I was eating my merienda consisting of palabok and lumpia awhile ago when I had this flashback from the mid-90s when I was new in Manila. I new in my job and didn't know anybody else in Manila, and so I had to stay with my uncle in Guadalupe where he had a bakery. After work, I would help out in selling bread.
The usual dialogue would go like this:
Customer: Pabiliiii! (I'd like to buy!)
Me: Ano yun? (What is it?)
Customer: Softdrinks
Me: Coke ba?
Customer: Royal
Me: 1.5?
Customer: Litro. (Liter)
Me: Ilan? (How many?)
Customer: Dalawa (Two)
I swear, these dialogues were really so unnecessarily long that I sometimes grit my teeth and pretend to smile (they're customers after all). Why can't they just say, "Pabili ng Royal, isang litro. (I'd like to buy Royal, 1 liter)", and be done with it? Remembering this made me feel a bit annoyed, even today.
Try observing this at your local sari-sari store and you'll see what I mean.
***
Here's another incident which I find really amusing (for a change!). I have told this story countless times.
A customer dropped by and said "Pabili!"
Me with my forced smile: "Ano yun?" (What is it?)
Customer: "Tasty."
Me: Tasty?
(I scan our goods on the display window, not knowing what I was looking for)
Me: "Wala yata kami nun e." (I don't think we have that)
Customer: "Tasty? Ayun o!" (There it is!) with matching finger pointing
Me: "Aaaaah. Loaf bread!"
Customer: "What loaf bread? That's Tasty!"
Go figure. (We call it loaf bread in Baguio)
Photo credit and pan de sal (Filipino bread roll) recipe: Reipezaar
"We call it loaf bread in Baguio" --> yup! yup! yup! I can attest to that! taga-Baguio ak met gamin :-p
ReplyDeleteSaan po ba galing/nakuha yung Tasty?
hahaha, sa manila kasi mas kilala syang Tasty!
ReplyDeletekelan kayo akyat ng Gulugod Baboy?
I think Tasty kasi is a brand. Parang "Pabiling Colgate!" :) hehe!
ReplyDeleteBrand conscious kasi tayong mga pinoy. harhar!
Napadaan po! :)
What's sad, is people are so used to these conversations, that when I as a customer specifically specify what I want, we still have to go through the conversation. For example.
ReplyDeleteMe at McDonalds: I would like a medium number three value meal with cheese and a diet coke.
Them: Would you like to supersize that?
Me: No.
Them: Do you want cheese on that?
Me: Yes
Them: What do you want to drink?
Me: Diet Coke
Them: Anything else?
Me: No
You just can't win either way.
Ikaw inis sa bumibili, ako minsan inis sa tindera.
ReplyDeleteAko: Pabili nga ho ng dalawang hopia. Pakibalot ho.
Tindera: Take out?
----
Ako: Padagdag nga ho ng isang kanin.
Tindera: Isang rice pa?
AHHHH!!!!
When I was young in our sari sari store, it was always called tasty. :D Retro pare!!!
ReplyDeleteEileen: Sabi nga dito sa opis, ang sosi natin sa Baguio. Yung perya dito, carnival sa atin, di ba? hehehe. I think brand yung tasty na naging sikat sa Manila.
ReplyDeleteMommy Lei, wala pang set date! Ulan kasi ng ulan!
Garnet girl! I have yet to see loaf bread na tatak Tasty. Siguro wala na pero nag-stick yung pangalan?
Ed, I've had the same experience with fastfood stores! I say, "big mac meal for take out please" and they say, "dine in?"
Abaniko, may makulit talagang nagtitinda. Hindi ako isa dun hehehe
Igor, that's the way I see it too pero pag ako bumibili, sinasabi ko loaf bread sabay turo na lang hehehe
Sabi kagabi nung anak ko, ano raw ba yung word na "pabili nga?" Narinig daw nya sa canteen sa isang student na bagong dating from Pinas.
ReplyDeleteSa bakasyon ituturo ko sa kanila kung pano gamitin yung pabili nga sa sari-sari store.
