Ever heard of the Kasahog network?

Every day must be Valentine’s Day in the home of Sen. Tito Sotto and wife Helen Gamboa. The couple had been wed for more than 40 years (counting from the time they eloped that led to civil rites).

While theirs is not a perfect marriage, there is obviously so much love between them. On Helen’s part, she had always been known to be a loving wife and mother to their kids.

As her friend, I also feel her love and concern, especially through the dishes that she sends me from time to time. While the three active networks today are known as kapuso, kapamilya and kapatid, I am kasahog to Helen’s kitchen. It is my personal food network. It allows me not only to learn about food, but also to actually taste it.

Every time she cooks something special, she sets aside a portion that she sends to my house. Starting 2011, she’s been sending me viands. The first two were beef binayabas (that’s how she calls it) and guinataang tilapia.

Beef binayabas is actually sinigang na baka soured in guava to most of us. As a child sinigang sa bayabas had always fascinated me. It all started when I was watching an episode of the sitcom Si Tatang Kasi — when Marita Zobel (who was the family’s breadwinner in the story) told her father Pugo that she was craving for sinigang na bangus sa bayabas.

Even at age two, I knew the names of all the viands we ate at home. It helped that there weren’t too many variations and so that made it easier for me to remember what was regularly served on the table. Also, we weren’t the type of family that had to have soup first before the main course. One viand and rice — that was it. And we had to finish the viand because if not, it was surely going to reappear in the next meal — reheated.

While we ate sinigang most of the time, our souring agent was merely confined to tamarind. But guava for sinigang? Aside from the ripe fruit, I only knew it as guava jelly that first came in a tin can until Mom found a cheaper bottled version.

It took decades — when I could already afford to buy my own meal in a restaurant — when I first tasted sinigang sa bayabas. It was worth the wait. Love at first taste. In time, I discovered that you can also do sinigang sa mangga and even santol.

But I have to say that Helen’s beef binayabas is still the best. The beef chunks are huge and the vegetables are almost crunchy. I won’t be surprised if Helen actually called for a barangay tanod to watch over her pot to make sure her veggies are not overcooked. She can be that meticulous.

The broth, however, is something to die-for. It’s thick and the delicious guava flavor screams fresh. While it begs for patis, I know that it was intentional on her part since she is aware I watch over my salt intake. But I didn’t tamper with it anymore since that was how I wanted it.

The guinataang tilapia, on the other hand, is the richest dish with coconut milk that I’ve tasted. But the taste of coconut milk isn’t overpowering. And the tilapia was actually the big pla-pla that I demolished all by myself.

Over the weekend, Helen also sent me dinuguan. Now, dinuguan had always been a favorite, but since I tried going into healthy eating, I’ve stricken it off our regular menu. In the last 12 years, it had been a dish I only relished in my dreams. But who can say no to Helen’s dinuguan?

I eat the dish little by little and in small portions to ward off any guilt feeling. And while she sent the dish with the supposedly matching puto, I eat it with rice! The puto ended up as my dessert and I dunk it in milk.

After two weeks of sampling Helen’s cooking, why am I still surprised that I’ve gained weight? But I am not crazy to tell her to stop sending the goodies. This is the life! I won’t have it any other way.

When the day of hearts comes around next week, I may be fat. But I know I’m loved.