Camera shy Cristina was not at all keen on having her photo taken by Ed. It took a serious amount of coaxing. Eventually sweet natured Cristina gave in, and started to share details of her family history.
Cristina was born in the Philippines and came to Australia in the 1980s in search of greener pastures. Her mother and older sister still live in the Philippines, and while they don’t get a chance to see other, they do speak on the phone.
Cristina is now a proud mother and grandmother and one of her greatest pleasures is to cook. Her mother handed down recipes that she has now the taught her children to cook, and one day when her grandchildren are older she will also teach them to cook.
The dishes that she is most strongly connected with from the Philippine culture is Adobo (with either chicken or pork) and tamarind soup with vegetables. For the A Taste of Harmony celebrations in the office, Cristina has brought home cooked dishes with noodles, beef, soy sauce and onions.
Food is always an important part of any family celebrations and just a normal night at home – it connects the family.
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