The sour taste of Sinigang will forever hold a special place in my heart. My family always makes this unique soup, and it is quite different from typical American meals. I was born in the United States and live in Las Vegas, thus considering myself an “American,” yet, I noticed I do not look the part. I asked my parents about my physical differences, thus first learning the idea of culture. In fact, my dad’s family is not from America, they immigrated from a third world country. They immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines when my dad was only nine. He tells me the difficulties of when he first immigrated to California. He said how difficult it was to fit in due to speaking little English, and when he did make friends, he would have to move to a different school. He changed many parts of his life to conform to American society, but he still retains his Filipino heritage. I find it astonishing that he still keeps his Filipino culture despite moving to a completely different society. I look up to my dad, so I am proud to consider myself a Filipino American. From this, I cherish my culture more often, as it establishes my unique identity amongst the U.S. Now whenever I have Sinigang, I realize it is more meaningful than soup. I’ve become more attached to it, as I know its origin and how it represents my Filipino culture. I am proud to know that I am unique in this way. My mom’s family and I would have never enjoyed this amazing soup if she had not married my dad.

– Jacob Y

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant