Italian Dude eats Filipino Food

Who said that the Filipinos are the only ones can make a health food even more healthy? Or was it, The Filipinos are the one only ones who can make an unhealthy food even more unhealthy. The oil. The lard. In Ilocano, it's manteka and taba. Then on top of that you have more fat and more oil. Pretty soon, everything is soaked in high cholesterol, heart attacking compounds. But you gotta love the food. It's freakin awesome. Adobo. Lechon. Menudo. Damn, I think I should go eat first before I finish this story. OK, I just got a writers block thinking of such food. And these pictures to the side don't help at all.

My parents can eat the most bitter bittermelon. My brothers dip their grilled tilapia in soy sauce and onions with a drip of tabasco for the added zing. My sister can slurp the vinegar after eating that crunchy chicharon. Me, I can do anything and everything. Give me balot, sure. Feed me adidas, hell yeah! Show me Pinakbet, yum! My friend Jay's pinakbet is actually my new favorite. The sauce is made of coconut milk instead of the Ilocano or Tagalog style bagoong. Sorry grandma.

I was out marketing with one of my colleagues today, and he was asking me what my ethnicity was. He wasn't sure if I was Asian or Mexican. I told him I was Filipino, and he jumped at the discussion of Filipino food and how he loves it. Yes, my Italian friend here has a fascination with Filipino foodl. He started mentioning Adobo, Menudo, and that thing, that fish, that still has the eyes and head and everything on it, that thing thats looks gross...but hey, he said, it's really good.

There's this Filipino restaurant, he said, that is next to one of our offices. I've seen it before; I went in and decided to go somewhere else, because they didn't have many choices. On top of that, it didn't look appetizing because the presentation was horrible.

But my Itialian friend here was ecstatic about it. He said he goes there all the time, even when he's not working. Me, I love 'em too, except that I'm in sort of a diet to get some ads, so I've stayed away from Filipino food, including rice. I tell yeah, this diet is so bad, I miss my fatty food and my carbos. I miss going over to my parent's to eat their Adobo or the Lauya, that's Ilocano for chicken tinola, I think. I like it with either papaya or bittermelons. Oh yeah, now that you know I'm Ilocano, yes, I eat saluyot. It's not so much the flavor, but it really brings back nostalgic memories for me.

Taking things for granted. Yes, sometimes we take things for granted. I mean, look at me. I used to eat lots of Filipino foods. My parents used to make 'em for me. And I didn't even realize that what I was having was something really really good. So flavorful. And look at me, I didn't eat at that store because I wanted something more.

Sometimes, we go to fancy places, like at Greenbelt. Italianis. Nuvo. And pay hundreds, if not, thousands of pesos. And all along, here's the cheap but really really good and flavorful Filipino food. My Italian friend here, knew that this was his first time ever eating Filipino food. He has not tasted any, except from this store. But look, he enjoyed it. He savored it. He probably slurped it. And then there's people, like me sometimes, who know too much about other things, and tend to forget the goodness of my own culture. Someone like me, who's seen so much of the negativity, that I lose sight of what is beautiful about our culture.

Those who have lived in the US or abroad, I know some of them have tried denying their culture, because they too, have been so frustrated about the flaws and the negative things they see about our culture. It's important to recognize, that despite our misgivings, our flaws, our backwardness, there is something beautiful in there, ready to be revealed. It's just a matter of time now. Might be a long time. But it's there. I haven't given up hope.

Philippines Top List: Hilarious, Sad, but True, well mostly.

I planned this blog with the intention of posting absolutely original stories, but I saw this post on another Filipino blogger's site (Anthology of...) and I just couldn't resist posting it. A lot of these statements, I was going to write about. But, I might as well post them for you to see now. They are absolutely hilarious and true.

The Philippines is a country of paradoxes. Actors create policies, and politicians create drama. Students spend more money in school than what they will make at their jobs after graduation. And the honking of jeepeneys? and taxi drivers? and runned-down Toyota Corollas? One day, I would like to buy a megaphone, buy a loud portable "beeper" and go to every jeepney, taxi, car driver and just beep the shit out of them right to their ears. How do you like the beeping now?

So here it is. I will revisit these topics in later blogs. Some need expounding.

CAN YOU GUYS THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD?

THE PHILIPPINES IS…..

50. Where the most happening places is not where the party is. Instead it’s where the gang wars happen, where women strip and where the people overthrow a president.
49. Where even doctors, lawyers and engineers are unemployed.
48. Where everyone has his personal ghost story.
47. Where mountains like Makiling and Banahaw are considered as holy places.
46. Where everything can be forged.

45. Where the school is considered the second home and the mall considered as third.
44. Where Starbucks coffee is more expensive than gas.
43. Where every street has a basketball court and every town only has one public school.
42. Where all kinds of animals are edible.
41. Where people speak all kinds of languages, and still call it Tagalog.

