Member-only story

THE NARRATIVE ARC

How To Suck Conches and Other Secrets to a Happy, Simple Life

The simpler the answer, the harder it is to get there

Tin Mariano
The Narrative Arc
Published in
6 min readNov 12, 2024

--

View of a volcano overlooking a rice-field and half of the paved road
Happiness is an outcome of our choices between simplicity and complexity. Photo property by the author.

I want to suck conches,” I told my mother one time while I was on vacation in the Philippines.

The last time I sucked conches was when I was a child. “Suso” is our local term for those black, thumb-sized conches that cling to rocks by the river or the sea. But you have to be careful when reading the word “suso.” Without placing the correct accent, you’ll end up saying “woman’s breast” in our Bikol language. You know that it was the simpler times when your mother could find conches in the public market. Never mind that your home was two hours away from the sea. Or if someone could harvest the conches in a nearby river and sell them to you for a small fee.

A simple conch recipe a la local style (as best as I could remember):

  • Wash the conches.
  • Place everything in a deep pan and add some water.
  • Then, squeeze fresh and ground coconut meat until the milk pours out. Fill two cups.
  • Pour the first cup of coconut milk into the pan.
  • Simmer under low to medium heat.
  • Pour the second cup of milk when the…

--

--

The Narrative Arc
The Narrative Arc

Published in The Narrative Arc

Medium’s best creative nonfiction — memoirs and personal essays. Welcoming writers from every walk of life.

Tin Mariano
Tin Mariano

Written by Tin Mariano

International work experience, the expat life, and everything in between

Responses (44)