listen
timestamped notes
1:54 ~ An estimated 27% of Filipinos have partial Chinese ancestry. How integrated they are with the Filipino culture at large depends on where in the Philippines they live and where they originated. Binondo is one of the most famous Chinatowns in the world due to its age.
6:46 ~ 7,641 islands at last count.
8:48 ~ Intramuros. As with many former colonies, modern Filipino culture has many long lasting influences from the former occupiers. Intramuros is an outstanding relic of this. I found that some are even pushing to strengthen these connections, especially in regards to language.
10:21 ~ Bayanihan as explained by Mimi is often shown in a community coming together to give aid to a single member. For example, moving small stilted homes or structures called nipa huts (nipa being a common building material). Below is an image of when 150 people came together to move a heritage 6-tonne house for conservation.
12:45 ~ hiya commonly translated as shame or embarrassment but as with many foreign concepts has no real English equivalent. It does seem similar to other Asian non-confrontational ideas like the Chinese “losing face.”
14:11 ~ pagmamano also seems to step from Confucian ideals of how elders of the community are viewed. Again, sort of epitomized in the gesture shown in this school project video.
16:10 ~ If you want some Jollibee, check here to see if your city has one.
16:56 ~ a kinilaw (seems similar to ceviche) recipe for the adventurous.
17:58 ~ silog meals. While they sound exotic to English speakers, the name is directly descriptive of what you’re eating. It comes in many varieties.
19:10 ~ halo halo is a great snack and seems perfect for a hot summer night.
20:13 ~ adobo and sinigang. A contest that is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.
22:02 ~ astig is “cool.” It’s true, we don’t know what people in the 80s were thinking. The swapping of syllables is common in romance language slang, especially French(verlan), but I’m not sure about other languages.
thoughts
Listening again, we spent a lot of time talking about foods. But to me it seems they go hand in hand with a culture that prizes family and supporting your community. So get a nice warm stew and call your mom to say hi as we wait for the next slice!
