Amid all the noise in social media and the real world, local retail brand Linya-Linya launches a series of love letters to celebrate the good things that never change. Through the series, locals online are given a short, but much-needed, break from the usual stream of disheartening news on their social media feeds. 

The best thing about it as well is the fact that the shorts chose to highlight things already present in most Filipino homes, and things we can easily recreate for that familiar sense of home and unadulterated joy.

Aptly titled Love, Linya Linya, the project takes up the format of a classic love letter from someone fondly recalling the wonders of home-made dishes and the mystery of our moms’ obsession with tupperware. Each 1-minute video has a nostalgic and sentimental feeling to it, that calls on universal, yet deeply personal, memories.

The latest film released highlighted the staple Filipino family reunion dish: Lumpiang Shanghai. From the very start of the video, we reminisce about the subtle cultural points practiced around the meal during parties, including a nod to all the times guests clamored to get a piece, or multiple ones at the same time, as soon as it reaches the table. It also showcased the mouth-watering recipe wrapped up with love, and then deep fried to take crunchiness to maximum level. If you weren’t already missing Lumpiang Shanghai in the first few seconds, that particular montage would definitely do the trick.

The Dear Lumpiang Shanghai film, just like the ones released before it, ended with a sense of longing for the day we can finally eat it again in the proper setting. By proper, we mean the whole shebang: big parties with families and distant relatives, other classics joining it on the table, and the immediate reaction to snatch as many pieces on your plate. 

Having the freedom to do that paints a picture of a post-COVID where we’re safe enough to gather, and eat within a few feet of one another.Until then, we’ll watch Linya-Linya’s love letter series with a fond look of the past, and a hopeful wish for a “normal” tomorrow: