PINOYWORLD | PINOY WORLD

What’s defines us as Pinoy’s? This article makes a light reading for your relaxed Sunday.

Mercado: “Pinoy-isms” that fit
By Juan L. Mercado
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( “LIKE the classics, things irresistibly Pinoy mark us for life,” the unsigned e-mail said. “They’re the indelible stamp of our identity and celebrate the good in us …” Here are some. Recognize any? — JLM )
Filipinas: They make the best friends, lovers, wives. Too bad you can’t say the same for Filipinos. Filipinos: OK, maybe they’re bolero with an occasional streak of generic infidelity. But they know how to make a woman feel like one.

Cockfighting: Filipino men love it more than their wives (sometimes). Midnight madness: weekends sales and baratillos. It’s retail therapy at its best. Style: Something we often prefer over substance. But every Filipino claims it as a birthright. Unbridled optimism: Why we rank so low on the suicide scale.

Filipino Christmas: The world’s longest holiday season. All Saints’ Day: In honoring our dead, we also prove that we know how to live.

Bahala na: We cope with uncertainty by embracing it, and are thus enabled to play life by ear. English: Whether carabao or Arr-neoww-accented, it doubles our chances in the global marketplace.

Kuwan, ano: At a loss for words? Try these and marvel at how Pinoys understand exactly what you want. “Sayang!” “Naman!” “Ano ba!?” “Pala.” Expressions that defy translation but wring out feelings genuinely Pinoy.

Honorifics and courteous titles: Manoy, Kuya, Ate, Mang, etc.: No exact English translation, but these words connote respect, deference and the value placed on kinship.

Pinoy humor: If you’re api and you know it, crack a joke. Nothing personal, really. Pakikisama: It makes people stay longer at parties, join pals in sickness and health. You can get dead drunk and still make it home. Sing-a-long: Filipinos love to sing. And thank God a lot of us do it well!

Sari-Sari: Where else can we buy cigarettes, soap, condiments and life’s essentials in small affordable amounts? Jeepneys: Everyman’s communal cadillac makes for a cheap, interesting ride. Tricycle and Trisikad: the poor Pinoy’s taxicab that delivers you at your doorstep for as little as five pesos — with a complimentary dusting of polluted air.

Barong Tagalog: Enables men to look formal and dignified without strangling themselves with a necktie. Pambahay: Home is where one can let it all hang out, where clothes do not make a man or woman but rather define their level of comfort.

Pasalubong: Our way of sharing the vicarious thrills of a trip. Pakidala: A personalized door-to-door remittance and delivery system for overseas workers. who don’t trust the banking system. They also get a family update from the courier. Balikbayan Box: The most wonderful part is the contents are distributed

Merienda: Where else is it normal to eat five times a day? Pandesal: Despite its shrinking size, still a good buy. Street food: Barbecue, banana-cue, IUD (chicken entrails), adidas (chicken feet) etc.: Forget hepatitis; here’s cheap, tasty food with gritty ambience.

Kamayan: To eat with one’s hand and eschew spoon, fork and table manners. Pinoy hospitality: Everyone gets a hearty “Kain tayo!” invitation to share food, no matter how spartan the dishes. Sawsawan: Assorted sauces that guarantee choice, experimentation and tolerance for diverse tastes. Favorites: toyo’t calamansi, suka at sili, patis.

Pinoy tastes: A dietitian’s nightmare, too sweet, too salty, too fatty, as in itlog na maalat, crab fat (aligue), bokayo, kutchinta, halo-halo, palitaw, tuyo.

Remember, we put sugar in our spaghetti sauce. Dinuguan: Blood stew, a bloodcurdling idea, until you try it with puto. Chicharon: Pork, fish or chicken crackling. In the crunch, there is a hint of the extravagant and the pedestrian. Perfect with vinegar, sublime with beer.