Simple Flavors of Mountain Living: Homemade Snacks, Butter Shrimp, and Sweet Marang from the Farm

Hello everyone,

There are situations in life that are not easy, but sometimes, those difficult moments teach us to appreciate the simple things we already have.

Living in the mountain has given me a chance to slow down and look at life differently. Despite the challenges, I can still find many reasons to be thankful every day. I am learning that happiness does not always have to come from expensive things. Sometimes, it is already waiting in our kitchen, our farm, and the simple moments we share with family.

Today, we picked some marang because it is in season. And honestly, it is so sweet! If you buy marang in the city, it can be quite expensive because it is sold by the kilo like 30 pesos per kilo. But here in the mountain, we can simply pick it from the tree. It feels like having free dessert from nature!

The funny part is that when marang is in season, there is so much of it that you can actually get tired of eating it. There comes a moment when you say, okay, enough marang for today! But after a few hours, you will probably eat it again.

After picking marang, I checked our kitchen and saw some bananas that were already overripe. Instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to fry them. I also prepared some sweet potatoes for our afternoon snack.

For Papa, I did not add sugar because he is avoiding it. For the rest of us, of course, I added a little sweetness. Hehe! That simple snack already made our afternoon more enjoyable.

Later, I cooked butter shrimp. I had been craving it for a while, so I prepared all the ingredients and started cooking. As the smell filled the kitchen, I was already excited to eat. Sometimes, I miss the food I used to prepare when I was living in the city, so cooking it again felt like a small treat for myself.

Mountain life is not always easy. There are days when I miss the convenience of the city. But being here reminds me that we already have so many blessings around us.

Fresh marang from the farm, fried banana and sweet potato, and a plate of butter shrimp may sound simple, but these little things can make an ordinary day special.

I am slowly learning that we do not always need more to be happy. Sometimes, we simply need to stop, look around, and appreciate what we already have. So we realize we're blessed to have this such amazing snacks and food even we are in the mountain.

Thank You, Lord, for the simple food, peaceful moments, and little blessings that make each day meaningful.

Thank you for reading my story. This is my own picture, edited in Canva.

Have a nice day!