The beginning of a new year is full of hope for most of us. It can be a new door to many possibilities. I consider each New Year a chance to create a better version of me. I remember looking forward to, and wishing for the good fate and fortune that I was certain 2020 would bring. I had high hopes, so many dreams, and a long list of goals I was determined to accomplish. The year 2020 marked my 48^th year in this world and according to Chinese Astrology, it was the year of the Rat, too. The Rat is the first sign from the 12 animal annual rotation, and the year 2020 was believed to be the year of new beginnings, reawakening, and renewals. And I was ready to restore, revive, and improve in all ways.

Travel was high up on our list for 2020. We were going to do a family road trip to the Grand Canyon for spring break, with many stops along the way and back, creating memories that would be etched in our minds for the rest of our lives. Max just turned 10 and we wanted to spend more time as a family while he still wants to. We figured we only have two years before he realizes that his parents are actually uncool. We also planned a visit to the Philippines in December to get Max and Bobby acquainted with my birth country and relatives. I have not been back to the Philippines in 18 years and I felt it was time to introduce the older version of me to the country I called home for so long. I am certain that both of us have changed in many ways. I only hope that our feelings for each other have not shifted.

I intended to get to know my chef team better. I scheduled an hour weekly meetings with each one of them to discuss business and personal goals, daily challenges and triumphs, needs and wants, and anything else they would want to talk over. Overseeing a dozen chefs in different locations could be a challenge. Time has often been my adversary. In 2020, I planned to defeat it.

Covid-19 impeded my 2020 plans and goals. I spent the entire year traveling only to-and-from work, home, and sometimes the grocery store. I also had to let go of half of my chef team and 95% of my employees. As if living in a pandemic world was not enough, there was also an overwhelming sense of divide in the country, racial and economic injustice magnified to its fullest, and for the first time in my 30 years here, I questioned myself if this really is the best place to be. There are moments when I find myself in a daze feeling afraid and uncertain of so many things. What is happening? Why is this happening? Is this real? Am I having a very long bad dream?

With all this mess and chaos, my luck as a Rat continued to shield me from misfortune and defeat. My family managed to survive the year in good health. We kept the roof over our heads and we if we missed a meal it was only by choice. However, the feeling of depression, loss, and emptiness remain.

As devastating, sad, and lonely the year 2020 was, it did teach me some valuable lessons.

1. Covid-19 is one scary virus and no one is untouchable. No amount of wealth can protect us from it. No designer clothing can armor us from its will. It does not see the color of our skin, nor does it care about our social or economic status. It doesn’t judge us by our looks or our smarts. We cannot outrun it because it is too quick even for the fittest among us. We can’t get away from it because it is waiting at every destination. We can’t see it. We can’t smell it. It is an invisible threat. I have to follow the rules to protect others and myself from the virus. The facemask became part of my usual getup. I could adapt to things that would have seemed ridiculous and uncomfortable to me before the pandemic.

• When there is not much to do and nowhere to go, it is best to take care of oneself and others the best way we can, with whatever resources we have.  I found the following actions to be therapeutic. Treat yourself gently and kindly. Get good sleep. Exercise. Appreciate solitude that allows you to reflect and gather your thoughts.  Cry when you feel like it. Give yourself time to cope with whatever ails it. It’s okay to feel sad because our world is not where it should be. It is okay to binge on television.  Have a candy bar. Afternoon cocktails every now and then can be medicinal. Read a book. Reach out to people and allow them to reach out to you…connection in any form is healing. Buy groceries for someone in need if you can afford it. Lend a hand from afar. I also learned to forgive the past and myself. I realized the pettiness of holding a grudge, hating, and judging. I needed to let go.

• Life goes on. No matter how happy, exciting, tragic, hopeless, and boring our existence may seem, life continues to happen. We continue to age. Kids keep growing. People move on. Time doesn’t stop for anything. Therefore, keeping my eye on the ball is imperative. I cannot lose focus. I stay traipsing the pavement. I continue to take care of my family and myself. I maintain the standards at work. I stay motivated and inspired for my team and myself because the show must go on. 

