We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers by Alejandro R. Roces
We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers
by Alejandro R. Roces | Analysis by Margaret L. Casuncad of AN12B
SUMMARY
The story is about how Filipinos are ironically 'mild' drinkers. A 'Joe' (which is what every American was used to be called in the Philippines) asks a Filipino for a nearby bar in which he could get more whiskey. The Filipino replies that a bar doesn't exist in their BARrio (haha unoriginal pun), and they don't drink whiskey; but he said that he could have something to serve him- Lambanog. Ironically, even though the American thought he already had drunk everything from Chanel Number 5 to Shaving Lotions, Joe couldn't handle the "jungle juice", which the Filipino could.
Talk about being m i l d.
Let's get some facts in here.
FACTS (and opinions) YOU'D WANT TO KNOW (because knowledge is power :0)
[CULTURAL CRITICISM: MY TAKE ON IT]
[1]
“Hello, my little brown brother,” he said patting me on the head.
“Hello, Joe,” I answered.I could not pronounce their names. I could not tell them apart. All Americans looked alike to me. They all looked white.
"Joe" used to be the name for every American, or every white man probably, that has stepped in the country- an expression that was used by most Filipinos way back in the World War II. Since all of them look the same to Filipinos, they began to be called Joe. (A short generic name. They probably got it from 'G.I. Joe' since G.I.s are the term for people who are part of the armed forces of the United States)
[2]
I noticed he was carrying a half-pint bottle of whiskey. Whiskey bottles seemed part of the American uniform.
Compared to Filipinos, Americans are laid back, but not really. Here's where the Americans got it all wrong. In contrast to the story of Lolo Alejandro, the Americans thought that Filipinos are lazy people because they catch them having a siesta/nap in the afternoon, and Americans don't do that- they work all 'day'. What the Americans weren't knowledgeable about was the fact that it's very hot in the Philippines, and that's the reason why Filipinos don't work in the afternoon out in the fields, and why they wake up very early (Before the sun rises) in the morning to work. By 'early in the morning' I mean really early, and the Americans aren't usually awake at those hours, but by that time, the Filipinos are working already.
[3]
“Here, have a swig. You have been working too hard,”
So basically, Filipinos are known to be hardworking, especially in the past because they were colonized by lots of countries, like Japan, Spain, and like in Lolo Alejandro's story, Americans; and since they were colonized, they're usually the slaves of other rich Filipinos and colonizers.
In my opinion, I think one of the reasons why Filipinos are so hardworking is because they aspire to be rich or to be successful, I mean, who doesn't? Unlike other countries, the Philippines is one of the third world countries. That means that the country has a lot of poor citizens, and they really have to work their way up there.
[4]
“Yes, Joe, I drink, but not whiskey.”
“What the hell do you drink?”
“I drink lambanog.”“Jungle juice, eh?”A famous liquor that is derived from coconut sap is 'Lambanog'. It has a very high alcohol content, and has many uses, from a strong vodka to mosquito repellent- you'd be surprised. Lambanog already existed in the pre- colonial period (Year 900- 1521), so without all the colonization and stress, the Filipinos probably had a good time drinking that after they discovered it existed, since drinking was an important part of social interaction in the Philippines. This 'social interaction' along with liquor is called 'Inuman'. It is a good way of making new friends, meeting new people, interacting with friends, or bonding with their families whenever there's a reunion. Like in Lolo Alejandro's story, the Filipino brought Joe in his place and they drank Lambanog.
[5]“This place is full of coconut trees,” he said.“Don’t you have any coconut trees in America?” I asked.“No,” he replied. “Back home we have the pine tree.”“It is tall and stately. It goes straight up to the sky like a skyscraper. It symbolizes America.”“Well,” I said, “the coconut tree symbolizes the Philippines. It starts up to the sky, but then its leaves sway down to earth, as if remembering the land that gave it birth. It does not forget the soil that gave it life.”America wasn't really into religion or beliefs much; the Filipinos however, in contrast to the Americans, very much subscribe to beliefs, most especially that they were just colonized by Spain for like, 300 years? that's a lot of influence, since you know, Spain introduced the Philippines to Roman Catholicism. (A not so fun fact: America bought the Philippines from Spain with 20 Million U.S. dollars. Filipinos were almost nothing but products to the colonizers.)But basically, the Filipinos really love their country in a different way Americans do probably. Americans take pride in the power their country has, they take pride in their titles and jobs since they believe that they've worked hard for it and they have earned the position as to where they are now and etc. In contrast, again, to the Filipinos, they respect the soul of everyone and everything, and yes, that includes the ground they stand on and etc. They thank nature or god for everything they have, and for everything they are capable of doing; which brings us to the 6th notable line (in my opinion) from Lolo Alejandro's story-[6][7]I poured some of my drink on the bamboo floor; it went through the slits to the ground below.“Hey, what are you doing,” said Joe, “throwing good liquor away?”“No, Joe,” I said. “It is the custom here always to give back to the earth a little of what we have taken from the earth.”
“Surely you will not refuse my hospitality?”“O.K. Just once more.”Joe took some of his drink. I could not see very clearly in the flickering light, but I could have sworn I saw smoke out of his tears.“This stuff must be radioactive,” he said.He threw the remains of his drink on the nipa wall and yielded: “Blaze, goddamn you, blaze!”Just as I was getting in the mood to drink, Joe passed out.Filipinos are hilarious. No matter what situation they're in, they will try to make some kind of humor out of it. Filipinos then and now, they always try to look at the bright side of life- they think positively, they're carefree and hardworking at the same time, and that's a combo I aspire to have if you ask me!“Hey, you! How about a can of beer before you go?”Ganun kalakas yung trip ng mga Pilipino; witty pa.Filipinos are not only strong, hilarious, and carefree-they also have high contents of cleverness.Other than being able to contain high amounts of alcohol.
“No, thanks,” I said. “We Filipinos are mild drinkers.”
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