Without what most of us consider as basic equipment and supplies, my grandma fed 10 grandchildren and 12 men who worked in her husband’s jeepney assembly shop.

Our ancestral house had two entrances, front and back. The front led to a balcony whereas the back took you to the kitchen. Almost everyone came in through the kitchen.

I remember Lola’s kitchen for all the things it did not have—running water, refrigerator, gas stove, oven, exhaust fan, toaster, coffee maker, hot-and-cold water dispenser, freezer, pasta maker, pressure cooker, cast iron steak plates, pasta draining bowl, garlic press, food processor, pepper mill, coffee mill, blender, Weber smoker, food drier, rice cooker, meat-and-bread slicer.

Our water came from two government artesian wells one kilometer from our house. The men and boys took turns fetching water using a large cart and several covered drums. We took dirty clothes to the wells and did the laundry there, too. For home use, water containers, including jars called tapayan, were positioned in the batalan, a roofless extension of the kitchen, which served also as an open-air bathroom.

The cooking area between the batalan and the dining room is where one finds the banggerahan sticking out of the window. It is where washed plates, glasses, pots, etc. are left to dry between meals.

In the dining area was a cupboard of sorts called paminggalan, where leftover food, marinated food, unripe fruits, and other consumables were stored. A fine screen kept insects, cats, and rats away. Water for drinking was kept cold in a tapayan (clay jar) from Vigan.

Lola had an array of cooking implements that very few Tiktokers would recognize. Strange-looking was the kudkuran. a grater for mature coconuts. It looked like a wooden animal with a serrated metal head and sharp pointed teeth. During hot summer months, Lola brought out the pangkayod ng melon at buko, which produced long strands of fruit to flavor iced summer drinks.

Grandpa and his workers drank a lot of coffee to start their day. A very large metal teapot almost full of water was put on the wood stove. One spoonful of Batangas coffee per cup of water was enough to provide strength and aroma.

Lola cooked rice in a thick palayok, which kept rice from getting spoiled. A bonus was the tutong or crust formed at the bottom of the pot. This tutong was my healthy breakfast when mixed with fresh carabao milk and sprinkled with coarse sea salt.