• There is always hope. Sometimes it is hard to believe, but from what I know, it is always there on the horizon. I see it when we help each other. I feel it when I hold my son and my husband. I hear it when I talk to loved ones. I am encouraged by it when I work with my team. We make it roar when we take a stand and rise up as a community.

• It is good to look forward to a new year no matter how bleak the path seems and no matter how rocky it begins. A new year will always present new opportunities to grow and improve. It gives us courage to restore what was damaged and to restart what has been halted. It is a chance for change. Change can make impossible things possible. Change springs hope.

I don’t have many personal goals for 2021. Mostly, I wish for good health for everyone and for the economy to spring back quickly. I wish for the world to be a stable, just, and safe place for us all. I wish for every young girl to know that they can dream big dreams and that it is possible to realize those dreams. I wish for anyone adrift to find their way. I will visit my mother as soon as I can. I will take my son to the movies. I will go to the farmer’s market. I will have a small gathering of close friends to break bread together and toast as soon as it is harmless to do so. I want big hugs and smiles. I look forward to going outside without a facemask. I look forward to seeing you!

We did not get to visit family for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day this year. We are grateful for social media that allowed us to be together while apart. We were able to see everyone’s faces virtually. My mom and I talked recipes and prep for Christmas dinner over the phone. She gave me tips on how to make my pork shoulder roast extra crispy and I walked her through preparing and roasting prime rib. Both dinners turned out great and we were both very proud. It almost felt like we cooked together. 

I hope you feel inspired to try these two recipes even though the holidays are over. It brought me extraordinary joy knowing that my mother and I could cook and celebrate together while apart. It just proves that as deadly Corona Virus is, there are some things it cannot take away from us. The sense of family lives in our hearts. Love does not have to stop just because it’s not safe to be out. And, I promise that whatever you decide to make with the leftovers, it will be great.

Pork shoulder lechon

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients:

1 pork shoulder, bone-in with skin on, about 8 lbs.

½ cup distilled vinegar

2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder

Instructions:

Place the pork shoulder on a roasting pan with a grill rack. With a paring knife, pierce the skin several times in different locations. Pour the vinegar all over the pork skin. Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl and rub the mixture all over the pork. Place the pork in the refrigerator, uncovered for 24 hours to let it dry.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Do not remove salt mixture. Let the pork sit at room temperature for two hours. Roast the pork for 5 hours. Turn up the heat of the oven to 325 degrees. Roast the pork for 2 hours or until it is cooked through and the internal temperature is at 145 degrees F. Bring up the oven temperature to 425 degrees and continue to roast the pork for 30 to 45 minutes until the skin is crispy.

Remove the pork roast from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with vinegar dipping sauce. I usually eat lechon with steamed rice, but it is great on lettuce wrap with some pickles, too.

Dipping sauce:

1 cup distilled vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ yellow or red onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 serrano pepper, finely chopped (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Prime Rib Roast

Ingredients:

½ rack of beef rib roast bone-in

Thyme sprigs

Rosemary sprigs

Garlic cloves, pressed

Salt

Cracked pepper

Garlic powder

Instructions:

Cut the bones away from the roast, keeping it slightly hinged at the bottom. Your butcher can do this for you also. 

Remove the beef roast from the refrigerator 2 hours before roasting. Season the beef with salt, garlic powder, and pepper generously all over. Place the thyme, garlic, and rosemary between the bones and meat. Tie the roast with butcher twine. Let the roast to sit at room temperature for 2 hours. 

Preheat your oven to 450°F. Place the roast fat side up and rib bones down in a roasting pan. Brown the roast at a 450°F temperature in the oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. To figure out the total cooking time, allow about 11-12 minutes per pound for rare and 13-15 minutes per pound for medium rare. Roast in oven until thermometer registers 115°F for rare or 120°-130°F for medium. (The internal temperature of the roast will continue to rise after you take the roast out of the oven.) Let the roast rest for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. Cut away all the butcher strings and remove the bones before carving.