You know you’re a true-blue Ilonggo

You know you’re a true-blue Ilonggo if …

• Your one peso is pisos
• You take a bath using a tabo which you call Caltex. The same Caltex is also often used as a unit of measurement (i.e. isa ka caltex nga pasayan, isa ka caltex nga hipon, isa ka caltex nga asin)
• Your bathroom has at least one lugod (some has one for every family member)
• Your nanay used to make you drink Mirinda or Royal Tru Orange when you have a fever, which is supposed to make you feel better
• Sinamak is a staple in your dining table (the best Ilonggo invention if you ask me, was even banned on airplanes long before 911)
• Your toyo is patis and your patis is toyo
• You call brown sugar red (kalamay nga pula)
• You use atsuete for your adobo and pinamalhan (pinaksiw)
• Your daily meal will likely include laswa, kbl (kadyos, baboy, langka), ginat-an nga tambo with tugabang and okra, ginat-an nga munggo, linutik, apan-apan, etc.
• November 1 means eating ibus, suman, suman latik, kalamay-hati, bayi-bayi, valenciana or other native delicacies with glutinous rice and coconut milk
• You call those you love palangga, pangga, langga or ga
• You call your siblings or cousins inday, nonoy or toto…the househelp may call you the same
• You call those who are older than you manang or manong
• You catch the attention of sales attendants by calling them “day” or “to”
• Your childhood games include tumba patis, taksi, panagu-ay, balay-balay, ins, tin-tin baka, etc.
• You used to be (or still are) scared to go out at night lest you meet the aswang, tik-tik, tayhu, kapre, kama-kama, morto, etc.
• You used to listen (or still listens) to Sin-o Ang May Sala, Lain Siya Sa Iban, and Toyang Ermitanya
• You know the lyrics of Ili-Ili, Dandansoy and Turagsoy
• Your grandparents read Yuhum or Hiligaynon magazine
• You call a person, thing, place and event kwan when you forget it (si kwan, ang kwan, sa kwan)
• You used to sleep in an aboy-aboy made of patadyong when you were a baby (probably applies only to us below the poverty line)
• You understand that “Particulars Keep Out” sign means outsiders keep out (believe me, this sign may look and sound English but only us Ilonggos use it)
• You use words such as “ahay” (expression of pity, grief, empathy), “yuga” (expression of disbelief, surprise), “ambot ah” (to say you don’t know, expression of impatience)
• You often start your sentence with “ti”
• You say goodbye by saying “halong”
• Your favorite cusswords are linte (if you’re slightly pissed off) and hijo de puta (if you’re pissed off big time)

P.S.

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Tagged as: culture, ilonggo