By: Grace Egbe

As an Asian-American owned business, glee+co wants to celebrate AAPI month in a special way. Every week, we will be highlighting some of our favorite foods and words from our cultures. This week we are spotlighting Grace as she shares how she experiences love through her Filipino roots.

Grace’s favorite Filipino food : nilaga

"For as long as I can remember, nilaga has always been a comfort food for me. My mom makes this beef stew with cabbage, sometimes potatoes, jasmine rice and always love – it’s still the dish I request the most. Whether it was for a warm breakfast on a cold morning, after-school fuel for a study session, or the perfect remedy for a rainy sick day, this soup never fails to fill my stomach and my heart."

 

Grace’s favorite Tagalog word : inaanak

"Being Filipino means having an endless amount of cousins, uncles, and aunts –but a Filipino family isn’t complete without multiple godparents (ninangs and ninongs) assigned to each child. Though not everyone is close to their godparents, my Ninang Obeth and Ninong Joe have always loved and treated me, their inaanak (godchild), as their own anak (child). Because of them, inaanak is one of my favorite words in Tagalog; it reminds me that love knows no boundaries or exceptions.