MGF Best: You Say Spring Roll, I Say Lumpia

Personally -- this is one of my top five favorites of my own work. As a writer, I'm always looking around me for things to write about. It kind of annoys some people around me, but hey...you have to take it where you can get it. I distinctly remember how the idea just rolled out and snowballed onto my page! Tonight, I post it again...partly because I loved writing it so much and partly because I just watched the news. We need something to calm the craziness in this world, don't you think? - Lily

It was a rare weekend. Speech and Debate season was FINALLY over! Lenny and I could actually lounge about and do nothing for two days. For Lenny, that meant lots of reading and napping. My boy works real hard, so I really couldn’t begrudge him that. It just meant that I could spend the whole weekend working on writing projects and catching up on some television. Parked in front of the TV with my laptop, I caught up on the one of the very very few reality shows I wish I had time for: Bravo’s “Top Chef.”

“Top Chef” follows the same format as the other Bravo smash “Project Runway” (another television addiction of mine). Twelve aspiring chefs go after a $100,000 prize in the hopes of becoming then next big thing in the culinary world. As with all reality shows, they have the obvious talent (Woo hoo Harold and Tiffani!), the underdog (Go Andrea! Go Dave!), and the resident evil (Stephen, get off your high horse!). But the main attraction each week, are the challenges.

On this very special episode, the remaining chefs were paired up. The challenge was to fuse two ethnic cuisines into a “street food” that they would be testing in San Francisco’s Mission District. While watching the future culinary rock stars, I got to thinking about the fusion portion of the competition. The one common theme in the fusion was Latin flavors. It was then combined with Chinese, Japanese, Moroccan, or Indian flavors. The outcomes seemed really flavorful. A Cuban sandwich with Moroccan BBQ pork. A handful sized sopa piled high with Chinese textures. It certainly made my tummy grumble.

But it also made my mind start to turn. I think it was the Latin-Indian burrito. Sure, they used a tortilla. They replaced salsa with mango chutney. Jasmine rice instead of Spanish rice. So, it kind of hit me: As much as we try to make to SAY we’re too different to get along…we sure do have a lot in common. And it starts at the dinner table.

Bear with me on this, please! As proud as I am about being Filipino, I recognize that our vaunted lumpia is just another version of a Chinese spring roll or even a cousin to the Mexican flauta. It may be called polenta in Italy, but it’s called grits in the Southern parts of the U.S. Falafal? Looks like a hush puppy to me! And correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t moo shu just a do-it-yourself burrito?

Look, everyone’s has to eat. It’s a universal truth. By my examination, the only thing that makes food different from each other is the tastes. Whether you call is pita, tortilla, or sourdough…its still bread. And that’s basically what people are all about too. We’re all different flavors and textures. But we’re all human just the same. So if we eat pansit (rice noodles, vegetables, and sometimes chicken) on my table, and Fudgesicle Junkie eats pasta primavera (pasta noodles, vegetables, and sometimes chicken) on his table, why do we treat each other so differently?

I know it seems all so easy and simple-minded, right? But is it an accident that the Jews eat the sweet treat Hamantaschen, while their Palestinian “enemies” savor the dessert Mutabak. Here are two groups of people who are willing to blow each other over territory rather than share. But they eat the same type of dessert snacks! Call me simple (Hi, Simple Lily!), but that kind of hate seems useless in light of some good cookies.

We’re so divided as different societies. But why? Sometimes I think our politicians are bound and determined to keep us separated. They tell us that even our friends might be our enemies. And while there are real dangers out there (Let’s face facts…a good quiche recipe is not going to fix this whole business with Bin Laden), starting out fixing smaller problems might help things along a little faster.

Maybe if we concentrated on sharing our food, maybe we wouldn’t be so angry with each other. If we pulled up a chair to the table, rather than pull up a gun, perhaps some misunderstandings wouldn’t look so huge! Food Diplomacy could probably take care of everything. Instead of trading arms, why not trade recipes for leg of lamb?

It makes perfectly good sense. Food is our unifier. It draws us together. As Orchid says, “What’s the biggest draw at any party or reception?” It sure isn’t the Electric Slide (well, except maybe at a Filipino-American gathering). It certainly is the food. Instead of concentrating on how different we are, let’s share and celebrate how much we have in common! The world can be like a huge dinner table if we want it to be. And, really…who wants to eat alone?