IF your surname sounds like it’s Spanish, there’s a possibility you have Spanish blood running in your veins. It’s time to trace back your family tree and find out if your ancestors come from Spain because Spain is now giving the Filipino-Spanish the chance to become its citizens. Proving your Spanish ancestry is in your hands, so, dig up the birth certificates, old photos, but be careful not to include Padre Damaso? Hmmm.
While friends with Spanish ancestry were discussing their quest for Spanish citizenship, I asked if it’s possible for me to be Spanish, too. Since people always assume that I’m Chinese, and when I was in Seoul, the Koreans there thought I’m Korean, and Chinese tourists in Manhattan would get angry at me when I didn’t reply to their subway map queries, spoken in Chinese of course, my almond-shaped eyes are enough evidence of my Asian ancestry.
As a Chinoy — Chinese Pinoy — rice, pancit, sotanghon, sweet spaghetti, misua, pandesal, siopao, siomai, kakanin, bilo-bilo, binignit, and all other Pinoy and Chinese carbs should be in my menu. And they were indeed a major part of my daily fare until I learned about the low-carb diet which is now transitioning to carnivore in this quest to cure my hypertension.
I can’t even eat ginataang munggos and ginataang kalabasa anymore which were my favorites during my high-carb days. Other favorites that have to be ignored now: peanuts, macadamia nuts, cashew nuts, pistachios, baked goodies, halo-halo, Royce Nama chocolate, Nagaraya cracker nuts, Pringles, Jack ‘n Jill potato chips and Chippy and Piattos and even its chocolate pretzel sticks. This list can go on and on.
If I have Spanish ancestry, I guess I’ll prefer paella?
As you can see, each country’s cuisine has its own special set of carbs. Italy has pasta and pizza and gelato, France has croissants, Japan has ramen, Vietnam has pho, Thailand has mango sticky rice, etc. Travel can be torture to the carnivore.
My high-carb days meant eating at least seven meals a day. No wonder I was 180 pounds during the pandemic lockdowns. So easy to achieve while eating, reading, spring cleaning, and sleeping while staying home. I was often checking out my bedroom’s mini-fridge for goodies.
Now, it’s TMAD — two meals a day. Brunch and dinner. And gyming during my fasting window. This is not the type of lifestyle that’s achieved overnight. It’s kind of a slowly but surely progression as I learn more about health.
While writing this, I’m thinking of Eng Bee Tin’s golden pork floss hopia, Oriental Garden’s pancit and sweet and sour fish cutlet, Mandarin Tea Garden’s chopsuey fried rice, and Gaisano’s siopao. Yum!
And I’m also thinking if China will ever offer Chinese citizenship to the Chinoy. Considering the fight over the West Philippine Sea, I guess the answer to that is a big no. And that’s probably fine for the Chinoy since he can still have authentic Chinese food in Chinatown in Binondo, Manila where he will also find Eng Bee Tin and Ho-Land hopia.
