Journal #6: Transcript for RR Interview (Part 2/2)

What are the ingredients? Secret Ingredients?

The main ingredients is the spaghetti sticks or it becomes spaghetti noodles once it is cooked, the ground pork or ground beef, I prefer ground beef, hot dog, Preggo spaghetti sauce. Either the traditional sauce or the mushroom sauceor any sauce that you prefer. And I have my own Filipino sauce (secret ingredient). You can also buy that in the stores. Shoyu. Maybe two tablespoons of shoyu. And if you want to enhance it, onions, chopped onions, or finely chopped tomatoes. But I didn’t put that into my recipe today because it is just a fast preparation. And a tablespoon or a teaspoon full of salt or a teaspoon full of canola oil. Canola oil or virgin oil. Whatever you prefer. Vegetable oil.

Can you please elaborate more on the Filipino ingredients?

Nope there is none. Only the special sauce, but that is a secret ingredient.

Why do you like making this?

I like making it because when I was 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.

Is it a tradition in the family? What started it?

Not really. It’s not a tradition in the family. I only cook spaghetti. My daughter likes to eat spaghetti or if friends and congregation requested it when we have gatherings. And if there are other occasions and I like to prepare spaghetti, then I would go with spaghetti.

Is cooking something that you love to do and what the rest of the family loves to do?

Not really really cooking. I only like to cook the things that I like the most and the family like the most. And if I do cook, I don’t usually use measurements, I do experimental cooking and so far, the girls likes it, my husband likes it, and even my parents.

Can you please tell us the things that you like to cook?

I like to cook pancit, other than spaghetti. I like the Brown Digoo, which my daughter’s favorite food, the way I cook. The Brown Digoo is Brown Soup. That’s not the Chocolate Milk, no. On the Brown Soup, it had fine beef meat, I add onions, tomato, ginger, chopped ginger, and fish sauce. That’s it! And I put bittermelon on top. It’s a vegetable, bittermelon. I like to cook squid with Filipino vegetables. I don’t know the English. They call it cabatiti. I don’t know what is cabatiti. That’s the long green with sharp edge around. I like pinakbet, I cook pinakbet. I cook Pork Guisantes. There is no any English for pinakbet, Filipino pinakbet. Omelette. Stuffed bangus or Stuffed Fish. Pork Adobo, Chicken Adobo, Chicken with Papaya or Chicken with bittermelon. Seafood Sinigang. Can be a combination of milkfish and shrimp. Sinigang. I have other more, but I don’t remember all of them. Salmon is fish. I cook it with carrots, peas, corn, and asparagus.

Is cooking what the family loves to do?

Well, it’s a part of daily life. It’s not like we cater, but we love to cook because we need to eat.

Do you experiment with different recipes?

Yes. I mix American food to Filipino foods.

Do you love to experiment?

Yes.

Why do you choose this recipe to represent your cooking?

Because it s favorite. They like my version of spaghetti. Special request.

What’s the best part of making it?

I enjoy 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.

Did you eat spaghetti as a child? If so, did you always like it?

Yes. In the Philippines. When I was in high school, when I was in college. I always liked it because it is my favorite.

What was in that recipe that you loved the best?

The taste. Taste good, taste sweet. Taste like cheesy, sweet, and slight taste of sour. Light taste of the tomato sauce. Fills me up.

Where did you hear this recipe?

I hear it from everybody. Everybody knows spaghetti. Nana them, from my classmates before, from my aunts, in the radio, in restaurants. All over the place.

Is it an original?

Well because it’s a combination of American and my, 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.

Is your spaghetti something that you find in stores?

Like you buy to eat? No. My version? No. But, I can find an American spaghetti in stores or Zippy’s version of their spaghetti.

Are you planning to publish your recipe? Why?

No because I don’t run any restaurant and I don’t have time to do that. Maybe one day when I retire. Haha. When I don’t have anything to do. Then, I can concentrate more in cooking.

When was the most memorable time you made it? Why?

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 2nd or 3rd grade.

Can you give some of your personal opinions about the recipe?

My personal opinion, I do it because I’m happy with it, my family 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 on it.

Can you give us a little background on the recipe? What was it like in the past?

I don’t know. 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.

Did you make this with a friend or family member?

No, I did it on my own.

Was it influenced by it?

No.

So, was it influenced by the American spaghetti?

Because I don’t like either of those two taste. I was looking for a taste that would satisfy my palette.

Can you give us an experience or any stories that are most memorable about the recipe?

How do you feel when you cook it?

I love it and I’m happy because I know that my daughter is waiting for the spaghetti. And my husband and my niece. I’m happy of course, they love my cooking.