A New Chronicle of Spaghetti

A New Chronicle of Spaghetti

by Shaneika Aguilar

The sense of accomplishment lingered inside of me. The sweet aroma of spaghetti loitered in the air. The clanking of dishes as they were being pulled out from wooden-made cabinets and being placed on the kitchen table as they await for the ingredients to fill them.

I was awoken by the crackling of ground beef and the disturbance of utensils hitting against the sides of the pots as they were stirring the spaghetti noodles and ground beef. Not only did this awaken me, but the sweet fragrance of the sauce being made circumspectly culled me away from the once comfortable body-sinking sofa that I was resting on.

I quietly stepped into the kitchen floor barefooted. My head extended from the side of the refrigerator as I tried to sneak a peak at who is cooking and what is being cooked. I glanced once, then pulled my head back. Then, I elongated my neck again to catch a glimpse of what is going on in the kitchen. I saw my mom dressed in a red tank top and her finger in her mouth. I figured that she was tasting her food for the perfect taste that would satisfy her palette. I looked around the kitchen and couldn't see any measuring devices needed to measure the amount of ingredients you need to make the food perfect. I guess that proved false in my mom's case.

She adores experimental cooking and didn't like using measuring devices or a timer to make her food perfect. She told me, "Why waste your time squinting at the numbers when you can dip your finger in and taste it? I only like to cook the things that I like the most and the family likes the most. And if I do cook, I don’t usually use measurements. I do experimental cooking and so far, the girls like it, my husband likes it, and even my parents.” It’s her lifestyle and it shows in her every day life. When she comes home from work and even when she is suffering from fatigue, she doesn’t stop to take a break. Her family comes to her mind first and so she finds the food that we enjoy eating and she makes the effort to cook the food for us.

Spaghetti is the only food that plants a full smile on her face that pasts the width of her head. This is exactly what she said, “ I do it because I’m happy with it, my family’s happy with it. And my friends are happy with the version that I have. So, I put love into it because I feel happy when I cook it. And I put my personal taste into it.” She also told me that the best part of making it is the effort that you put into it. “I like making it because in the Philippines, I love spaghetti. When I came over to Hawaii, I tasted their spaghetti and it is sour. It has some kind of taste - bitter and sour and I don’t like that taste. So, I mix the American ingredients to a Filipino ingredients. Mix them together and perfect taste. I also enjoy making it because I know that they will eat it. People love it. Effort. The best part of making it is your effort to finish your merchandise. The food that you prepare.” It is obvious that she has a passion for making spaghetti. She likes to make it because she cares for the people around her and she wants to plant a smile on their faces through her best skill - cooking. Our family is also very devoted to our cooking. My mom said, “Well, it’s a part of daily life. It’s not like we cater, but we love to cook because we need to eat.”

She has been cooking her very own original spaghetti ever since she came to Hawaii back in the early 90's. “It’s a combination of American and I call it original because it’s not pure American way and there’s a Filipino way on it and I did it on my own without copying exactly what the American way was and what the Filipino way was. I experiment the taste that I want to come out.” She told me that she didn't like the American spaghetti or the Filipino Spaghetti because they were both either bitter and too cheesy, but she loved spaghetti, however, none of the spaghetti that she knew of satisfied her palette. “In the beginning, it was just like regular spaghetti and I’m looking for a certain taste that will satisfy my palette because the American way is kind of sour taste and it has some kind of bitter taste. I guess they put too much tomato sauce and I don’t like that taste. And the Filipino way, it’s too sweet. It’s too cheesy taste and I don’t like that either. So, I came to conclusion with mixing that sour taste with the cheesy or sugary taste. Combine them together and I got the perfect combination, By using some experimental sauce in it, my secret sauce.” So, she came to the conclusion of mixing both ingredients of each spaghetti together. She experimented with it and it took her awhile to find the right ingredients that would give the spaghetti a taste that would satisfy everyone's taste buds, regardless if they hate spaghetti or love spaghetti. Then, one day, she intentionally spilled an ingredient that she believed would give the spaghetti the sweetness it needed. Her very own spaghetti sauce that unfortunately cannot be revealed to the outside world. It wasn't intentional, but she decided to mix it in with the spaghetti. When it was complete and ready for sampling, she took it out to the dining table for everyone to try. I wasn't born yet, so she got most of her criticism from her parents and her husband - my grandparents and my dad. They all said the same thing," WOW! What did you put in it, it's wonderful. It's a complete masterpiece! Mmmmm...better than the best restaurant's spaghetti on the island, no in the world. WOW!! It has that sweet taste in it, I love it." And that's when my mom decided to pass on her recipe to the latest generation - ME!