40. Where students pay more money than they will earn afterwards.
39. Where call center employees earn more money than teachers and nurses.
38. Where driving 4kms can take as much as 4hours.
37. Where flyovers bring you from the freeway to the side streets.
36. Where the tourist spots is where Filipinos do not (or cannot) go.

35. Where the personal computer is mainly used for games and Friendster.
34. Where all 13 year olds are alcoholic.
33. Where colonial mentality is dishonestly denied!
32. Where 4am is not even considered bed time yet.
31. Where people can pay to defy the law.

30. Where everything is spoofed.
29. Where even the poverty-stricken get to wear Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.
28. Where honking of car horns is a way of life.
27. Where being called a bum is never offensive.
26. Where flood waters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during the rainy season.

25. Where everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive.
24. Where crossing the street involves running for your dear life.
23. Where wearing your national colors make you “baduy”.
22. Where billiards is a sport, and darts is a bar game.
21. Where even the poverty-stricken have the latest cell phones. (gsm - galing sa magnanakaw)

20. Where insurance does not work.
19. Where water can only be classified as tap and dirty… clean water is for sale (35pesos/gallon).
18. Where the church governs the people and where the government makes the people pray for miracles. (AMEN TO THAT!)
17. Where University of the Philippines is where all the weird people go. Ateneo is where all the nerds go. La Salle is where all the Chinese go.. College of Saint Benilde is where all the stupid Chinese go, and University of Asia and the Pacific is where all the irrelevantly rich people go.
16. Where fastfood is a diet meal.

15. Where traffic signs are merely suggestions not regulations.

14. Where all the trees in the city are below 6ft.
13. Where being held up is normal. It happens to everyone.
12. Where kids dream of becoming pilots, doctors and basketball players.
11. Where rodents is a normal house pet.

10. Where the definition of traffic is the ‘non-movement’ of vehicles.
9. Where the fighter planes of the 1940’s are used for military engagements, and the new fighter planes are displayed in museums.
8. Where being an hour late is still considered as punctual.
7. Where cigarettes and alcohol are a necessity, and where the lottery is a commodity.
6. Where soap operas tell the realities of life and where the news provides the drama.

5. Where actors make the rules and where politicians provide the entertainment. (kung gusto mo mapikon, watch the news)
4. Where finding a deer on the road will be a phenomenon. (may deer dito? seryoso kayo?)
3. Where people can get away with stealing trillions of pesos, but not for a thousand.
2. Where Nora Aunor is an acclaimed actress and Boy Abunda is the best talk show host.
1. Where everyone wants to leave the country! (ang saya-saya!)

The Quick-to-judge Filipino Versus the Innocent-till-proven-guilty American

Whoa! The first news I read today headlines "Prosecutors drop case against Jon Benet Suspect" on Yahoo. This is a shocker, as everyone thought that justice for Jon Benet and the family has been served at long last. They thought that they had the killer of this innocent little girl, and the parents, who were thought to be suspects, were exonerated.

Not so. Even the John Mark Karr's insistence claim that he was the culprit of the hideous act, the prosecutors dropped the case because DNA testing proved otherwise. When the news broke out that he was apprehended in Thailand, people already came to the quick judgment that he was quilty. That's right, people! Guilty! The news media, the interviews, the family, the friends. Everyone thought he was guilty.

I shook my head and thought, wait a minute, it's happening all over again. It's the guilty-before-proven-innocent syndrome. That is prevalent here in the US. It happens all the time. I believe that our justice system is not the most perfect, but it still the best damn system in the world. Our democractic system too. So yeah, Americans are so quick to judge. But our justice system, in the end prevails. John Mark Karr is innocent. He is proven innocent.

How about our beloved Pinoys? Let's start with my parents, aunts, and uncles, since I know them better than anyone else. Yes, sad but true, they, too ,are quick to judge. Making conclusions without complete evidence. "Jake was drunk." "What? He did that. Well he shouldn't have done that because it makes no sense to go around looking like a fool and this and that and blah blah blah...because after all, we can't be living like that ...blah blah blah...so next time he better..." And you get the point, right? Problem is, this happens a lot when only a small piece of the story has been given out.

So yeah, stories can be overblown with this quick-to-judge attitude. I see the Americans as more tolerant of other people. Diversity works here in the US. In the Philippines, diversity is a weakness. That brings us to the tribal and regional debates again. Let's leave that topic for now. Here, Americans bring equal treatment to gays, blacks, handicapped, elderly, women, ethnic minorities, and many others; in the Philippines, you are laughed at because you're gay or black or black or handicapped or older or a woman or of ethnic minority. What a difference!

Then this too-quick-to-judge mentality is super-boosted by the gossip machine. The Tsismis/Chismis Factor. Whoa! It will spread like wildfire, and before you know it, the whole province knows about his business with hers and the how's and why's and where's and when's. All without the real facts.

