In Filipino, a food that is reheated more than once is jokingly called pangat, pwedeng pangatlo, pang-apat, etc.
I was raised to value whatever food it is on the table. My mom never cooked stuff she thought we may not eat to prevent them from going to trash, which is why there are some dishes that I only appreciate now. When we were older, we would ask each other who will eat and who will not. This allows us to cook just enough because all of us hate repeating the same viand.
Since I was raised like this, I had to adjust big time when I moved in with my husband. My MIL is our main cook (because either she works really early or I work really late for them or I need practice in the kitchen arena. Anyway, I think it was their habit to cook a lot that sometimes, she cooks a whole kilo of something in a day, pork, beef, or chicken, in JUST one viand. If that viand does not include vegetables, she will whip up another viand.
There are five adults and two kids in our home most of the time. We all eat just right. If we cook a half kilo of pork adobo for lunch, the remaining will be enough for dinner, we have the option to simply add a vegetable viand. You get the picture of our dining table?
The thing is, sometimes they will cook a lot of one viand then they will not eat it. They either cook something for snacks that will keep them full until dinner and/or that will be their dinner, or they will cook something else entirely. So what are we suppose to do with the remaining food, refrigerate and consume again the next day? If we keep on doing that, we will end up having piles of food keepers on the refrigerator.
Other than leaving no space to our ref, this habit sort of presents too many choices for the kids. If all viands cooked are of equal nutrition then well and good. But what if the other is not as healthy as the other, what will I do if the kids choose the viand that is less healthy than the other?
I have tried making a weekly menu but like I previously said, I either work very late for them or they are not used to not cooking or I need to work more on my skills or they will look from something that is not on the menu. It is a failed attempt at this point but I am determined to do this. I will cook for the kids and for everyone else.
The image of kids on the streets with nothing to eat keeps on flashing in my mind whenever I see lots of excess food. I pray that time of famine will never come to my family because of this.
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