that, I conclude my blog for today.