PANCIT

Everyone in the United States always celebrates his or her birthday with a special dish every year, whether it may be a family tradition or something that just has to be on the kitchen table. Pancit (a noodle dish of Asian cuisine) is a very important dish in the customary Filipino tradition, especially when it is someone’s birthday and of course on New Year’s Day. What I think makes pancit so unique, is that it can be incorporated in many ways. Other types of noodle dishes, such as pad thai, chow mein, crispy noodle are among many of the other cultures. The most common ingredients pancit includes are noodles, carrots, head cabbage, onion, garlic cloves, green onions, chicken broth, black pepper, chicken bullion, soy sauce, lemon juice, and boneless chicken breast. You can also substitute some veggies, if you dislike particular ones as well as other types of meat. It was also said that pancit originated in China and was brought to the Philippines by traders. Long ago, the wheat noodles used in China were not available in the Philippines, so the Filipinos used the resources that were available such as rice and mongo-bean starch. Nowadays, you can purchase ingredients at a local supermarket nearby your place to make your scrumptious pancit at home.

Typically, my mom would cook a tray of pancit for my birthday every year or specifically order from a Filipino restaurant. Every time she cooks this dish at home, my little sister and I would write down the directions step by step and carefully watch. She would always mention to “eat a lot” of this since it represented longevity (to live a longer life to celebrate more birthdays) and good health, according to my grandmother. Whenever I eat pancit, I never forget my pandesal (salt bread) and the squeeze of lemon to add flavor. In my opinion, the salt bread substitutes the rice and the pancit becomes the main dish. I believe pancit informs us Americans culturally by having this traditional dish signify an important part of our culture and on important dates each year. Pancit defines my Filipino culture significantly since this dish has been common for several years. Moreover, there are several types of pancit, such as bihon, canton, malabon, miki, palabok, sotanghon, and many others that vary from really thin noodles to very thick noodles. Not only does pancit come in a variety of forms and sizes, it can also be made in any other traditional way, whether it may be Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and so on. Pancit can be found in Filipino restaurants and fast food places, such as Goldilocks, Red ribbon, Jolibee, and Pinoy Pinay. This Filipino dish is a quick and easy process and usually only takes a couple of minutes to prepare. Seeing this dish on special occasions makes me proud for the reason that it brings great significance in my family and culture. Lastly, this dish is filling and is definitely worth trying.