A WEEKEND LUNCH ABOVE SEA LEVEL

When the aroma of lunch roams around the kitchen table, everybody has to get up and choose the best plates and chairs possible—especially the ones nearest to the glorious foods. It is part of our daily routine to eat our meals at the kitchen table, as much as possible, with our family that we love more than anything.

But what if a simple weekend lunch can be turned into an exciting get-together, not just in the kitchen, but above sea level?

Yes, above the crystal-colored water in the nearest beach you can find in your hometown.

If you are a fan of turning meals into exciting ones, then you found a blog that would give you another idea of how to do so.

This is "A Weekend Lunch Above Sea Level."

The Journey and the Experience

Just when I woke up before the Sunday sun rose, I saw my family rushing and chaotic in our living room. Some were packing tents, and most of them were searching for their best beach outfit. Right before a minute passed, I realized what “thing” we would do on that day: a not-so-usual lunch at a beach in Daanbantayan, Cebu.

If you already read my previous blogs, I have been talking more lately about the beaches found in Medellin, Cebu, the sister municipality of Daanbantayan, Cebu. The coasts of the two municipalities meet like a thread long knotted to each other, and when someone mentions one of them, the two of them go together in someone's memories.

Of course, I cannot just talk about Medellin, so now, prepare your outfits and turn on the engine, because Daanbantayan, Cebu is nearing somewhere in this blog’s content.

At our earliest convenience, we prepared the foods in the morning for our water escapade at lunch. We had plenty of foods matching a beach’s vibes, such as grilled pork, the signature lumpia of Cebuanos, the longest pancit palabok, and many more foods locally invented.

While helping to cook, I saw this black laid-back cat that appeared out of nowhere in the open kitchen. I am not fond of cats, but this one captured my interest, for it looked like a creature in Whisker Away and The Cat Returns. He was a gentle and calm cat, by the way, amidst being a shy one. I continued cooking the dishes since it was almost 11 A.M. and lunch was fast approaching for the stomach’s rumbling hunger.

Right after 11 o’clock passed, my Auntie arrived at the house with the extra foods she bought. It had been a long time since we saw each other’s families, so we missed each other a little extra last week. We didn’t actually visit a private beach in Daanbantayan, Cebu, since my Auntie’s house has a beach behind. Just right outside the doorstep, a stair dotted with white sands encounters your feet. Then following those trails, a vast blue color of water serenades your arrival. They have been quite content living in the place, near the beach that makes their hearts calm and away from the busking and noise of city lines.

When the foods were already cooked, we gathered on the coast and waited for the pumpboat to be settled. We used a pumpboat to reach a farther distance on the beach and stopped when we had a good view of the ocean. It only took ten minutes before we found ourselves floating on the water, above luminous green algae with flying fishes welcoming us. Without further ado, my brother jumped out of the boat, with a life vest, and swam excitedly. Everyone was excited to swim around the boat and feel the coolness hidden by Daanbantayan’s water.

We had our lunch while some were swimming around us. It was a moment of happiness, contentment, and love, for everyone in our family was present and enjoying the experience. I had enough of the food in the kitchen while cooking, so I only ate a couple of fruits on the boat to be part of the lunch. Among the foods prepared, the glorious lumpia shanghai was found beaten by the family. It was really a delicious viand that no hands wouldn’t get when eating.

After lunch, I wore my life jacket and prepared to jump. I was hesitant to jump since I am not that good at swimming but still did because I wanted to. The water was cool while the breeze swayed it gently on our bodies. The only view I had when swimming was the infinite ocean in front of me, home of diverse marine souls and ocean’s fantasy. I had time reflecting while swimming, that the water has been storing memories of every person who touched it and I have been swimming with those visitors. It was a good pause and a break from the passing times of city life, but it shattered when my sister shouted so hard that it reached my eardrums. She saw a stinging jellyfish approaching her and was startled, making her voice a naughty noise.

We had ourselves settled in the boat while my uncle cleaned the area. When he came back, he had a big sea urchin in his left hand, with his biggest smile; the most positive thing I saw that day.

When everything was clear, we came back to the water and spent the rest of the time swimming. We jumped and burned ourselves under the scorching sun, unbothered by many possibilities of having tanned skin or sunburn. When I am with my family, what matters is only them and everything outside of that boat was just a stranger. We had our conversation while swimming, laughing the hardest we could and searching for the right joke that was enough to make everyone laugh.

When the low tide stumbled upon our boat, we started the engine and slowly reached the coast. We could feel the boat moving downward as we approached the sand and stopped right above a group of sea grasses. Almost all of us were scared of those things but as someone who loves the natural side of nature, I found them soft and safe. They are the safest place for fishes, so I do doubt they are something to be scared of.

We finished the day with a long nap from our restless experience. Everybody got sleepy and found ourselves squeezed in a bedroom like sardines. It was a simple lunch, foods made with utmost love, and a blue horizon of nature’s aesthetic. But, for a person who seldom finds himself in that spot, it was everything and a beautiful experience. Maybe, it wasn’t really about where we ate our lunch—but who we were with and how we felt at that moment. And if ever the world becomes noisy again, I already know exactly where I would want to go back to.