At one point in our lives, occasions were incomplete without paella. As a lower middle-class family, my mother made sure this dish was served. It looked so classy and expensive with tahong, shrimps, and sliced eggs all around it.
As the years passed, my mother stopped making them. It was replaced by Filipino-style sweet spaghetti, which everyone seemed to like. She wouldn’t admit it, but I suspect she stopped serving paella because it cost more to make. On the other hand, spaghetti and pancit are inexpensive and easy to prepare.
Modern times have given rise to the fast food mentality. It’s all about convenience and cost.
Cooking paella can take a long time, depending on how it is prepared. It can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to make in Spain! Since my mother’s recipe is Ilongo, preparing it was much simpler.
The only thing I won’t eat in paella is the red bell peppers. Other than that, I eat everything!
My mother learned to cook it with seafood and meat. As a result of eating paella in restaurants overseas, I realized Valencians do not prepare it this way.
In my visits to Negros and Iloilo, where my grandparents are originally from, I learned that paella was a popular gathering food.
Has it lost its footing in all Negrense and Ilongo towns?
Check out this great vlog about paella in Sevilla, Spain:
