The sight of thick and thin noodles mixed with bright red peppers takes me back to the days when I lived in my hometown of Kennett, Missouri.

Kennett is a small, rural town with a very small population of Filipino people. People rarely visited their family back home in the Philippines due to the long, expensive flights it took to reach their destination. In order to make themselves feel at home, the Filipinos in our community regularly planned Filipino parties to stay in touch with the culture.

These parties were known through out our little town to serve the most delicious food. It was a potluck event, so every guest came prepared with a mouth-watering meal placed in a foil container. Many visitors would travel hours just to eat our dishes and surround themselves with other Filipinos. Guest would often leave smelling like soy sauce, but their bellies were so full that they often skipped breakfast the next day.

On the nights before these parties took place, I would assist my mother in cooking multiple dishes. My kitchen counter would be filled to its max with different types of food that there was no place for us to eat. The sweet aroma of soy sauce sticked to our faded orange walls, and the sound of the sizzling pan rang constant our kitchen. Out of all the dishes we made on those nights, my most favorite was the Pancit.

Drenched in soy sauce and oil, we mixed the sticky noodles with chicken and vegetables. It was best when served with a side of warm, white rice. This was one of the most popular dishes.

by AJ CABRERA