Are Pinays Still Respectable?

The world knows about Filipino women. 

They are very beautiful, shy, reserved, submissive and "maasikaso," though at the same time assertive at the right moment. Call it an irony, but yeah, I would have to agree on that. A working knowledge of the English language, very charming smile and superb hospitality could always be a deal breaker. And all of these are possessed by a Filipina. A perfect mate as many foreigners would say, comparing with women in their respective countries. It could be the reason why for a while, a Filipina was treated like a commodity. Is it their fault or is it ours too?

Kesong Puti Syndrome

We Pinoys know how to make cheese too, and in fact, we have been making them for a long time already. It goes by the name kesong puti. 

This soft cheese is made from carabao's milk, salt and rennet (traditionally), usually coming from some Tagalog provinces. For those who don't know rennet, it is a stomach enzyme of a carabao, cattle or goat that plays an important part in production of kesong puti. I wouldn't tell of how to get rennet because its out of topic already, and its gross. Besides, one can buy ready rennet than bothering how to make it. Anyway, the cheese easy to make and very easy to enjoy. All you need is some hot pandesal and a noisy stomach in the morning.

First Time Mo?

Photo from Kristal

Firsts are very special. We Filipinos love to cherish the first time, most especially Filipinas. There's always a first for everything, and the experience is thought of as worth remembering. But then its not just about reminiscing in the Filipino Culture. It goes way deeper than memories or things that we may care about.

Has anyone told you when you visit a church for the first time and wish, it will come true? How about the first rain of summer can cure bungang araw or prickly heat? Old people say if you do good in the first day of the year, good things will happen all throughout. The same thing will happen if you do bad...its gonna be a bad year.

Balat Sibuyas ka ba?

We Filipinos are very complex, and somehow our ancestors have mapped out our psyche. Our language has been equipped with terms that pertain only to traits unique to us Pinoys, and some traits although common too with other cultures, we have our own terms to call it. Among them is "Balat-Sibuyas."

Photo from Renatoely

Sibuyas or Onion, one of the world's most popular cooking ingredient, thrives plenty in the Philippines. The skin is very thin and and easily removed, and upon this observation the popular idiom came from.

You will probably hate the people branded as balat-sibuyas. Its not the same thing as being sensitive. Well yeah, somehow being sensitive is connected, but in a very wrong way. Balat-sibuyas persons are so sensitive almost to the point of paranoia. Tell them something, they take it very seriously, or misinterpret it totally. Most of the time, you will be very, very careful when talking in front of such a person.

Juan Tamad

Juan is a popular name in the Philippines, but I have my doubts if more moms have been naming their children Juan nowadays. Aside from it doesn't sound sophisticated, the name has had a bad reputation because of Juan Tamad.

Juan Tamad or Lazy John was a term popularized in the 1900's  and still famous today because he waited for the guava to fall into his mouth rather than getting it. For some reason he became the representative of Filipinos and every foreigner looks at every Juan to be Juan Tamad.

We can't blame them, but we can't be blamed either! After being colonized for hundreds of years, where do you think our practices came from? 

Juan Tamad is actually an insult to us. Many see us stupid and guillible. Well, guillible, true, but stupid?!? The fact here is, we Filipinos are very nice and trust easily. We believe in the benefit of the doubt, yet...we get fooled. What's worse is...we get fooled again. Stupid? No, we're just easy to convince.

The best example of that? Look around you. You will not see Juan Tamad. Most Filipinos work so hard even if the returns are small. Is that Tamad? Absolutely not. Most really just lack the motivation. With such bad opportunities here in the country for everyone, I myself might take the "guava option" instead of wasting my time and energy. Maybe Juan Tamad is not the right term for us.

You do agree that Juan Tamad is just a myth, right?