The first clue

I was going through this little self-help phase that every woman approaching 40 seems to go through – reading everything from the Dalai Lama to Deepak Chopra to “The Secret”. I never learned what The Secret was, but one point I kept coming across was that coincidences aren’t merely coincidences. That if you pay attention, you’ll see that the Universe is really just trying to send you a message. That said, I’d like to thank the Universe for not giving up on me. Even after several attempts on the Big U’s part, I failed to connect the dots. But now that I get it, I must congratulate the Universe for its clever devices.

The first message came by way of Anthony Bourdain, host of “No Reservations”, a Travel Channel show in which Bourdain goes from country to country trying different dishes, imbibing freely amongst locals, and reciting his prose in his signature dead-pan way. He also resembles my mom’s ex-boyfriend, which is what compelled me to end my channel surfing on his show.
On this particular episode, he was in the Philippines trying to find the answer to his one burning question: What is Filipino food? I don’t think he ever got the answer – even as he filled his international belly with lechon (roasted whole pig), papaet (goat innards stewed in bile, yes, bile), sisig (chopped pig cheeks with onions, peppers and spices), sinigang (meat and vegetable soup with a sour tamarind base) and of course numerous bottles of San Miguel beer.

Every time he asked someone how they defined Filipino food, the answer only created more questions. Mainly: “Huh?” So while the show left me a little more enlightened about the many cultures that have influenced our cuisine, I didn’t have a sense of closure.

But that’s because the Universe wasn’t done with me yet.