HUMANS OF JJLHS
(Real People. Real
Stories.)
The auditory
impression of her spatula flipping, the redolence of her burgers being cooked,
the aroma of her pancakes as they are dipped in chocolate either strawberry
fillings, and the initials A.B, the satisfier of the hungry Lunarian Stomachs
aching for none other than, food.
The cook behind the
famous ‘hotdogs and burgers’
Wearing her iconic
apparel duo, Green Apron and Black Hair Net, you would see her roaming around
laterals of canteens, getting all the essentials, transcending her way unto
freedom, cooking. and once she hits up and points her direction towards the
stove, there is no turning back. First things first, hygiene. Before preparing
her infamous food varieties, she makes sure that her hair is all grasped by
clips – not one single hair strand is safe, “hindi naman maganda sa panlasa ang
buhok diba?” the Gordon Ramsay of Luna shared while flipping twenty - four
patties at a time. Her right arm works for burgers while the other, for
pancakes. Second per second, minute per minute, the products that will conquer
- hunger, are all revolving around their orbits, a patty turns into left, a bun
pivots right, a phrase “gutom na ako” whirls like hurricane. She scores for a
mark, and another mark, and another.
And finally,
The Finish Product.
Her story.
Outside of the
peripheries of what the Lunarians had perceived into her, there is a patty that
yearns to be cooked. A pancake that needs to be dipped and a story that is In
the process of being told.
She is more than a
cook.
She is a loyal worker.
Judge Juan Luna High School had bestowed her their cooking needs alongside spatula
and stove last 2011. Since then, the legend - in - cooking - mastery never
sights for another spatula nor stove. During those years of hypothesizing
recipes, innovating food manuals, and manipulating mixtures of ingredients,
there are momentum when she considered them as ‘absurd’ yet ‘memorable’ one of
these is, the location of her starting business. ‘Ate’ calls by everyone,
recalled having been placed near the boys’ comfort room, with a little bit of
humiliation and shower of appreciation, she then says, “nakagugulat lang na
doon ako pinwesto” following “okay lang actually, hindi ako nagreklamo” After
years of persevering of maintaining highest food qualities, her location got
promoted and migrated in a bigger building – having a ‘kubo’ as a bonus.
Before paving her way
to where she currently is, Ate has been an operator of a cartridge recorder
company, “'yun ang first job ko” reminiscing the events of what have been, she
is grateful. Following her first source of income yet comes another, inputter of
stickers in medicinal boxes. Then comes another and another. She stops working
when she had given birth to her first child.
And that leads to the
second point.
She is a mother. Her
children are both professionals in the fields of Mathematics and in the virtual
world. One has a degree in Civil Engineering and the other has expertise in
Information Technology. The demands for both courses made her hard – burdened,
perplexed and lost in the wilderness. “mahirap mag pa aral nang sabay,
napakahirap”. Pressured as what her statements trying to convey “mahirap siya
in the sense na hindi naman ganoon kalaki ang kinikita ko” whips out
discrimination and insults, “na kaya ko naman” with a sense of gratitude had
Ate elaborated. The owner of the Spatula never considers herself first, always
lifts her family on top in any way, even for the last spaces, she never thought
of including herself there, 100% of her pie goes to her family and their needs.
Luckily, if she gets one – fourth. Her motivations for doing in an extreme for
her craft in cooking have always been “makatulong sa pamilya” and “makapagtapos
lang ang dalawa kong anak” nonetheless, nevertheless.
She is fierce. “May na
encounter akong estudyante, ang ano, ang yabang, nanghahamon ng away” uttered
while burgers are dipped in very fervid temperatures, “nanghahamon bang parang
mananaksak,” Ate has been tested numerous times for her patience for these
customers, some even slapped her with scuffling, punching and even stabbing. A
point of knife never scares her. “sabi ko aba sige hindi kita aatrasan,
magsasaksakan tayo” remembering those days makes Ate laugh teary – eyed. “ang
saya lang balikan ng mga ganon, It makes you human”
With more stories Ate
Beng has to share, there are a lot of things she considers as virtues,
including time – management and everything in between – balance. Numerous
patties are waiting to be cooked and pancakes are in line for dipping in
flavorful tastes and ingredient mixtures.
She tells the Lunarian
Community to strive harder and achieve more. “Magbayad naman yung mga hindi
nagbabayad d’yan” warning her customers, “oh ano”, fiercely as she elaborated.
“Mag – aral kayo kasi para naman sa inyo 'yan” telling the student body with
conviction and heart in hands.
Ate Beng wishes and
hopes for everyone peace and progression.
She is more than a
cook.
She is our Ate Beng.
Confidently beautiful
with a heart.. and with spatulas in both hands.
