Comfort food

THIS is not a new discovery, in fact, it's older than me. But after waking up for the past days to cold and rainy mornings and going home through flooded streets at night, I was struck by what strikes many a Dabawenyo during cold cloudy days...

A longing for comfort food.

Cold, rainy day comfort food to be exact, and when you're a full-fledged Dabawenyo by this time, you'd know what I'm driving at.

Lugaw (arroz caldo actually) and tokwa't baboy at Dencia's.

Heaven.

There are other comfort foods in there of course. Top on the list as well being the torta, or that mound of scrambled egg, so huge, it was obviously designed for sharing.

Dencia's, after all, is a family place; at least three generations down. The habits remain the same. Order lugaw and tokwa't baboy for snacks or when it's a meal then lugaw and tokwa't baboy are joined by the tortang itlog, the crispy noodles (either bijon or canton), the lumpiang shanghai, and the ubiquitous chop suey.

After the eating, the kids will make a beeline toward that corner where there are chocolates and magazines and pester their moms for some.

That's how it has been before, and apparently is until today, as another new generation learns the ropes of being a Dabawenyo that includes celebrating with simple fare and being excited about it.

Feeling cold? Dencia's lugaw is all that you need. Promise, it works wonders. Best to take them in the smaller restaurant area with all those driftwood tables, that's how it was in the olden days.

Luckier though are the two generations since Dencia's moved to its own building along General Luna Street, they no longer had to take out the smell of garlic and lugaw with them after eating. The generations before that were very familiar about the Dencia's smell and would quickly know where a friend ate by just sniffing the air.

"Kumain ka sa Dencia's 'no?" is a question you'd be bombarded with after lunch or snacks there, as the smell of the kitchen would stick to your clothes. But no one really minded. It was a badge of sorts declaring: I just had some real comfort food.