BRING THEM HOME
The Filipino habit of bringing presents to family and friends whenever we travel is a time-honored tradition that is at times a national pastime that swings from comical to sentimental
Think of the tugons of our homesick Pinoys abroad. You'd think they'd be happy with the standard dried mangoes, otap, masareal, and dried fish.
Yet one nurse in New Jersey asked me to bring sebo de macho, while a young doctor in New York requested for an issue of Asiaweek that featured the Philippines and the APEC summit in Subic. Fe Lara in Florida wanted Pinoy joke books. Indah in California was explicit with her salted adobong mani ("the small ones") and fish crackers ("which you dip in suka.") Her daughter, Rhona, asked for a brand of cologne spray that is not available in the US.
Uncle Philip in Arizona was craving for poot-poot ginamos. It is a rare Surigao delicacy made of fries (newly hatched fishes) no bigger than a pinhead and found only near the Philippine Deep. Like caviar, a jar costs hundreds and these are available only during certain times of the year. I put my foot down and told my parents I'm not bringing any, "it's not environment-friendly." They prevailed on me to bring two jars of bagoong, instead. Forgot to declare it when I arrived at the Los Angeles airport. Almost had a heart attack when a trained dog started sniffing on the luggage. I don't know if bringing in shrimp paste is a crime, but I would die of embarrassment if they ordered me to open it in public.
You should see the other embarrassing stuff Pinoys lug around. Like brooms, all kinds of it: silhig tukog, silhig lanot, and yes, the famous fine-haired varieties from Baguio. They say the brooms there are not as durable.
The boss' wife had to explain to the customs officer that the bamboo sticks in her luggage are for a brother who wanted to build his own parol (lantern) for Christmas. She also had a bolo or guna. The fact that there is no exact English equivalent for this round-ended blade for gardening makes it obvious that they don't have such things in America.
It's not surprising to hear requests for Efficascent Oil and Omega Pain Killer. Perla is also popular. An acquaintance in New York washes her delicate underwear with it, not trusting the American liquid detergents or washing machines. Choy in Arizona gave it as "wonder bar" for his nephews' acne. It worked, of course. They love papaya soap in Guam and mainland USA, too.
Some things are simply not available there. Like Bigen hair dye, which Kate's aunt orders. Or cuticle nippers, "because they don't cut cuticles there." Babylin agrees. Her friend in Virginia wanted a bottle of pink cuticle removers. Forget tawas (deodorant crystals). You could get arrested if the airport authorities mistake it for shabu or crack. It happened before.
Sometimes it doesn't make sense that with all the brands and choices available abroad there are people who insist on the ones they were used to here. Eileen's sister is comfortable only with Whispers made in the Phils. Never mind if she lives in Maryland. Radel in New York swears on our local Johnson's Baby Powder. She also sequestered my Spartan rubber slippers. La-arni lost all her batik daster (housedress) to her sister and sisters-in-law.*
Comfortable is the key word. In both literal and figurative senses. Pinoys abroad are hungry for just about anything and everything that will remind them of home, and these items help them cope with nostalgia. So don't be surprised that in the land of Hershey Kisses a friend will ask you to bring Choc-Nut.
Food -- our best memories of home are not only close to our hearts but our stomachs as well. This I learned when a friend in Hong Kong treated me to dinner at a Filipino restaurant the night before my flight back to Cebu. When Guy visited China, the land of exotic dishes, he was greeted by wistful Filipinos asking if he brought adobo, bulad (dried fish), chicharon … According to fellow mountaineer, Jerome, Pinoys in Beijing are crazy about lechon paksiw.
They are equally hungry for news, any news. The waittress at the Filipino restaurant in Hong Kong begged us to leave the Freeman I brought for my friend. It was greeted with similar enthusiasm in Saipan. Allan, who was assigned in China for months, recalls that before they had Internet access to the online editions, local newspapers were hot items.
Ernest had these on his list: "young coconut leaves for the suman bulobod; green banana leaves for suman; Tanduay (inumin ng tunay na lalaki); bolo (again) ... one of my brothers just brought one for me; calamay from Bohol; dried fish, specially danggit; otap from Cebu; classical Philippine music in CD.like "Matud Nila"; hand crafted decorations like carabao [horns] or tinikling dance.
So bring them home, not on the telephone, but with pasalubong items they will surely cherish.
December 17, 1998
* P.S.
Yett adds that many Filipinos also like canned Kraft Cheese from the Philippines. "According to them, the ones they buy there cannot come close to these," she said. My boss' wife concurs, she also brought cans during their last trip to the US.