Garlic Necklaces There were a few moments in my life that I’ve witnessed a hysteria of some sort. They seem to be the kind of memory that etches into that part of the brain similar to when someone carves their name or a statement on a wooden picnic table. The next person who chose to … Continue reading Garlic Necklaces
One of the many things that summer in Fairbanks brings are family and friends who return to this small city that seems to blossom with its endless summer days (literally, right?). There were summers when my boys would come home from college, and commit to days of working at a summer job, and nights … Continue reading Ma Vie En Rose: Fairbanks Visitors (Part 1)
I spent one weekend binge watching Chef David Chang of Momofuku and food writer Peter Meehan's Netflix documentary "Ugly Delicious," and I am not ashamed. I once binge watched an entire series of Netflix's "Chef Table" and was so inspired by the many stories--and the photos of food porn--behind what makes a chef so passionate … Continue reading When It Is Much More Than Just “Ugly Delicious”
Relationships with sisters are never easy. The eldest of five children, I have three sisters and one little brother. As a child, before my brother was born, I used to have dreams where I'm counting my sisters to make sure that they were all present. In my dream, I'd line them up and count … Continue reading Sisters.
Folks, this is so blasphemous to admit, but I feel that I must (soo dramatic, I know): I have had a frenemy relationship with adobo all my life. When I was growing up, I couldn't stand looking at it. I remember my aunts cooking them in the kitchen and I'd watch the pork drenched in … Continue reading Ma Vie En Rose: I hate you, Adobo. I love you, Adobo.
An excerpt from A Reason For Being Fairbanks, Alaska 1994 In 1994, my youngest sister became ill with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that could’ve been deadly. She had a mosquito bite on her ankle that she did not pay attention to nor bothered to tell me. My parents had separated at this time, and … Continue reading Sunflowers (an excerpt from A Reason For Being)
I remember that she came to visit our home. I've never seen anyone like her before. She was same height as I was, but the similarities ended there. She did not look like or any of my friends. We all had straight black hair (they teased me sometimes because mine was lighter than black--the … Continue reading Banana
The DelCastillo women are pretty ambitious when it comes to this life. My sister Jackie, who I've written about as my Storytexter, had two weeks to spend in San Diego for work. She's a Registered Nurse, and a Lieutenant in a military branch where female officers are still a small subset group serving their country. … Continue reading In Return.
“Let’s do a challenge while we’re in San Diego!” Jackie texted while I was in my office preparing a list of items that I needed to do before taking off for a short vacation. “Ok, we should eat Filipino food every night since we don’t do this often!” I texted back. “Yes! Let’s eat … Continue reading In Pursuit of a Quest.
Author's note: This is an excerpt from Chapter Three of "A Reason For Being" and this excerpt centers on my Great Aunt Esther (my grandmother's eldest sister). I remember when I first met Lola Esther (as how I called her), I was quite young. After I met her that first time, all I saw of … Continue reading The Great Aunt/Grandmother (excerpt from “A Reason For Being”): Lola Esther
The Echo Muse 