I really hope this is one thing we can get away from, as Filipinos, as Americans, as Filipino Americans. We should always examine situations first, before we condemn someone and start a wildfire. Mabuhay to the Filipinos.

The Starbucks Phenomenon in the Philippines: A Social Status for Filipinos?

I've always thought that the female on the Starbucks logo was a friendly looking woman wearing a crown; I thought she was some sort of a fairy or Goddess of the coffee world, bringing restless nights, hyped up brains, and chatterboxes together. I knew she was somewhat naked, but I thought that was just the marketing exec's way of sexualizing their logo. Sex sells right? But do you ever buy coffee 'cause of that sexy logo? Probably not, but you know the image. You remember it.

Okay, so she's sexed up, at least that's what I think. It would have been better to see her boobs, right? But that's okay, the strategic placement of her long flowing hair tantalizes you. Here's one concept that my friend Mars from Hawaii told me about regarding this logo.
This female symbol is even more sexed up than I thought. She is actually a mermaid. I don't know why I never figured that. I guess I saw a half naked female, and that mattered most; I overlooked the tails. She's actually holding the fish part of her sexy physique. I never really realized that they were fish tails. But wait, why does she have two fish tails on the side? Mermaids don't have two fish tails. It's not a genetic defect.

Whoa! Her tails are spread open, like a girl woman spreading her legs open while holding them in that position. Yes, it's a sexed up mermaid! You're saying, what the hell are you talking about, that I must be smoking something, or on medication, right? Well I'm just relaying what my friend said; and I can see what she means now.

So her spread-open legs are supposed to give you that inviting feeling. That warm, inviting, comfortable feeling. Sort of like...coffee! What were you thinking??? Anyway, that's what she said. I better finish up this blog soon before I start to think of nastier things. Ha ha.

So this leads us to social status, and the pretenses of the Filipinos, my beloved Pinoys. Starbucks as a status symbol? It's really amazing how hanging out at Starbucks in the Philippines is supposed to mean higher social status. It's funny. I just go there to hang out and drink coffee when I'm bored. My old friend Paul goes there to study.

But at Greenbelt, and all the other corners of Makati and Manila, they say that if you're there, you belong to the rich, cool, astig, social crowd. Now combine that with a really expensive looking cellphone. And a Lacoste logo on your polo shirt. Voi la! You got a full blown Filipino trying to be the best he (or she) can be. Hey everybody, look at me, I'm at Starbucks. I'm important. I'm special. I matter more than you. What a funny, pretentious Filipino culture we have sometimes.

Why Pinoy? Why do we have to pretend? OK, I know, you're saying, well coffee here is expensive, and only we rich people and cool people hang out here. Sorry, but I don't view Starbucks coffee drinkers in that light. Starbucks is Starbucks.

I'll have my usual, please. Venti Moca Frap, light whip cream.

My Love (and Hate) Relationship with Filipinos and the Philippines

Okay, okay. Before you start spewing off and telling me all I do is whine, whine, whine about Filipinos, being Filipino, and the Philippines, it's time to write about my Pinoy Pride. Yes, I do find the Filipino Culture and the Philippines to be a very backward thing sometimes. With all the corruption, traffic, dirtiness, bad customer service, and I mean really bad, especially in Manila (in the province, it's much better). Yet, there are so many great things about being Filipino and awesome things about my beloved, country, the Philippines.

The Filipino is one of the most hardworking, if not the most hardworking in the world. I've seen it, with my grandparents, who all did their best planting rice, tomatoes, corn, and other veggies in the ricefields of Ilocos, so that they will one day, have enough money to bring us to the US. I've seen in my parents, despite their lack of education, provide for their five children. I've seen it in cousins, and friends, and family friends, in the news, in the media, wherever you go, Filipinos are there. Granted, the Filipinos in the US have yet to increase their presence in the professional world, they are toiling and sweating in hotels, tourism, restaurants, and other service industries.

The Filipino barangay is comforting. When I went back to my barrio/barangay 15 years later, people were quite welcoming. Everyone helped each other, and they knew each other. I could go down to the little tindahan or tiange, or sari sari store, and everyone knew each other. Whether they were gossiping or not, it was nice to see that there is a sense of community. They all talked to me, very friendly. Here in the US, we have lost that sense of community. You stay in your own home, and you mind your own business.

Yes, it's the friendly, hardworking Filipino that amazes me the most. I'm proud to be a Filipino. Yes, I'm Ilocano. But I prefer to say I'm Filipino. I'm Filipino. I'm not ashamed of being Ilocano or anything. I prefer to stay away from the "tribal mentality." So there, you see, I'm not just a whiner. There is indeed beauty in the Philippines, and in Filipinos.