SM’s Love Local Fair
Food and particular dishes have an uncanny way of triggering memories. This is possibly why Filipinos are generally such creatures of habit when it comes to food and restaurants. We have one great dining experience at a restaurant, and it’s almost automatic that each time we return to that restaurant, we’ll order the exact same things. My late parents were like that, and I’d see it each time we’d travel abroad and they’d take me to some favorite eatery of theirs in Hong Kong, Paris, or New York.
In terms of growing up, I’ll forever associate pochero and sinigang ng baboy to regular Sunday lunches with my grandparents, and lechon to special occasions when we’d head to their house after Sunday Mass. And sure, while our getting older and travel have helped us appreciate the cuisine from other nations, there’s nothing quite like Pinoy food—especially when it comes to being part of our memory banks of good experiences.
And that’s why I’m so happy that the Love Local Fair, being held at selected SM Supermalls all over the NCR and the country, has Pinoy food as one of its main pillars. It’s the best way for us, pandemic-fatigued as we are, to head to Safe Malling, kick back, and enjoy this Independence Day week. This Love Local Fair kicked off yesterday, June 7, 2021 and runs until Sunday, the 13th.
While there are stalls devoted to culture and retail, I was drawn to the ones featuring food. Whether to eat right there at the mall, or to bring home to the family, or to buy and save for a “rainy day,” there were a wealth of options and happy choices. It’s truly food glorious food at SM’s Love Local Fair.
I can go on and on, talking about specific dishes, about merienda fare, about Pinoy snacks & “chicheria,” and how cross-cultural influences from cuisines all over the globe turn up in what are now considered traditional Pinoy dishes—but I think I’ll just leave you with a gallery of photos that should trigger memories (and your taste glands), and have you heading to your nearest SM Supermall. Enjoy Independence Day this year!
Source: Manila Bulletin