It’s the break of dawn on a Saturday morning, the distinct and familiar fragrance of garlic fried rice and scrambled eggs fills the air - floor to ceiling and corner to corner. My mother stands in our kitchen immersed in creating meals for the weekend. The morning sun casts dancing light through the swaying strands of a beaded curtain. Long strings adorned with seashells and wooden beads stand guard at the entryway to our gathering place. I run my hands along the strands as I enter the space that honors my heritage and culture. They welcome me in and instantly connect me to my ancestral past. 

I perch myself on a dining chair and feel the blanket of warm island air wrapping my 7-year old body. Across the room I see two cartoonishly oversized utensils mounted on the wall - a common sight in most Filipino households. Though ornamental, the wooden spoon and fork act as lucky charms -  believed to imbue our home with health and prosperity. 

This image is one of nostalgia, comfort and safety for me. Recalling this memory is a journey in revisiting my heritage - not just the spoken and inherent traditions of this time and space - but from where they originated and took meaning. The meal my mother was preparing would traditionally have been eaten by hand. However, the indigenous tradition of my ancestors consuming a meal in this manner was deemed as improper and barbaric. During the Spanish colonial period, countless Filipino families assimilated to the use of western utensils. In effect, my vivid memories of these very objects are stained by the loss of cultural traditions and practices complicated by the normalization and acceptance of yet another.

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