Duck Duck
Spoon and fork in my hands, I stared at the peking duck. “Kain na (Let’s eat),” my mom says.
Sundays were my favorite days growing up. After a long work/school week, my parents and I finally sat together at Sam Woo Kitchen with a giant peking duck in the center. We wasted no time sitting down at these large circular tables. Our little family sat yapping across the wide diameter, debriefing about crazy patient interactions, our car repair shop’s updates, and the new concepts I learned in my music lessons. These conversations were the highlight of my week. All of our busy days all led up to this one beautiful night when nothing felt more satisfying than having a “duck duck” session as my Filipino mom would call it.
“Duck Duck” while eating peking duck was almost a coordinated skill. How can I snag the next piece whilst also getting in my long winded story about my violin teacher falling asleep during my lesson? How do I eat whilst also trying to disprove that my dad had never played pick up basketball with Shaquille O’Neal in the 90’s? Swiftness and determination were the key to these types of games. You had to know how to add on to a point being made while being able to share a story related to the topic while also (most importantly) getting your piece of peking duck. Despite the chaos that was “duck duck” sundays, it fueled a part of me that was constantly hungering for grand conversations and yummy food.
Nowadays, my Sundays are very different. My new life is filled with much younger conversations. I eat from the Pasta Truck outside of Bobst as my friends and I debate whether or not we saw a Timothee Chalamat or his clone. I strategize how to swiftly study for organic chemistry while trying to chat and finish my dinner. The people I talk to have evolved with the places I’ve come to know. Though, I continue to remain steadfast in the tradition of eating great food with such beautiful people. I became so enthralled with spending nights in LL2 where I would catch up with my friends– my chosen family– about their weeks because they were so reminiscent of my growing up. College has become one giant “duck duck” session being constantly surrounded by the people I love.
In the quiet moments of my weeks where I find myself alone, I think back to my old “duck duck” sessions with my parents, and I’m glad I never took them for granted. As I sit with friends eating pasta in LL2 or find moments of laughter in between study sessions, I realize that I’m carrying forward my family’s legacy. Each conversation, each shared meal, is a small echo of those ‘duck duck’ dinners—reminders of my family’s warmth and the joy of connection they instilled in me. Though I’m miles away, I’m never far from the love and traditions that shaped me. In my chosen family here, I celebrate these values and honor my family’s spirit, knowing I’ll always bring a part of them with me wherever I go.