culture perfect: a one-eyed look at the filipino culture now

Every culture has its own unique identity, the Filipino culture is no different. In fact, we have several, er, unique identities. Characteristics that are extremes and yet cohesively representative of who we are, and what we are. If that sounds serious, worry not for I have no intention of going further in that tone and ballistic with in-depth, high brow analysis. I am not one for nosebleeds and I think so are you. What this will be instead is a very informal look at some of the many contemporary quirks and fresh peculiarities of the Filipino culture. I have come up with several distinct Filipino flavors that you may find amusing if not entirely funny. Or just very Filipino. So why should you be interested?

Wherever you are in the world, chances are that if you are not married to a Filipino you are either friends with one or you think that your doctor's nurse is at least of Filipino descent. And you are probably right for the Filipino diaspora is a dynamic and growing statistical figure that aims to relegate the bell curve to obsolescence. In the United States alone, Filipinos form the second largest Asian American group and this does not include those who have yet to formally pledge allegiance to the American flag or those who are dying to but can't (you get the drift?). Imagine if the Philippines is at least 1/10 the size of China, world domination will be next on our agenda. But fret not, we don't aspire to be a global dominatrix. We are content with being your friendly neighbor or appearing in Oprah. My point is, it is better to know a little about your strange bedfellow rather than get lost in translation.

In the streets of Metro Manila, rolling stores and kiosks that provide quick food fixes abound. They are a common site specially in commercial districts where young professionals are likely to mingle during breaks from work. The most popular food choices are the following:

1. Kwek-kwek, quail eggs coated in batter and usually dipped in chili vinegar sauce, or for the the unadventurous, a syrupy sweet and sour concoction

2. Banana-Q, cooking bananas called saba (similar to plaintains) are deep fried and coated with caramelized brown sugar and then skewered (hence the Q in its name)

3. Fishballs/squidballs, savory factory-made dumplings dipped in sauces where you dip the kwek-kwek.

Although the Japanese are primarily the ones universally associated with the handycam and digital cameras, we Filipinos are as a trigger, er, button happy lot.  Specially in a foreign land, heck even in the mall next town, every place is the right place to have our pictures taken.  With our friends or even by our lonesome we say cheese usually with our hands doing the peace sign.  

...we can make cars stop in their tracks when we raise an arm toward their direction with the palm out. Yep, pedestrian lanes or not, we believe we have the power to cross the streets with nary a warning to motorists if we feel it is the right time to get to the other side. And as with our Kodak moments, anytime is the right time. So the next time you are in town, check out this power in full display specially in the busy streets of the Metro. And when you find youself crossing a busy street, remember, you have the power!

For every three Filipinos born per minute, two are divas. Yes, regardless of gender. We are a country that reeks of high notes and amateur singing contests that it is no wonder that get togethers like parties or Friday night outs are highlited by videoke singing. And boy can we sing! (well, at least most of us). Children as young as three can do a Mariah or a Josh Groban at the drop of a hat. We take music to heart so much so that next to electronic products, our biggest exports are entertainers.

We are a force to reckon with in online polls. Be it for the Miss Universe Miss Photogenic award or American Idol voting, we are always one in pushing our kindreds to fame, and oftentimes we succeed. It's probably our fabled bayanihan spirit (which I can loosely translate as helping one another) that pulls us together to lend a helping hand, or in this case an index finger, to another Filipino or somebody with a Filipino lineage that he or she may top whatever poll, voting or survey.

This is one of the most common text messages in the 400 million or so text messages exchanged among cell phone users in the Philippines everyday. It is no wonder therefore that we are considered the text messaging capital of the world due to the high volume of the usage of this service as compared to the actual number of cell phone owners. We so love text messaging that it has become our primary mode of communication. We say hi, send greetings, we argue and even stalk somebody through it . Relationships are known to have either blossomed or destroyed by text messages. By the way, "Hu u?" means "Who are you" whereas "Wer u?" means "Where are you". For a complete list of phrases such as these, just "txt me".

Make that the longest Christmas season. It's our favourite time of the year, what can we do? Christmas comes to mind as early as September, the first of the "ber" months. You can start hearing carols played over the radio, dazzling ligts are being put back on windows and adults start complaining about the whole economics of it. But everything comes to head when December actually comes to the door. Bazaars and carnivals sprout left and right, Christmas parties are going on everywhere and children are having the most fun singing carols from house to house (and back and forth in exchange for money) every single night or going to the Midnight Masses that start on the wee small hours of December 16 until the 25th. The frenzy brought by the season slows down to a halt usually on the 6th of January, the feast of the Three Kings.