May sari-sari store dyan Ann? Yan yung isa sa mga very useful terms na ginagamit ng mga bata dito sa Pinas, so dapat nga ituro mo Ann. Kasama na rin ang "Penge pera!" hehehe
ReplyDeleteActually...Tasty is not a brand...it's more of like an expression that the bread is good hence...tasty bread... hehehehehe...
ReplyDeletethe americans call it "Pre-sliced breads" its actually the french and italians who calls it loaf breads... hehehehe...
so sir nick...sosiness nga ang mga taga baguio. :P daba also with the scramble, you guys call it snow cone!!! hello????snow cone :P its so funny...
Talaga... tasty? I didn't know that. Yep, we call'em loaf bread here in the mountains (and still do). Thanks for the info, I'll know what's "Tasty" if anyone refers to it... that's one less embarassing/ awkward moment I wouldn't have to endure. hehe
ReplyDeleteHi, taga Baguio ak-met. Yeah, its always been called loaf bread.
ReplyDeleteRead your comment at Kadyo's blog, SLU ECE din ako. I think I'm 2 years your senior , batch 91 ako. Might have bumped into you before. Your name sound familiar.
ey nick, mainipin ka pala e. pati mga bumibili, pinapatulan mo. pero, come to think of it. "tasty" was quite an acceptable term for a loaf of bread. hmmm, amazing indeed!
ReplyDeleteganyan din sa store ng mama ko ...
ReplyDeleteC : pabili ng sigarilyo
T : anong sigarilyo?
C : e.g. Marlboro
T : short/long?
C : ....
T : ilan?
C : ...
kuleeet nga! di pa sabihin kaagad, sa alemanya dapat sabihin mo kung ano talaga kailangan mo kundi pati kasunod mo maiirita ;)
Walang sari-sari store dito, kaya nga taka yung ibang bata rito kung ano yung pabili nga...hehehe.
ReplyDeleteYung mga coins nga dito naiipon lang di nagagamit, nilalagay ko sa coin bank then pag puno na pwedeng papalitan sa supermarket.
Noong bakasyon tuwang-tuwa sila sa mga coins kasi naipambibili ng dirty ice cream sa daan.
Hi Follen! Actually I think the Americans called it loaf bread too kasi nga may American base sa Baguio noon so may influence sya sa city mismo.
ReplyDeleteAlternati, I really couldn't get used to using the term. After all, kahit sa school, loaf bread tawag namin dun eh
Leah, baka nga! I worked at the Library as an assistant. Baka dun mo ako nakita.
Owen, parang colgate ba? Pabili ng colgate, yung pepsodent. ehehehe
Neneng, nakuuuu talagang heto nanggigigil na naman ako dahil sa kwento mo. May mga makukulit talaga. Tapos yung iba, talagang hihintayin ka na magtanong! Kung ano, kung ilan... di na lang diretsahin!
Ann, wierd question ko ano? Kung may sari-sari store sa desert. hehehe!
Mama Jenn, sabi nila, do as the Romans do... pero i was not really accustomed to calling it tasty. Buti na lang sa supermarket, ikaw kukuha.
Natawa naman ako sa tasty. Yan nga rin ang tawag namin diyan. Ang asawa ko hanggang ngayon tasty pa rin ang tawag. Minsan hihingi sa anak ng tasty. Hindi maintindihan ng anak. Sasabihin ko naman, kasi tinapay na lang ang sabihin mo. :)
ReplyDeleteNiceheart! To be safe, generic word na lang hehehe!
ReplyDeletemanong watson,
ReplyDeleterelate na relate ako sa experience mo (esp the 1st). Me sari-sari store/bakeshop kami nun eh. Pero tasty rin ang tawag namin dyan. Minsan, kahit dito sa US, tasty nasasabi ko sa mga anak ko. Di naman nila alam yun. Bread ang alam nila.
Meron pa akong exp: "Pabili ng Colgate. Yung maliit lang." Pag-abot ko, "Hindi yan, yung Close-Up." (Ngek! Alam mo naman tayo, yung pioneering brand, equated sa generic term.)