Vegetables for everybody! Including me!
It all started from an invitation of the whole teaching staff of Balacbaan Elementary School during their celebration of teachers day, which of course we were not aware of. Or maybe it was because the saw me trip near their under construction classroom because me and my group mate was looking for a spot where there is a good cellular reception and eventually I earned myself a scar on my left foot which I can still see now after a month of acquiring it. Anyway, back to the event. After the invitation me and my group mates were all excited for the occasion, we were told that we will be a judge of a cooking contest which spelled FOOD.. lots of FOO for us, and of course a pageant too.
And so the day finally came, it was raining that morning and the covered stage was as what you should be expecting, muddy. They started at 9:30am with a prayer, the Pambansang Awit and how a program flow usually is. Right before it started we we’re informed that one of us should give a speech with regards to the Family week and Children’s week and we choose our group mate Leona, since she was the “child-friendly” in the group. She said things about eating together as a Family and about always appreciating a child’s work even how little it maybe. That day looked like it was the Balacbaan Elementary Schools’ intramurals, the children were everywhere playing “bring me”, volleyball and performing intermission numbers. It was all FUN and enjoyment, next came the cooking contest. This was my favorite part of the day, there were 4 tables presented to us, with a bunch of food to choose, BUT most of them were vegetables and considering that I am a cannibal which only ate meat my entire life I was not all excited to taste it, yet my group mates told me to try some because it was cooked for us, then of course I did. I first tried the fried “kangkong” and I could not even deny it to myself that it was really delicious. It was bursting in my mouth, every corner of it. Next, I tried the “Kalabasang Ukoy” which I mistakenly thought of it as a beef patty. There was “Suman”, “atchara”, “puso ng saging” and a very unique Sotanghon Guisado with sardines, clever dish and very less expensive. After we went around the tables and manage ourselves a lot of food to eat, we finally decided to have four categories. The healthiest table, Best in Pancit table, Best in table presentation and best in refreshment table, each of the tables got their own title and we can see smiles that say they appreciated us judging.
Right after the cooking contest we went to the Balacbaan Elementary School to have lunch with the rest of the teaching staffs and the barangay officials. When we came back down, Next in line would be the pageant and I, for myself was thinking it was the children who will be participating, yet I was wrong and it was their parents. Representative parents of each level, they introduced themselves and raising money was their way of collecting votes, and as medical students immersing we took the opportunity to help raise money and we gave each level a fair amount, and when the counting started it was the grade 5 representative who won. When we thought it ended there, it didn’t because they we’re asked to come back after an hour or so, fully dressed and when I mean dressed. They came back wearing gowns. It was fun because the money raised was the ones used to purchase their prizes and for me that was beyond fun and happy.
There are so many things in life that money can’t buy, its happiness and love. I’ve seen almost all of the families in Barangay Balacbaan participating on the games prepared for them, they look very happy and I think by the look on their faces, they have enjoyed the Family day celebration. It was plain and simple yet it made us see through them how they are as a Family, how accommodating and fun loving they are. And I’m so looking forward for my next family day cooking contest judge role next year. :)
It all started from an invitation of the whole teaching staff of Balacbaan Elementary School during their celebration of teachers day, which of course we were not aware of. Or maybe it was because the saw me trip near their under construction classroom because me and my group mate was looking for a spot where there is a good cellular reception and eventually I earned myself a scar on my left foot which I can still see now after a month of acquiring it. Anyway, back to the event. After the invitation me and my group mates were all excited for the occasion, we were told that we will be a judge of a cooking contest which spelled FOOD.. lots of FOO for us, and of course a pageant too.
And so the day finally came, it was raining that morning and the covered stage was as what you should be expecting, muddy. They started at 9:30am with a prayer, the Pambansang Awit and how a program flow usually is. Right before it started we we’re informed that one of us should give a speech with regards to the Family week and Children’s week and we choose our group mate Leona, since she was the “child-friendly” in the group. She said things about eating together as a Family and about always appreciating a child’s work even how little it maybe. That day looked like it was the Balacbaan Elementary Schools’ intramurals, the children were everywhere playing “bring me”, volleyball and performing intermission numbers. It was all FUN and enjoyment, next came the cooking contest. This was my favorite part of the day, there were 4 tables presented to us, with a bunch of food to choose, BUT most of them were vegetables and considering that I am a cannibal which only ate meat my entire life I was not all excited to taste it, yet my group mates told me to try some because it was cooked for us, then of course I did. I first tried the fried “kangkong” and I could not even deny it to myself that it was really delicious. It was bursting in my mouth, every corner of it. Next, I tried the “Kalabasang Ukoy” which I mistakenly thought of it as a beef patty. There was “Suman”, “atchara”, “puso ng saging” and a very unique Sotanghon Guisado with sardines, clever dish and very less expensive. After we went around the tables and manage ourselves a lot of food to eat, we finally decided to have four categories. The healthiest table, Best in Pancit table, Best in table presentation and best in refreshment table, each of the tables got their own title and we can see smiles that say they appreciated us judging.
Right after the cooking contest we went to the Balacbaan Elementary School to have lunch with the rest of the teaching staffs and the barangay officials. When we came back down, Next in line would be the pageant and I, for myself was thinking it was the children who will be participating, yet I was wrong and it was their parents. Representative parents of each level, they introduced themselves and raising money was their way of collecting votes, and as medical students immersing we took the opportunity to help raise money and we gave each level a fair amount, and when the counting started it was the grade 5 representative who won. When we thought it ended there, it didn’t because they we’re asked to come back after an hour or so, fully dressed and when I mean dressed. They came back wearing gowns. It was fun because the money raised was the ones used to purchase their prizes and for me that was beyond fun and happy.
There are so many things in life that money can’t buy, its happiness and love. I’ve seen almost all of the families in Barangay Balacbaan participating on the games prepared for them, they look very happy and I think by the look on their faces, they have enjoyed the Family day celebration. It was plain and simple yet it made us see through them how they are as a Family, how accommodating and fun loving they are. And I’m so looking forward for my next family day cooking contest judge role next year. :)