Thankful for her good health at seventy five. There are so many things to be thankful for and I am. Life is too short to be constantly worried about such little things. I know, I am too foolish to dwell on such insignificant inconveniences. Two months together under one roof is a long time but I don’t think we have any other choice given that we don’t have the luxury of money and time for more frequent visits. Two months is a long time! There, I said it. As much as I enjoy having my mom around, her visits quickly turn into some form of inconvenience - an interruption in my life. A feeling of guilt that we’re thousands of miles apart and our mother-and-only-son relationship has been reduced to once-a-week twenty-minute hurried phone calls and once-a-year two-month condensed visits. A heavy cloud of guilt hovers above my head all the time. About having my own life separate from hers. About her getting older, about her health. Worrying is what we do and we do it so well. I have become my mother when it comes to worrying. But I wouldn’t be completely honest with you if I left out the part about my worries. Bistek, caldereta, mechado, daing na bangus and all the good stuff. About how I’ve been enjoying coming home every day to her home cooking that I have so longingly missed. I could just write to tell you about how I’ve been enjoying my mom’s visit. I thought writing the requisite Mother’s Day post would be easy but, obviously, I was wrong. A tribute to the long, thin strips of young coconut and chewy nata de coco all dressed in cream and condensed milk. Taste it and adjust the level of sweetness by adding some sugar as needed. In a mixing bowl, add shredded young coconut strings, cooked tapioca pearls 'sago', condensed milk, evaporated milk, nestle cream (optional), and mix until well combined. A tribute to the strikingly green gulaman and the fragrant pandan. Lets now make our delicious buko pandan desserts.

I thought I had it all figured out: a tribute to my mother and her favorite buko pandan. I’ve been staring at a blank screen for the past few days, trying to compose in my mind what to write for this post.

Buko pandan recipe