Our 35-year-old copy of Let's Cook with Nora
Ella Pangilinan Miranda, the daughter of Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, has a TikTok following because of her dinner hosting themes and aesthetic tableware and decor ideas.
In one of her videos, she was preparing for a dinner party and she could be seen consulting Nora Daza's quintessential cookbook, "Let's Cook with Nora". This classic culinary book has taught countless of homecooks how to prepare savory and sweet dishes for their families and friends.
My Dad's copy of the cookbook is more than 30 years old. It still brings its wisdom whenever we get stumped on a particular recipe. I can't count the times I've leafed through its pages, verifying ingredients and the how-tos of a recipe. And if my memory serves me right, I remember that I've brought this same book during my Home Economics classes in high school.
This beloved cookbook is one of our treasured books. Imagine surviving dust, heat, and endless page-turning and it still continues to be a valuable source of cooking tips.
The cookbook's easy to follow recipes and not hard to find ingredients are why people still continue to be guided by this. The featured dishes are not too fancy-schmancy or too technique-driven.
While browsing in National Bookstore, I was tempted to buy the new edition of "Let's Cook with Nora" which has been slightly updated by her daughter Nina Daza-Puyat. But, I didn't go through the purchase since I think the copy that we have still has its own charm.
Nora V. Daza was an original. She was the first woman to open a French-themed restaurant in the 1970s, Au Bon Vivant. It was a popular dining place. When my parents were still courting, one of their dates took place in Au Bon Vivant.
If the Michelin Guide came to the Philippines in the 1970s, Nora Daza would definitely have earned stars.
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