You know you are Filipino if …..

After doing extensive research on this topic, I have compiled my own “You know you are Filipino if …” list. These are the things that are true to me because no matter where I might be I am still a proud PinayPie!

In no particular order…
You know you are Filipino if …
1. You hang a rosary on your car’s rear view mirror.
2. You respond to a “Hoy!” or a “Pssst!” in a crowd.
3. You have a relative who is a nurse.
4. Your pantry is never without Spam, Vienna sausage, corned beef, and sardines.
5. You think Christmas season begins in October and ends in January.
6. You play cards or mahjong and drink beer at funeral wakes.
7. You eat fried Spam and hot dogs with rice.
8. You’ve mastered the art of packing a suitcase to double capacity.
9. You collect items from airlines, hotels, and restaurants as “souvenirs.”
10. You think a meal is not a meal without rice.
11. Everything you eat is sauted in garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
12. You have uncles and aunts named “Boy,” “Girlie,” or “Baby.”
13. You have relatives whose nicknames consist of repeated syllables like “Jun-Jun,” “Ling-Ling,” and “Mon-Mon.”
14. You can squeeze 15 passengers into your five seater car without a second thought.
15. Your middle name is your mother’s maiden name.
16. You love ballroom dancing, bowling, pusoy, mah jong, billiards, and karaoke.
17. You bring balikbayan boxes in the airport.

Pinoys and our balikbayan boxes

18. You always make too much food at parties and send everyone home with a doggie bag.
19. You hate confrontations but love drama.
20. You are smiling, easygoing thoughtful and an overall nice person!

PinayPie’s Bihon Guisado

I had this sudden craving for Bihon Guisado so I googled left and right for recipes for “Rice Sticks with Veggies” (aka Bihon Guisado). Almost all of the recipes were simple to make but had too many ingredients. So I modified the ingredients and experimented a bit.

I did not use our traditional sotanghon/bihon because for the life of me I couldn’t find it here in East Village. So I made do with I think the Vietnamese version of Rice sticks.

So here goes my Bihon Guisado Experiment
1. Rice Sticks
2. Coleslaw pack from Dole
3. Cut Chicken Breasts
4. Chicken Boullion cubes
5. Onion, Garlic, Ginger
6. Salt, Pepper, Calamansi Powder (yes we don’t have the real calamansi here in New York)

So.. turn on your TV or listen to your radio and then
1. Preparation
a) Put the Rice Sticks in water so soften it.
b) Put a bit of salt, pepper, calamansi powder to your cut chicken.
2. In a pan, saute galic, onion and ginger. Add the cut chicken breasts. Add a dash of garlic and calamansi powder.
3. In a cup of hot water, dissolve your chicken cubes. Add the water to the pan.
4. Add your coleslaw (carrots and other veggies are optional).
5. Add your rice sticks.
6. Mix. If you want your dish to be dry you can let the water dry up. If you want your dish to have a little bit of sauce, you can add more water.