I was her main priority. She told me that the most memorable time she has ever made it was when her daughter - ME - requested for it. “The most memorable time I made it is when my daughter requested it. Because she loves spaghetti and I feel fulfilled and then other than her, friends are requesting my recipe every time. When my daughter requested it when she was in the second or third grade.” I guess I was the joy in her life and she has always been seeking for something that we both love. And that happened to be her very own spaghetti. When I tasted it, it immediately sent my taste buds out of this world. It sparked it as if a lightning had strike me during a beautiful and clear morning. I immediately looked at her and that's when I realized that it was definitely the favorite that I have been looking for from my mom. It was sweet and had no cheese. It had tomato sauce, but just a dash of it. There was also a sprinkle of parsley on the red sauce. The hot dog compliments your taste bud along with the italian sauce and the secret ingredient. The meat from the ground beef offset the sweetness so that it doesn't come at you too much causing your face to squirm. It was simply the food that I have been looking for all my life.

This essay gave me the opportunity to take the initiative and stand by my mom's side to observe how the food that I have always loved is being prepared. The way my mom prepared it seemed very complicated and confusing. She constantly alternated when boiling the spaghetti noodles and the ground beef. She also multitasked while she was cooking, pouring sauce into the boiling pot of ground beef while stirring the noodles. I nearly saw her with 2 extra hands coming out from her sides working along with her as she cooked. She never wasted her time and made sure that her food was being cooked at the right temperature. One way that stimulated her motivation to cook effectively was the tidiness of the kitchen and her capability of being very cautious of everything when she is cooking. As she was preparing the food, I could imagine myself with a chef's apron and a chef's hat standing in front of a stove with my finger in my mouth. It has been said that the best cooks never use measuring devices, so now I want to become one of the best cooks.

While the food was being prepared conscientiously, my 5 senses came to life after being buried from the long wait of not being able to come into contact with the best tasting and smelling food. My nostrils opened up and I was able to get a whiff of the sweet aroma Italian sauce being poured into the large pot of ground beef. I dipped my finger into the sauce when my mom offered me to taste her cooking and I could feel the hot and soft feel of the sauce. When I placed it onto the surface of my tongue, I got the direct strike of excitement. My eyes widened and I smiled as my jaw moved from side to side in order to preserve the taste of the sauce that was slowly fading away. It was mild, yet sweet and you could taste the tomato as it dissolved in your taste buds. It wasn't bitter or too cheesy. It is a Heart Smart spaghetti, so it didn't have that fattening and oily feel you would have when you ate American (mainland) spaghetti. If you put your nose right under the steam arising from the pot, you could smell that it was cooked really well and didn't have that sour aftertaste. I could see that the ground beef was turning into a brownish color and the spaghetti noodles were turning tender and firm gradually as it was being boiled over the stove. I could hear the crackling of the ground beef and the clanking of pots and utensils as they were being transported from the stove to the sink, then to the dish drier.

Once everything was prepared and sampled for taste, the spaghetti noodles and the sauce were placed in separate pots, but were side by side on the dining table. I called my dad, my grandparents, and my cousin to join at the table for a dinner prayer. We all held each other’s hands and dropped our heads. It was dead silence for at least 2 minutes and all you could hear was the words of thanks and forgiveness from my father’s lips. After the prayer, we quickly dug in. We fought over the serving sporks and couldn't decide who should go first to consume the spaghetti. So, we used our own forks and took oversized fork fulls and placed them onto our plates. It looks like this: white and yellowish thin long pieces of strings messily scattered on the plates smothered in red chunky sauce. It also has small 1/4 pieces of full red hot dogs and dark green little square seasonings sprinkled on top of the sauce. All I could hear was the quick slurping of the noodles and the after mmmmmmmmm response. Within a fraction of a minute, the entire pot of spaghetti noodles and sauce were wiped out as if they were attacked by a pack of hungry wolves. We were bloated and ate more than what our stomaches could fill. It's like what some people say all the time, "When the food looks good, no doubt will your eyes be bigger than your stomach." But, every time we ate my mom's spaghetti, we all felt satisfied and we felt refreshed after a long day's work. And that is the magic of my mom's spaghetti.

Today, my mom's spaghetti is getting famous in our family and within our friends. There has been so many requests from so many people, including in special occasions does the spaghetti play a huge role. I have seen so many people scarf down 2-3 plate fulls of spaghetti and taking home pots and pots of spaghetti home with them to share with their friends and the rest of their family. People have asked her for the recipe and that it is the "best out of the best." And every time there is a special occasion, my mom knows exactly what to prepare - spaghetti! And now I have been granted the chance to pass on this family favorite, but the secret ingredient will always stay secret, regardless

of.

It's my turn to continue the "New Chronicle of Spaghetti" for generations and generations on.