As parents, we aspire to be happy always. Unfortunately, our guardian angels don’t smile at us all the time. As a result, we often bump into things that upset us. The provocation, both real and imagined, is sometimes so intense that we contemplate murder. Or suicide. Depending on the extent of our consternation.

As a Filipino magician performing for family audiences, I have met all types of personalities from different strata of society. Regardless of their cultivation, or lack of it, Filipinos are the same everywhere. Mostly friendly and pleasant, they have a predilection for loosing their composure when foreigners trifle with their national pride. Or food.

You see, most Filipinos consider food as part of their national patrimony. They equate food with national pride. Not surprisingly, they snarl at foreigners who poke fun at Filipino dishes.

That was the case when author, screenwriter and actor Pamela Ribon wrote Open Up and Say Yumburger , a humorous blog about her dining experience at Jollibee. The blog made the rounds of Filipino news groups and forums, drawing flak from some members, who thought the author disrespected Filipino cuisine.

Being one of the cooler heads, I advised the patriotic hotheads not to waste their psychic energy stewing on this piece. It’s a humorous account of an otherwise humdrum adventure written by a comedy writer. A well written piece, I should say, albeit flippant and ungracious.

Sure, the butt of the joke is Filipino dishes, but who says our food is so sacred that they are off limits to facetious comments?

Filipino comics are the first to know that our food is a rich source of humor. Honestly now, I’m up to my neck with jokes about talaba. Not just any talaba jokes, but blue-as-can-be, adult, PG-65 talaba jokes. Some of these jokes are so obscene I wouldn’t dream of telling them even in my dreams.

The blog about Jollibee belongs to the same type of humorous writing that a British journalist used in his article about Filipino names. Those who have developed a self-deprecating sense of humor find these pieces very funny. According to humorists, the ability to laugh at oneself, at one’s follies and at one’s shortcomings is the highest type of humor. It brings a person to the level of graciousness of great humorists like Bob Hope and Mark Twain.

Oh, the insult response of an obviously miffed Pinoy is even outrageously funnier. (If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the link: Adventures with Jollibee, continued ) It is funny, because the obscenities that studded his letter just show how humorless Pinoys can be when his pride is stung.

Stay magical,

Leodini

Make Your Child Happy on Her Birthday
http://www.leodini.com/