Never Go Hungry

Guisseppe Mazzini once said, ~The family is the Country of the heart. There is an angel in the family who, by the mysterious influence of grace, of sweetness, and of love, renders the fulfillment of duties less wearisome, sorrows less bitter. The only pure joys unmixed with sadness which it is given to man to taste upon earth are thanks to this angel, the joys of the family.~ When you are part or become a part of Filipino-American family you not only have your own family, but one also has an extended family as well. In some aspects, it's an extended family that is well connected and informed than the FBI, CIA, and Al Qaeda, without the violent terror related tendencies.

Thinking about it, time is inconsequential for a group of people that never really arrive on time. Being an hour or two hours late for that matter is practically expected and one shouldn't expect anything less. In some ways, a person set their watch on when we will arrive depending on whether or not food will be involved with this particular function. In any case, making an entrance is somewhat similar to when a person or a family is making his or their departure. It can be disappointing, as a young kid, to leave a party that one is really enjoying; but not when you are on Filipino time. It's that proverbial Filipino time, where young kids can enjoy several more hours of fun when parents say they are about to leave in a couple of minutes.

In some instances, being part of a culture that expresses itself in dance or song, one will get roped into doing certain dance or singing related activities that he or she doesn't want to do as a young kid. It can be either a win-win or win-lose situation depending on how one looks at it. On one hand, you can simply refuse not to do that particular activity and suffer the biggest guilt trip that a parent will hand down on you to the point where you agree to do it. On the other hand, you can do it, get it over with while you're young, and not do it ever again....most of the time. A line from a movie that escapes me right now best sums up how one can feel at times:~Just when I think I done, they pull me back in.~

It can somewhat boggle the mind that cooking food comes a close second to the one thing Filipino-Americans love to do the most and that is singing Karaoke. One can be absolutely drawn to it like senior citizens to a lunch buffet; though he or she may not want to sing, that person will have the microphone in his or her own hands. It's truly uncanny the power of a karaoke machine can hold over a Filipino because it turns a fairly normal person into a singing machine that will either make a person be perceived as the next American Idol or the next American Idol reject. Ultimately, whether you are making a fool of yourself or not, one will have absolute fun doing it; even if you can't sing worth a lick like myself.

In any case, a person can be unofficially adopted into the Filipino-American family that will absolutely welcome you with open arms. There is no background check and you don't have to wait months or even years to get on a waiting list. Personally speaking over the years, there have been a number of friends from College that are considered part of the family. Though not related by blood, it's the ties that bind that make a person feel like a brother and/or a sister. For them it's like a second home where they can get away from the college food and eat food they can actually taste. In the end, there is one absolute fact that when you are accepted into a Filipino-American house that considers you part of the family, you will never go hungry.