A Taste of Recognition

Dear D.G. Fernandez,

We would like to extend to you our warmest congratulations for winning the DGF Food Essay Contest. Your work has captured the essence of a great food essay. It does more than describe food—it captures the culture, history, and people of Negros through its flavors and traditions.

Your essay not only used words to describe the different dishes but also made the readers remember and feel the taste. It builds emotional connection, as you linked tastes and flavors to memories and experiences, making readers feel the personal value of these dishes. For example, your mention of your father singing about local delicacies connects taste with memory and emotion, showing that food is more than sustenance—it carries the soul of a community. This makes your readers feel the joy, nostalgia, and warmth that food brings to people’s lives. 

You also ensured showing, not just telling. You paint vivid images of their dishes, and how they are made, rather than simply explaining them. For example, you describe how inasal is marinated in nipa vinegar, or how pastillas and dulce gatas are distinct in texture and taste. These details let readers experience the flavors as if they were there, not just reading about them. 

Lastly, your writing reflects culture beautifully. By describing local dishes, their history, and their evolution through community practices, you show how food is a living part of Negrense identity. Every dish tells a story, from the hands that prepare it to the mouths that consume it. Your essay emphasizes history, taste, and cultural pride, while also recognizing the varied tastes of people from different cultural backgrounds.

Sincerely yours, 

Group 3 Masarap