What’s a normal Filipino thing that you have discovered is weird in other countries?

Being a Filipino living in American world

makes me feel odd because of the following:

• NAMES. People here in America, young or old, are called by their names. Unlike in the Philippines, we call someone who is older or even to strangers like “kuya" for a guy and “ate" for a lady to show respect. In the Philippines we have weird nicknames like “Badoydoy" , “Gingging" or “Ningning"

• DIRECTION. If you tell for direction people in US will use “up north “ , “down south “, “over east or west “ or specific prepositional phrases like, on the table, up the ceiling, at the center. But in the Philippines, we just simply pout our lips out to point where the object is at.

• FINGER. Here in US, it's part of the table etiquette to use fork and knife but what is common in the typical Filipino table setting is the tabo at the side where you can wash your hands and use your fingers to eat rather than using silverware.

• TABO. Everytimep Americans do their business in the bathroom, toilet paper is a must but if you are a Filipino, you live the toilet paper untouched because dipper or tabo and soap will do the job.

• SWEETS. All sweets here in US are extremely sweet. What I meant is they eat cake here with the ice cream on top, pancakes with extra syrup, or cupcakes with overflowing whip creams. But not in the Philippines, what we consider sweet there is the ripened mango, jackfruits and other tropical fruits. p

• BULK. In US, people buy food items at the grocery store in bulk, in big box, by dozens, in big containers or in wholesale. But in the Philippines we buy items at the store in retail of tangi-tangi. It's because sari sari stores are common where we can buy a one stick of stick-O, one pack of Oreo, a bottle of soda or even an ounce of salt.

• ISOLATION. People here in US enjoy so much individuality and privacy because they live in wide space where each town is miles apart from each other. Unlike in the Philippines, there are areas that are so crowded specially in the cities.

• PATIS. Americans love to flavor their foods with ketchup, pepper and salt but Filipinos enjoy the savor of “patis" or soy sauce in their foods. Suka is next to patis too. Filipinos love the spice of Sukang pinakurat, a Filipino condiment that's made of spice, ginger and garlic fermented in vinegar.

There are plethora of things to feel weird about being a Filipino living in US. What is amazing about it is that people from different countries savor life in different ways, they have the same human tendencies to feel hungry, happy and loved.