Old habits die hard. In some cases, it’s even passed on from one generation to the next. We Filipinos also have habits that have become our trademarks. It’s not as bad as it sounds, though, because some of these traits are worthy of being recognized and should be emulated by other nations – something that Filipinos should take pride in.
Even though we live in more modern times now, we still do not seem to outgrow certain Filipino values and customs that we’ve inherited from our ancestors. Here are 25 things that only Filipinos would understand.
25 Things That Only Filipinos Would Understand
25. Eating with your hands is normal.
Your Filipino friend sees you eating chicken with your hands? No problem. He’ll probably even do the same.
24. You use Po and Opo as a sign of respect.
Every sentence and every answer must contain a “po”. It’s a rule.
23. You don’t know who gets the last piece.
There is one pizza slice left in the box. You’re afraid to take it because they might think you’re too greedy, so you humbly offer it to the next guy, but he thinks the same. This is where the chaos begins.
“Guys, who gets the last piece?”
22. Pagmamano is a common Filipino practice to respect people older than you.
If done to you, it is also a sign that you’re getting old.
21. This is the national symbol for all of the good-looking, and “feeling good-looking” Filipinos:
20. You bargain anything you lay your eyes on.
It is every Filipino’s next move after finding out the price.
19. You add an unnecessary “H” to your name or nickname.
Your name doesn’t sound cool enough, Jay. How about “Jhay”?
18. We don’t take a shower or use a bathtub, we use a taboo and a timba.
Which one do you prefer?
Our trusty gadgets when taking a bath. The tabo-timba tandem never ceases to fail me.
17. You also use a rock as a scrub when taking a bath.
16. You prefer to say “brownout” instead of “blackout”.
What’s the difference anyways, right?
15. Whenever you get surprised, you either curse the person or name a random animal out loud.
“Ay, kabayo!” and “puchang gala!” are some of my favorites.
14. You’ve been asked to pronounce “pasko, paksiw” or “nakakapagpabagabag“.
100 pesos to the one who can pronounce them a hundred times in a row.
13. Christmas is the only day you’ll remember to visit all of your godparents.
12. Yellow on a traffic light means “Go faster!”
11. You say your nose bleeds whenever you hear or read fluent English.
Be careful not to drip on your laptop while reading this.
10. Eating balut is an easy feat.
Apart from being a popular piece of street food in the Philippines, balut is also considered as one of the exotic foods in Asia that our American and European friends have difficulty eating.
May it be toiletries in a hotel, food from tasting booths or silverware and plastic trays in fast food restaurants – anything, as long as it’s FREE!
4. You run on “Filipino Time”.
You were late for a meeting or class because of “traffic” and thought you missed a lot of lectures, but you actually made it in time because it hasn’t started yet.
3. You blame the “traffic” every time you’re late.
Don’t worry. I believe you… Maybe.
2. You’ve experienced eating on banana leaves.
This style of eating is usually practiced by the military, but here in the Philippines, it is commonly used at festivals and other special occasions.
James is a simple man. He enjoys cloud photography, playing his guitar, and occasionally trying out a new hobby. If you love 90s music, you can be best buds with him. Come say hi on his personal blog, jamsbox.wordpress.com
25 Things That Only Filipinos Would Understand
25 Things That Only Filipinos Would Understand
Old habits die hard. In some cases, it’s even passed on from one generation to the next. We Filipinos also have habits that have become our trademarks. It’s not as bad as it sounds, though, because some of these traits are worthy of being recognized and should be emulated by other nations – something that Filipinos should take pride in.
Even though we live in more modern times now, we still do not seem to outgrow certain Filipino values and customs that we’ve inherited from our ancestors. Here are 25 things that only Filipinos would understand.
25 Things That Only Filipinos Would Understand
25. Eating with your hands is normal.
Your Filipino friend sees you eating chicken with your hands? No problem. He’ll probably even do the same.
24. You use Po and Opo as a sign of respect.
Every sentence and every answer must contain a “po”. It’s a rule.
23. You don’t know who gets the last piece.
There is one pizza slice left in the box. You’re afraid to take it because they might think you’re too greedy, so you humbly offer it to the next guy, but he thinks the same. This is where the chaos begins.
“Guys, who gets the last piece?”
22. Pagmamano is a common Filipino practice to respect people older than you.
If done to you, it is also a sign that you’re getting old.
21. This is the national symbol for all of the good-looking, and “feeling good-looking” Filipinos:
20. You bargain anything you lay your eyes on.
It is every Filipino’s next move after finding out the price.
19. You add an unnecessary “H” to your name or nickname.
Your name doesn’t sound cool enough, Jay. How about “Jhay”?
18. We don’t take a shower or use a bathtub, we use a taboo and a timba.
Our trusty gadgets when taking a bath. The tabo-timba tandem never ceases to fail me.
17. You also use a rock as a scrub when taking a bath.
16. You prefer to say “brownout” instead of “blackout”.
What’s the difference anyways, right?
15. Whenever you get surprised, you either curse the person or name a random animal out loud.
“Ay, kabayo!” and “puchang gala!” are some of my favorites.
14. You’ve been asked to pronounce “pasko, paksiw” or “nakakapagpabagabag“.
100 pesos to the one who can pronounce them a hundred times in a row.
13. Christmas is the only day you’ll remember to visit all of your godparents.
12. Yellow on a traffic light means “Go faster!”
11. You say your nose bleeds whenever you hear or read fluent English.
Be careful not to drip on your laptop while reading this.
10. Eating balut is an easy feat.
Apart from being a popular piece of street food in the Philippines, balut is also considered as one of the exotic foods in Asia that our American and European friends have difficulty eating.
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on How to Eat Balut (Duck Egg Fetus)
9. You reuse gift bags for the next occasion.
Nothing wrong with being resourceful. As they say, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”.
8. You always ask for “pasalubong” every time someone comes home from the province.
7. You’ve experienced living with the WHOLE family under the same roof.
Including your uncle’s family, grandparents and cousins.
6. You love odd food pairings like dinuguan and puto or coffee and pan de sal.
Though the mind says no, the tastebuds says yes!
Check out our list on 10 Strange Pinoy Food Pairings That Actually Work.
5. You love FREE stuff.
May it be toiletries in a hotel, food from tasting booths or silverware and plastic trays in fast food restaurants – anything, as long as it’s FREE!
4. You run on “Filipino Time”.
You were late for a meeting or class because of “traffic” and thought you missed a lot of lectures, but you actually made it in time because it hasn’t started yet.
3. You blame the “traffic” every time you’re late.
Don’t worry. I believe you… Maybe.
2. You’ve experienced eating on banana leaves.
This style of eating is usually practiced by the military, but here in the Philippines, it is commonly used at festivals and other special occasions.
1. Jeepney drivers be like..
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Do you agree with our list? What are the things we missed out?
Please share them in the comment box below…
You might also want to read our Top 20 Signs You’ve Been Living in Manila for Too Long
25 Things That Only Filipinos Would Understand
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About The Author
James is a simple man. He enjoys cloud photography, playing his guitar, and occasionally trying out a new hobby. If you love 90s music, you can be best buds with him. Come say hi on his personal blog, jamsbox.wordpress.com